Good afternoon, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sports fans.
ACC football is right around corner – only a few Saturdays until it all starts up.
The ACC Football Kickoff is next week (h/t @TechSideline).
With football coming right up, let’s take a look at the who has the hottest head football coaching seat in the ACC. This list here comes courtesy of @CoachesHotSeat:
- Larry Fedora: North Carolina head football coach, Larry Fedora, arrives at #9 in the Coaches Hot Seat rankings. This is somewhat interesting because he received a contract extension very recently through 2022. A 3-9 football season in 2017 likely has a lot to do with his ranking here, but there are some that think Fedora’s 2015 record was a mirage. Remember that Fedora’s teams have historically have had the plan that “we are going to out-score you on offense and our defense be damned.” I don’t see that game plan formula changing this year. Fedora must get his team to a bowl this year, or his seat will be one of the warmer ones in the country in 2020 (and he’s already in the top 10 on this list).
- Bobby Petrino: Louisville head football coach, Bobby Petrino, clocks in at #15 in the Coaches Hot Seat rankings. Honestly, I’m surprised he is not higher in this list. Why might you ask? On the surface, Petrino’s record at Louisville looks pretty good for the most part. Petrino owns a 75-27 record at Louisville. By all accounts, this is pretty terrific. In Petrino’s 1st stint at Louisville, he won 41 games over four years (2003-2006). Petrino came back to Louisville in 2014, and since then, has won 34 games over four years – that’s two 8-win seasons and two 9-win seasons (I think he should have done a little better with Lamar Jackson at quarterback. But we know his record against top competition, like Clemson and Florida State, isn’t all that great – but let’s be fair – many teams have a hard time defeating the Tigers and the Seminoles. So why is Petrino on the hot seat? The athletic director who hired Petrino was fired. As a result, Petrino’s buyout was cut in half. Louisville also hired a new athletic director. Louisville also hired a new university president. There’s a confluence of so many events here that signal to me that this is very important year for Petrino; the Cardinals must make a bowl game or Petrino likely moves to the top five in the Coaches Hot Seat rankings before the end of the season. Like I said, I’m surprised he wasn’t higher than Fedora.
- Paul Johnson: Georgia Tech head football coach, Paul Johnson, might be the most curious person on this list at #18 on the Coaches Hot Seat rankings. In 2014, Johnson’s Jackets went 11-3 and won the Orange Bowl over Mississippi State – this was one of Johnson’s biggest wins of his career – and of the best wins for ACC teams in 2014. However, 2 out of the last 3 seasons for Johnson haven’t been good at all. In 2015, there was a 3-9 season. In 2017, there was 5-6 season. That said, Johnson is a three-time ACC Coach of the Year (2008, 2009, and 2014). Johnson can coach, for sure, but this year’s schedule is flat out tough. The Jackets play at South Florida (not an easy non-Power 5 game), play Clemson at home, have to go on the road to Virginia Tech, have Miami at home, Virginia at home (a game we said was a TRAP), and close the season with Georgia. The Jackets will have all they can handle trying to get to bowl eligibility. If they don’t make a bowl, expect to see the seat to become warmer for Johnson.
I asked @_EthanMoore of Louisville Sports Live if I was too harsh on Louisville. Here’s what he had to say:
Honestly, yes. Petrino shouldn’t be on the hot seat unless they go 6-6 or worse this year. He’s underachieved, but UofL is a school that shouldn’t run a coach who wins 8 or 9 games a year. However, he does have a lot to prove.
— Ethan Moore (@_EthanMoore) July 10, 2018
Yes, I agree.
— Ethan Moore (@_EthanMoore) July 10, 2018
And that’s it here – comments or questions? Contact us at @AllSportsDACC or comment on the blog post below.
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