The hot seat in college football depends on who’s looking at it.
At some Big 12 schools, it’s all about the coach’s job security. At others, the heat comes from the game sitting right in front of you - the one that suddenly feels like it has to be won.
Each week, there are four Big 12 coaches worth watching for that kind of pressure. Here’s who’s feeling it heading into Week 3.
Texas Tech has a lot riding on Friday night, and that puts Joey McGuire in the spotlight. This isn’t a warning sign about his job.
It’s more about the moment. Houston is the opponent, and there’s plenty at stake for the Red Raiders.
Willie Fritz’s program has its own motivations, but McGuire is the one carrying the bigger burden here. Texas Tech has become a team plenty of people outside Lubbock want to see lose, and that kind of attention brings a different sort of heat. The Red Raiders want to shut that down with a win, especially with the fan base having dragged its heels about playing on Friday night in the first place.
Lance Leipold is in a different kind of pressure cooker at Kansas. The Jayhawks just dropped the Border War game to Missouri, and now they’re headed to London to face Arizona State at Wembley Stadium. That’s a big stage, and it’s the kind of game Leipold needs to win.
He deserves credit for getting Kansas on steadier footing, but the program hasn’t done much since the nine-win 2023 season. There’s momentum around the school thanks to the stadium renovation and the Gateway Project, and that helps raise the profile.
It also raises expectations. If Kansas loses again and starts Big 12 play slowly, the temperature under Leipold only goes up.
Scott Satterfield has pressure of a more familiar kind at Cincinnati. The Bearcats face Miami (OH) in the Victory Bell game, and if you know Cincinnati football, you know that’s not just another date on the schedule. The rivalry has been around for decades, even though they didn’t play it last year.
Miami has plenty to point to, too. The RedHawks reached the MAC championship game last season, and they’ve got a grudge after Cincinnati beat them in the 2024 game, 27-16.
That came after Miami won the 2023 meeting, 31-24, in overtime during Satterfield’s first season. Cincinnati had won the game 17 straight times before he arrived, so dropping this one again would land hard with the fan base.
Kalani Sitake and BYU handled business last week by beating Arizona at home, and now the Cougars head to Fort Collins to face Colorado State. Credit BYU for taking a Group of Six road game - not many programs do that.
Still, this has the feel of a trap. Colorado State has offensive talent, especially quarterback Hauss Hejny, who has thrown nine touchdown passes in two games this season.
BYU is coming off a tough conference opener, and this is the kind of road game that can get messy fast. Sitake and his staff will feel the heat here, because this is not a game BYU wants to lose.
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For decades, both schools were more likely to be overlooked than discussed on the sports biggest stages, but recent changes have altered that script. Coaching stability and conference affiliation have helped push both programs into a more consistent spotlight, and what once looked like a breakthrough now looks a lot more like the new normal. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Is Taking A Scheduling Risk The Committee Could Notice
BYUs 2026 trip to Colorado State adds another piece to a scheduling pattern that has already become hard to ignore. It will be the third straight season the Cougars are slated to play a road game against a Group of Six opponent, a quirk that sets them apart from the rest of the Power Four crowd and leaves them carrying a little more travel-related baggage than most of their peers.
Since 2021, nine Power Four programs have taken three straight road games against Group of Six teams, but BYU is the only one still waiting to finish that stretch. The Cougars have already started adjusting the shape of future slates, moving a game against Oregon State to a neutral site, and the current long-range picture shows only one other true road date against a Group of Six team, at Northern Illinois in 2030. [Read more 🡒]
BYU's Fast Start Just Created A Week 3 Betting Debate
BYUs unbeaten start has made the first month of the season feel a little more serious than usual, and the Cougars have already given themselves something to build on. After opening with two straight wins, including a 28-17 victory over Arizona, they head into a matchup with Colorado State carrying the kind of early momentum that tends to sharpen every conversation around a program, from the standings to the betting board.
Colorado State arrives with the same 2-0 record, which is why this one has started to draw attention beyond the usual early-season chatter. Bear Bachmeiers play has become part of the conversation as well, adding another layer to a game that looks more evenly matched than the records might suggest. The question now is whether BYUs start is enough to make the Cougars the more trustworthy side, or whether the Rams own unbeaten run will keep this debate alive right up to kickoff. [Read more 🡒]