Hot Seat Rankings: Whose seat is actually hot?

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After a brief hiatus, 2StripesCPD's Hot Seat Rankings are BACK! We're heading into the final stretch of the season, and it's make-or-break time for coaching staffs across the country. Before we get to this week's rankings, here's a reminder of the coaches who've been let go so far:

Will Hall - Southern Miss

Mike Houston - East Carolina

Mike Bloomgren - Rice

Brian Bohannon - Kennesaw State

These are usually 1-10 rankings, but I thought we'd take a different approach today and put the coaches into groups. Who could be axed as soon as Sunday? Who is still a 50/50 proposition? Is there anyone out there actually looking to get fired? Let's discuss:

Group one: Could be fired at any moment

Trent Dilfer - UAB (2-7)

Even after all the BS, there was a miniscule glimmer of hope for Dilfer to build back some trust with the UAB faithful. His team was coming off a surprising 59-21 blowout win over Tulsa, and led bowl-eligible UConn 23-10 with under nine minutes left. For a coach desperately looking for any proof of concept to point towards, beating a solid Huskies team would be it. Then UAB gave up 14 points in 17 seconds:

UAB had three more opportunities to take the lead –including a final drive that got inside UConn's 35– but couldn't capitalize, setting yet another inflection moment for the program ablaze. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Dilfer is the head coach people wrongfully accused Deion Sanders of being.

Mike Neu - Ball State (3-7)

It isn't just that Ball State lost to Buffalo 51-48 in overtime despite leading 45-31 with seven minutes left:

It isn't just that the loss secured the Cardinals' third-straight bowl-less season - the seventh in Neu's nine years. Nor is it just that the coach on the other side was Pete Lembo - the guy who held the Ball State job before Neu, but resigned after the 2015 season and now has Buffalo bowling in year one. Hell, it's not even that Neu's record in Muncie is now 40-63.

You can't point to just one reason why it's over for Mike Neu at Ball State, and that's exactly why it's over.

Stan Drayton - Temple (2-7) and Tom Herman (2-7)

You know that scene in The Dark Knight where The Joker breaks a pool stick and tells the henchmen that it's time for tryouts, but there's only room for one person? That's what's happening with the game tomorrow between Florida Atlantic and Temple, except Urban Meyer is The Joker, with Drayton and Herman as the henchmen. (Context for people who don't know: Drayton and Herman were both on Meyer's staff at Ohio State from 2012-14.)

That's why it's this week's HOT SEAT GAME OF THE WEEK:

It should be noted that Herman does have a bit more wiggle room than Drayton here. He's 6-15 in his second season, while Drayton's 8-25 in his third. He also just axed both his defensive coordinator and offensive line coach, which makes it up to you to choose whether that gives him more time or not. Maybe he's already locked in for 2025, but I don't see how he can survive losing to a 2-7 Temple team coming off a 52-6 beatdown at the hands of Tulane.

Kevin Wilson - Tulsa (3-7)

Speaking of Urban Meyer's coaching tree!

Our previous viewing of the Tulsa football program prior to last night was on November 2, when they trailed Trent Dilfer's dynastic UAB powerhouse 45-0 in the first half. With 12 days to stew on the loss, you'd figure they'd be ready to play an ECU team who fired their head coach just three weeks ago - and they were!

The Golden Hurricanes led 31-24 late into the fourth quarter, looking poised to keep their slim bowl hopes alive. Naturally, they gave up 14 points in a three-minute span to trail 38-31 with 2:07 left. But, their offense rallied quickly, needing just two plays to get to ECU's seven-yard line. Here's how the finish played out:

QB power for two yards:

Another QB keeper to get to the two:

Receiver drops sure-fire TD:

Pop pass that ECU saw coming from a mile away for the loss:

This sequence would be terrible enough in a vacuum, before I tell you that Tulsa was in the redzone four times and scored a total of seven points. If I'm keeping it real, I think Wilson gets another year, even if Tulsa loses out. Thankfully I have editorial control of this website, though, and I've never liked Wilson. Group one it is!