2008 Hot Seat Ratings: Coach by coach
Below is a list of the CBSSports.com's Hot Seat Ratings for the upcoming college football season.
Only five coaches have a rating of at least 4, while zero coaches have a rating of 5. Washington's Tyrone Willingham has the highest score of 4.95 after compiling an 11-25 record in three seasons. Syracuse's Greg Robinson is second with a rating of 4.5, compiling a 7-28 record in three seasons.
Of the 120 Division I-A schools, 98 coaches are listed in at least a "safe, solid position." Purdue's Joe Tiller has no rating after announcing this will be his last season as head coach.
The most secure BCS conference is the Big 12, with an average rating of 1.21. It also leads with four coaches holding a rating of zero -- Mark Mangino, Bo Pelini, Bob Stoops and Mack Brown. The Pac-10 is the major conference with the hottest seats with a 2.045 average. The most secure non-BCS conference is the Sun Belt, with only one coach earning a rating of at least 3. The least secure non-BCS conference is the Mountain West with a rating of 2.0, including three coaches with a rating of at least 3.
Three coaches will be entering their first full season with their teams, but already have posted wins and losses. West Virginia's Bill Stewart won the Fiesta Bowl last season, while Navy's Ken Niumatalolo lost the Poinsettia Bowl. Bo Pelini won the 2003 Alamo Bowl, taking over when Frank Solich was fired.
| Hot Seat Rating Key | ||
| Rating | What it means | Coaches |
| 0-0.5 | Don't even think it -- can't be touched | 25 |
| 1-1.5 | Very safe -- change highly unlikely | 35 |
| 2-2.5 | Safe -- solid position | 38 |
| 3-3.5 | On the bubble -- you never know | 16 |
| 4-4.5 | Warm seat -- feeling the pressure | 5 |
| 5 | On the hot seat -- it's time to win now | 0 |
| N/A | Coach has already announced he is stepping down at the end of the season. | 1 |
| Team | Coach | Yrs | Record | Rating |
| Air Force | Troy Calhoun | 2 | 9-4 | 0.5 |
| Akron | J.D. Brookhart | 5 | 22-26 | 2 |
| Alabama | Nick Saban | 2 | 7-6 | 1 |
| Arizona | Mike Stoops | 5 | 17-29 | 4 |
| Arizona State | Dennis Erickson | 2 | 10-3 | 1 |
| Arkansas | Bobby Petrino | 1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Arkansas State | Steve Roberts | 7 | 31-41 | 1.5 |
| Army | Stan Brock | 2 | 3-9 | 2 |
| Auburn | Tommy Tuberville | 10 | 80-33 | 1 |
| Ball State | Brady Hoke | 6 | 22-37 | 0.5 |
| Baylor | Art Briles | 1 | 0-0 | 1.5 |
| Boise State | Chris Petersen | 3 | 23-3 | 0 |
| Boston College | Jeff Jagodzinski | 2 | 11-3 | 0.5 |
| Bowling Green | Gregg Brandon | 6 | 38-24 | 2.5 |
| Buffalo | Turner Gill | 3 | 7-17 | 1 |
| BYU | Bronco Mendenhall | 4 | 28-10 | 0.5 |
| California | Jeff Tedford | 7 | 50-26 | 2.5 |
| Central Michigan | Butch Jones | 2 | 8-6 | 0.5 |
| Cincinnati | Brian Kelly | 2 | 11-3 | 0 |
| Clemson | Tommy Bowden | 10 | 69-42 | 2 |
| Colorado | Dan Hawkins | 3 | 8-17 | 1.5 |
| Colorado State | Steve Fairchild | 1 | 0-0 | 2.5 |
| Connecticut | Randy Edsall | 10 | 50-55 | 1 |
| Duke | David Cutcliffe | 1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| East Carolina | Skip Holtz | 4 | 20-17 | 2 |
| Eastern Michigan | Jeff Genyk | 5 | 13-33 | 3 |
| Florida | Urban Meyer | 4 | 31-8 | 0 |
| Florida Atlantic | Howard Schnellenberger | 8 | 41-42 | 0.5 |
| Florida International | Mario Cristobal | 2 | 1-11 | 2.5 |
| Florida State | Bobby Bowden | 33 | 300-87-4 | 2.5 |
| Fresno State | Pat Hill | 12 | 85-55 | 1 |
| Georgia | Mark Richt | 8 | 72-19 | 0 |
| Georgia Tech | Paul Johnson | 1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Hawaii | Greg McMackin | 1 | 0-0 | 1.5 |
| Houston | Kevin Sumlin | 1 | 0-0 | 1 |
| Idaho | Robb Akey | 2 | 1-11 | 3 |
| Illinois | Ron Zook | 4 | 13-23 | 1 |
| Indiana | Bill Lynch | 2 | 7-6 | 1.5 |
| Iowa | Kirk Ferentz | 10 | 61-49 | 3 |
| Iowa State | Gene Chizik | 2 | 3-9 | 2.5 |
| Kansas | Mark Mangino | 7 | 37-36 | 0 |
| Kansas State | Ron Prince | 3 | 12-13 | 3.5 |
| Kent State | Doug Martin | 5 | 15-31 | 3 |
| Kentucky | Rich Brooks | 6 | 25-35 | 1 |
| Louisiana-Lafayette | Ricky Bustle | 7 | 26-44 | 3 |
| Louisiana-Monroe | Charlie Weatherbie | 6 | 21-37 | 1.5 |
| LSU | Les Miles | 4 | 34-6 | 0 |
| Louisiana Tech | Derek Dooley | 2 | 5-7 | 0.5 |
| Louisville | Steve Kragthorpe | 2 | 6-6 | 3.5 |
| Marshall | Mark Snyder | 4 | 12-23 | 2.5 |
| Maryland | Ralph Friedgen | 8 | 56-31 | 2.5 |
| Memphis | Tommy West | 8 | 41-44 | 2.5 |
| Miami (Fla.) | Randy Shannon | 2 | 5-7 | 3 |
| Miami (Ohio) | Shane Montgomery | 4 | 15-21 | 1.5 |
| Michigan | Rich Rodriguez | 1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Michigan State | Mark Dantonio | 2 | 7-6 | 2 |
| Middle Tennessee | Rick Stockstill | 3 | 12-13 | 2 |
| Minnesota | Tim Brewster | 2 | 1-11 | 2.5 |
| Mississippi | Houston Nutt | 1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Mississippi State | Sylvester Croom | 5 | 17-30 | 1 |
| Missouri | Gary Pinkel | 8 | 49-37 | 1 |
| Navy | Ken Niumatalolo | 2* | 0-1 | 1 |
| Nebraska | Bo Pelini | 2* | 1-0 | 0 |
| Nevada | Chris Ault | 24 | 191-85-1 | 2 |
| New Mexico | Rocky Long | 11 | 61-61 | 1.5 |
| New Mexico State | Hal Mumme | 4 | 8-29 | 2.5 |
| North Carolina | Butch Davis | 2 | 4-8 | 1.5 |
| N.C. State | Tom O'Brien | 2 | 5-7 | 2.5 |
| North Texas | Todd Dodge | 2 | 2-10 | 2.5 |
| Northern Illinois | Jerry Kill | 1 | 0-0 | 0.5 |
| Northwestern | Pat Fitzgerald | 3 | 10-14 | 1.5 |
| Notre Dame | Charlie Weis | 4 | 22-15 | 3 |
| Ohio | Frank Solich | 4 | 19-18 | 2.5 |
| Ohio State | Jim Tressel | 8 | 73-16 | 0 |
| Oklahoma | Bob Stoops | 10 | 97-22 | 0 |
| Oklahoma State | Mike Gundy | 4 | 18-19 | 2 |
| Oregon | Mike Bellotti | 14 | 106-52 | 1 |
| Oregon State | Mike Riley | 8 | 47-38 | 2 |
| Penn State | Joe Paterno | 43 | 372-125-3 | 3.5 |
| Pittsburgh | Dave Wannstedt | 4 | 16-19 | 3 |
| Purdue | Joe Tiller | 12 | 83-54 | N/A* |
| Rice | David Bailiff | 2 | 3-9 | 2.5 |
| Rutgers | Greg Schiano | 8 | 38-46 | 1 |
| San Diego State | Chuck Long | 3 | 7-17 | 3.5 |
| San Jose State | Dick Tomey | 4 | 17-19 | 2 |
| South Carolina | Steve Spurrier | 4 | 21-16 | 2.5 |
| South Florida | Jim Leavitt | 12 | 79-47 | 0.5 |
| Southern California | Pete Carroll | 8 | 76-14 | 0 |
| Southern Mississippi | Larry Fedora | 1 | 0-0 | 1.5 |
| SMU | June Jones | 1 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Stanford | Jim Harbaugh | 2 | 4-8 | 1.5 |
| Syracuse | Greg Robinson | 4 | 7-28 | 4.5 |
| Temple | Al Golden | 3 | 5-19 | 1.5 |
| Tennessee | Phil Fulmer | 17 | 147-45 | 2 |
| Texas | Mack Brown | 11 | 103-25 | 0 |
| Texas A&M | Mike Sherman | 1 | 0-0 | 1.5 |
| Texas Christian | Gary Patterson | 9 | 62-25 | 1.5 |
| Texas-El Paso | Mike Price | 4 | 25-23 | 2 |
| Texas Tech | Mike Leach | 9 | 65-37 | 1 |
| Toledo | Tom Amstutz | 8 | 55-32 | 3 |
| Troy | Larry Blakeney | 18 | 136-68-1 | 0.5 |
| Tulane | Bob Toledo | 2 | 4-8 | 2.5 |
| Tulsa | Todd Graham | 2 | 10-4 | 1 |
| UAB | Neil Callaway | 2 | 2-10 | 3 |
| UCF | George O'Leary | 5 | 22-28 | 2.5 |
| UCLA | Rick Neuheisel | 1 | 0-0 | 1 |
| UNLV | Mike Sanford | 4 | 6-29 | 4 |
| Utah | Kyle Whittingham | 4 | 24-14 | 1 |
| Utah State | Brent Guy | 4 | 6-29 | 4 |
| Vanderbilt | Bobby Johnson | 7 | 20-50 | 3 |
| Virginia | Al Groh | 8 | 51-37 | 2 |
| Virginia Tech | Frank Beamer | 22 | 167-85-2 | 0.5 |
| Wake Forest | Jim Grobe | 8 | 46-39 | 0 |
| Washington | Ty Willingham | 4 | 11-25 | 4.95 |
| Washington State | Paul Wulff | 1 | 0-0 | 2.5 |
| West Virginia | Bill Stewart | 2* | 1-0 | 1.5 |
| Western Kentucky | David Elson | 6 | 37-22 | 1 |
| Western Michigan | Bill Cubit | 4 | 20-16 | 2 |
| Wisconsin | Bret Bielema | 3 | 21-5 | 0.5 |
| Wyoming | Joe Glenn | 6 | 26-33 | 3 |
Note: Years are including the upcoming 2008 season. Records are the coach's record at the school.
* - Previously coached a bowl game in another season.
