While so many college football teams still have everything in front of them, it might be time to turn the page for a few of them on their current head coach. With four new schools joining the Power Five over in the Big 12, more and more gigs carry that robust distinction. Though not every job is the same, you are under the microscope at this level of competition. Sometimes even good is still not good enough.
Once again, it is time for us to toast some buns. It's gettin' hot in herre, aight. We have seen enough over the first five weeks of the season to let us know that something ain't right at a few schools. Frankly, it all comes down to the equation of happiness, which is the same as it ever was: Reality minus expectations. When that number dips too far into the red, then you have got a serious problem.
Of course, this list will adjust over the next several weeks. Someone on here may get the ax prematurely, whereas others will struggle mightily in conference play to merit their future inclusion. Naturally, just because you are on here does not mean you have to stay. Just look at our favorite Mountaineer Neal Brown. He was horrific at West Virginia last season. WVU is now 4-1. Good for him!
So with that in mind, we have some buns to toast. Congratulations, y'all. You are so on the hot seat.
College football: 5 Power Five head coaches feeling the heat in Week 6
5. Jeff Hafley might have saved his job (for now) with win over Virginia
It was not much, but it was something. Jeff Hafley's Boston College Eagles not only got their first Power Five win of the year last week, but they also got their first conference win of the season. Of course, that win was of the three-point variety at home vs. hapless Virginia to improve to 2-3 (1-2) on the season. BC's only other win this season came against Holy Cross, with a loss to Northern Illinois...
Even if the Eagles split with Army and UConn in the non-conference, that is only three wins on the year for Hafley's squad. No, he does not need to achieve bowl eligibility this fall to keep his job, but four wins may do the trick, five definitely will, but what about three? BC is fortunate to have a few very winnable games in conference play remaining with at Georgia Tech, home vs. Virginia Tech and at Pitt.
If Hafley is serious about getting another year in Chestnut Hill, then BC needs to go 3-2 in that cluster of games, the three very winnable ones in ACC play, as well as the two winnable ones vs. national independents in the non-conference. While BC is definitely losing to Miami at the end of the year, the fact I feel like at Syracuse is a certain loss says everything you need to know about Hafley's program.
While a home win over Virginia did take some pressure off Hafley, he is still far from being in the clear.
4. Dave Aranda should be thanking his lucky stars for a missed UCF FG try
The longer this goes on, it is abundantly clear that Dave Aranda won the 2021 Big 12 Championship with Matt Rhule's players. Throughout the College Football Playoff era, Baylor has been a top-three or four program in its Power Five conference, indisputably. Now, they are one missed field goal away from being 1-4 overall and 0-2 in conference. The fact UCF almost beat them speaks volumes here.
With Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12, there is an undeniable power vacuum atop the league, just waiting for a new program to assert itself and rightfully take over. It may just end up being Kyle Whittingham's Utah Utes when they come over next year with the other Four Corners Universities. For a minute there, we thought Baylor might become that team because of the school's athletic prowess.
But right now, the soft-spoken defensive-minded coach is having a hard time motivating his players. He lost his ace in the hole in recruiter Joey McGuire two years ago to Texas Tech. McGuire may have his own mess of issues on hand, but he may only need to land a solid coordinator or two to right the ship in Lubbock. As for Aranda, his Baylor Bears are going to be so lucky to finish 6-6 on the season.
While their schedule does ease up a tad, the bottom half of the Big 12 is incredibly jumbled currently.
3. Dana Holgorsen needs to be replaced if Houston wants to compete
If we have learned two things from the four new Big 12 additions going up a level, it is that Kalani Sitake's BYU Cougars were ready to compete and Dana Holgorsen's Houston Cougars were not... Will the real Big 12 Cougars please stand up? Given how much time Holgorsen has been at U of H, as well as his previous coaching experience at WVU, we all thought Houston would be way better than 2-3.
After getting cooked like organic matter-covered Lubbock battery burritos vs. Texas Tech, we have to ask ourselves if Houston is even going to go bowling this season? Neal Brown seems to have turned West Virginia around. Houston has no chance vs. Texas and at Kansas State likely means the Cougars will drop their next three games to be a pitiful 2-6 heading into November with a must-win vs. Baylor.
Frankly, the loser of that game in Waco could be a loser leaves town match of sorts. While Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and UCF are all winnable games at the end of the season, Houston's biggest booster in Tilman Fertitta has to know that Holgorsen is not the answer for Cougars football going forward. He needs to find his equivalent of Kelvin Sampson on the hardwood and go from there. It is not working.
Unless Houston turns this around and goes something like 8-4 or 7-5, this is Holgorsen's last season.
2. Tony Elliott leads the worst team in the Power Five and may go winless
I hate to say it, but it is not going to get any better for Tony Elliott at Virginia. The Cavaliers are not only 0-5 on the season, but they are the only winless team in the Power Five left. They almost pulled off the road upset in Chestnut Hill last week vs. Boston College, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. No, Virginia is not going bowling this year. Will the Cavs even win a game in 2023?
Well, if the Hoos don't beat William & Mary on Saturday, they might go 0-12 (0-8). That is their only non-conference game left, as they have already lost to Tennessee, James Madison and Maryland. Those are tough teams for sure, but it was not all that long ago Bronco Mendenhall had Virginia contending for Coastal crowns and New Year's Six bowls. The Cavaliers are Mike London bad again.
So the big question is will Virginia fire Elliott after only two seasons on the job? I still remain skeptical on that, strictly because of who could they realistically get to replace him. The best bet would have to be getting Jamey Chadwell to leave Liberty for Charlottesville, but even he may not be ready to do that. He still may p**s a little teal and may not want to leave Lynchburg just yet. Virginia is so screwed.
While we all should commend him for how he handled last year's tragedy, Elliott is not a good coach.
1. Pat Narduzzi has beaten Wofford, and that is it, leading Pitt this season
This needs to end. The expiration date on the Pat Narduzzi era of Pitt football has come and gone. We are left with a perpetually angry man who may have seen the sport he loves sadly pass him by. Two years ago, Kenny "The Fake Slide King" Pickett was too busy playing Whippleball for us to realize that maybe Narduzzi is not the man best equipped to handle Pitt's future. They are now 1-4 on the season.
The Panthers' lone win came over ... Wofford. Since beating the Terriers at Acrisure, Pitt has proceeded to go 0-4 in Power Five play with losses to regional rival Cincinnati, rival West Virginia and then 0-2 in ACC play, with bad losses to North Carolina and ... Virginia Tech. When Brent Pry's Hokies beat you by three scores in conference play, it says everything you need to know about Pitt.
With the likes of Duke, Florida State, Louisville and Notre Dame left on their schedule, do you really think Pitt wins one of those games? At this point, Narduzzi's squad has to beat Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, as well as Syracuse and Boston College at home, to have any shot of getting to 6-6. I think it is time to rip the band-aid off and get a new face of Pitt football. Narduzzi has run his course.
At this point in time, why would Michigan State entertain possibly bringing him back to East Lansing?
