Head coaching positions in college football often have revolving doors, so each year, CBS Sports evaluates every FBS coach and ranks their job security on a scale of 0-5. 0 is reserved for who it sees as “untouchable” while the coaches given a 5 have never sat on a hotter seat.
In the 2023 coaching hot seat rankings, Dan Lanning was given a rank of 1 (“safe and secure”), while other notable Pac-12 coaches such as Lincoln Riley, Deion Sanders, and Kyle Whittingham were all given 0’s.
Lanning is heading into his sophomore year as an Oregon coach. His freshman year was successful, and the performance of the 2022 Oregon Ducks exceeded most people’s expectations. After only one season, it was pretty safe to assume that CBS wouldn’t see Lanning’s job as in jeopardy.
Still, there is information to be gleaned and questions to be asked based on CBS’ evaluations. For example, why is Dan Lanning ranked as a 1 and not a 0? And why are Riley, Sanders, and Whittingham untouchable instead of Lanning?
I think there are a number of factors as to why Lanning is behind Whittingham and Riley. Whittingham has been at Utah for nearly 20 seasons, and he has almost always been successful. He is loved within that program and has truly solidified himself Ute for the long haul.
On the other hand, Lincoln Riley has been at USC for just as little time as Lanning has been at Oregon. However, this isn’t Riley’s first head coaching job (he was at Oklahoma before USC) and despite the Ducks’ wonderful season in 2022, many would argue the Trojans were even better. Still, let’s remember that one team won their bowl game and one didn’t.
The most puzzling question to me is Deion Sanders. While he went to a program that was so horrendous last season that there is nowhere to go but up, it is still his first year as an FBS coach. His volatile recruiting style could pay off, or it might not. The Buffaloes could win eight games in 2023 or two games. There is just so much uncertainty surrounding that job and that team, which makes it hard for me to see Coach Prime as “untouchable.”
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