The Big 12 enters its first full football season as a true super-conference. With 16 programs spread across nearly every corner of the country, the league is more competitive and more unpredictable than it has ever been. New faces, new rivalries, and a new balance of power make this season one of the most intriguing in Big 12 history.
But with new opportunities comes new pressure.
Every head coach in the Big 12 enters 2025 with expectations — some just want progress, some are fighting for survival, and others are staring at the chance to cement legacies. Pressure comes in different forms: a win-now fan base, a massive NIL investment, a stadium renovation, or simply the weight of keeping pace in a league where patience is in short supply.
Let’s take a closer look at five Big 12 coaches who enter the season with the most heat under their seats. Some are fighting for their jobs. Others are chasing expectations that might be just as unforgiving.
1. Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati
Scott Satterfield’s tenure at Cincinnati hasn’t gone the way either side hoped. The Bearcats made the historic leap to the College Football Playoff under Luke Fickell in 2021. That moment put Cincinnati football in the national spotlight, and with a brand-new facility opening in 2025, the expectation was for the program to remain a force as it transitioned to the Big 12.
Instead, Satterfield has delivered a 3-9 campaign in 2023 and a 5-7 finish in 2024. Last season started promising — the Bearcats were 5-2 — but they fell apart with a five-game losing streak to close things out. That collapse is hard to shake.
Part of the issue has been roster churn. Cincinnati has been aggressive in the transfer portal, but so have its opponents. For every key addition, the Bearcats seem to lose another contributor. The lack of continuity has left Satterfield scrambling to build a consistent identity.
The problem for Satterfield is perception. He came from Louisville after a solid but unspectacular 25-24 run. At the time, it looked like a lateral move. Three years later, it feels like Cincinnati downgraded. If the Bearcats can’t reach a bowl game — especially after investing heavily in facilities — Satterfield may not get a fourth season to figure it out.
Bottom line: This is a make-or-break year. Anything less than six wins, and the Bearcats may decide to start fresh.
2. Brent Brennan, Arizona
Usually, a second-year head coach is given some leeway. The transition period is messy, rosters aren’t fully theirs, and expectations are typically modest. But Brent Brennan’s seat is already warm in Tucson.
Arizona’s 4-8 season in 2024 wasn’t terrible on paper, but the way it unfolded raised alarm bells. The Wildcats lost seven of their final eight games, often looking unprepared and overmatched. Brennan also endured heavy roster turnover in the offseason, though he did manage to keep star quarterback Noah Fifita. That was critical, but it doesn’t erase the doubt.
The larger issue for Brennan is the success of Arizona’s other programs. Wildcats basketball reached the Sweet 16 and played for the Big 12 Tournament title. The softball team went to the NCAA Tournament. Baseball made it all the way to Omaha. In Tucson, the athletic department is riding a high — except in football. Fair or not, that contrast makes Brennan’s struggles feel even more glaring.
The perception that he may be “in over his head” is gaining traction. If Arizona stumbles to another four- or five-win season, Brennan could quickly find himself in danger of being a two-and-done hire.
Bottom line: He needs to prove that 2024 was a transition year, not a preview of things to come.
3. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
Joey McGuire isn’t on the hot seat in the traditional sense. He’s 23-16 through three years in Lubbock, and the program has clearly stabilized under his watch. But McGuire invited pressure upon himself — and now he has to deliver.
Texas Tech fans have waited 70 years for a conference title. The last time the Red Raiders stood alone atop a league was 1955 in the old Border Conference. Since joining the Big 12, they’ve been a program of moments, not championships. McGuire has been tasked with ending that drought, and the school has given him every resource possible to do so.
The Red Raiders’ NIL collective went all-in this offseason, pouring significant money into recruiting and the transfer portal. The message was clear: Tech expects to compete at the top of the Big 12 right now. McGuire leaned into that pressure at Big 12 Media Days, boldly saying the program was ready to make a move.
But big talk comes with big risks. If Tech falls short — say, an 8-4 season that feels good on paper but doesn’t move the needle — fans and boosters may start asking whether the heavy investment paid off.
Bottom line: McGuire’s job isn’t in danger, but this is the year where talk has to turn into titles, or at least a legitimate push for Arlington in December.
4. Lance Leipold, Kansas
Few coaches have done more to raise the floor of a program than Lance Leipold at Kansas. When he arrived in 2021, the Jayhawks were an afterthought in college football. Four years later, they are competitive in almost every game and have tasted bowl eligibility. Leipold has proven you can win in Lawrence.
But Year 5 brings a new kind of pressure. Kansas just unveiled the renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium — “The Booth” — a gleaming reminder of how far the program has come. Shiny facilities come with higher expectations. Boosters don’t spend hundreds of millions to see a team go 5-7.
Leipold’s overall record at KU is 22-28, which is remarkable given the program’s history but less impressive when stacked against Big 12 contenders. The 9-4 season in 2023 set a high bar. Falling back to 5-7 in 2024 raised questions about sustainability.
Leipold doesn’t need to win a Big 12 title this year. But he does need to prove that Kansas isn’t sliding into mediocrity. The danger for any coach who raises expectations is failing to sustain them. That’s where Leipold finds himself now.
Bottom line: Another losing season could undo much of the goodwill he has built.
5. Deion Sanders, Colorado
No coach in the country attracts more attention than Deion Sanders. “Coach Prime” thrives in the spotlight, and pressure seems to fuel him. But entering his third season at Colorado, the questions are real: can he sustain success without the star power that defined his first two years?
Shedeur Sanders is gone. Travis Hunter, fresh off a Heisman-winning season, is gone. Those two players elevated Colorado into the national conversation. Now the Buffs have to prove they can win without them.
Deion’s roster-building strategy relies heavily on the transfer portal. It brought excitement, but it also brings volatility. Chemistry can be elusive when your roster turns over every year. At some point, Sanders has to show he can build a program with staying power, not just a team for a single season.
And while his health has been a concern, the on-field product remains the ultimate measuring stick. Fans in Boulder are energized. National media is paying attention. But if Colorado slides backward, the glow of “Prime Time” could dim quickly.
Bottom line: Sanders has to prove his program is more than just his personality. Sustaining success without his superstar son and Hunter is the ultimate test.
Final Thoughts
Pressure in college football isn’t always about job security. For some coaches, like Satterfield and Brennan, the margin for error is razor thin. For others, like McGuire, Leipold, and Sanders, the pressure comes from expectation — the demand to build, sustain, and elevate.
The Big 12 is no longer the Oklahoma-Texas show. With 16 teams, every program has a chance to carve out its identity. But that also means the competition is deeper than ever. For these five coaches, 2025 is a defining year — one that could shape not only their careers but also the trajectory of their programs for years to come.
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