The countdown can begin. We’re under 100 days until the start of the 2026 college football season.

To get you ready, The Denver Gazette will preview the upcoming campaign throughout the month of June with a four-part series on the Big 12, ahead of the league’s annual media days in early July in Frisco, Texas.

Today, we rank the 16 coaches in the Big 12 by the temperature of their proverbial seats:

As hot as it gets

Dave Aranda, Baylor

The first of two coaches to get their own category in this exercise, Aranda is the lone coach in the Big 12 that you will find on a national list of coaches across the country firmly on the hot seat. It was somewhat surprising to see him return after a disappointing 5-7 season in 2025 — a third losing season in the last four at Baylor — and anything short of an eight-win season in the top half of the conference will likely see the Bears move on in December.

Not that hot, but could be with another underwhelming season

Scott Satterfield (Cincinnati) and Lance Leipold (Kansas)

These two went a combined 12-13 in 2025 and didn’t enjoy the caliber of offseasons that would generate optimism about a turnaround in 2026. Satterfield has gone from three wins to five to seven over three seasons at Cincinnati, but it’s hard to see that trend continuing. Meanwhile, Leipold hasn’t made a bowl game since 2023 and has just one winning season in five with the Jayhawks.

You’d be surprised how quickly the tide could turn

Joey McGuire (Texas Tech) and Sonny Sykes (TCU)

These two coaches won a combined 21 games last season, so they should be as safe. That’s especially true for McGuire, who guided the Red Raiders to their first College Football Playoff appearance. But there are different rules in Texas, where spending on rosters often dwarfs the rest of the Big 12. With that comes high expectations — and change comes faster than ever now in college football. TCU is more likely to regress this season, but Sykes has built more equity than McGuire, so both are likely safe barring a disastrous season.

Closer to retirement than being fired

Deion Sanders (Colorado)

Coach Prime gets his own category and it’s warranted. None of his Big 12 peers are in a similar situation. The Buffaloes owe everything to Sanders, who took the program off life support with his December 2022 hiring. Even though CU has just one winning season in three under Coach Prime, it’s hard to imagine the Buffs paying a large sum to fire him, even if 2026 is similar to 2025. Sanders is more likely to decide trying to build a winner in Boulder isn’t worth the headache, especially given his health issues in the last five years. 

The retreads that must show progress

Scott Frost (Central Florida) and Rich Rodriguez (West Virginia)

Both UCF and WVU went with what they know, bringing back their most successful coaches of the century for second stints. Both went 2-7 in Big 12 play in year one, but it was a throwaway season for both considering the massive roster overhaul they underwent. This offseason, there’s been plenty more newcomers and now it’s time for Frost and Rodriguez to show they have their programs heading in the right direction. 

Just got hired

Jimmy Rogers (Iowa State), Collin Klein (Kansas State), Eric Morris (Oklahoma State) and Morgan Scalley (Utah)

The first-year coaches all deserve the same category, even with varying degrees of expectations in year one. Morris looks ready to hit the ground running after bringing his stars from North Texas with him to Stillwater, while Scalley has been the head-coach-in-waiting at Utah for a while and knows he doesn’t have time for a rebuild with the Utes. Rogers and Klein, a Loveland native, will get a longer leash to build sustainable winners. 

In a great spot

Brent Brennan (Arizona) and Willie Fritz (Houston)

Everyone has Texas Tech and BYU atop their preseason rankings in the Big 12, but no one should forget about Arizona and Houston, who finished tied for fourth in the conference last season and are poised to compete near the top of the league again. Both coaches showed the exact kind of progress their programs needed in their second seasons and capitalized on the momentum with solid offseasons to boot. 

The leverage kings

Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State) and Kalani Sitake (BYU)

There are two coaches in the Big 12 that will continue to get brought up anytime one of the premier jobs in the country opens up: Dillingham and Sitake. Dillingham was linked to the Michigan job this winter, while Sitake seemed like he got to the 1-yard line with Penn State before opting to remain at BYU. They’re the cream of the crop in the conference heading into the fall.