Which Pac-12 coach is on the hottest seat in 2023?

Finding a good head coach isn't always easy for college football programs.

Some programs hit the jackpot like Stanford who outside of these past few seasons had been a power on the West coast with David Shaw at the helm, while others like Colorado are on their fourth coach since 2018. There are many factors that go along determining whether or not a head coach is good, with things such as recruiting, staff building, and culture building all being vital to a program's success.

However, not every coach is working under the same circumstances. There are some coaches who have already proved themselves and have earned the respect and trust of their school, while others may be coaching for the job in 2023. The Pac-12 is full of coaches of all kinds of status', having some of the most established coaches in the sport while also having a couple coaches running out of leash.

Something that CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd recently broke down, ranking the status of every coach in the FBS from 0-5, with 0 being "untouchable" and 5 being in the "win or be fired" range.

Let's take at the status of every coach in the Pac-12.

Deion Sanders (Colorado)

Hot-seat ranking: 0 (Untouchable)

New Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is one of the untouchables in the Pac-12. He's an elite recruiter, has amplified the brand of Colorado to a whole new level, and has made the program as relevant as it has been in decades.

Lincoln Riley (USC)

Hot-seat ranking: 0

USC is grateful they were able to steal Riley away from Oklahoma, and had amazing success in their first year. They made a Pac-12 title and New Year's Six appearance. He is regarded as one of the best offensive minds in college football.

Kyle Whittingham (Utah)

Hot-seat ranking: 0

Kyle Whittingham is a legend in Utah, and has been on the sidelines for the Utes for what will be 19 seasons in 2023. They are coming off back-to-back Pac-12 titles, and Utah has emerged as one of the stronger programs in the country and the conference.

Kalen DeBoer (Washington)

Hot-seat ranking: 0

Kalen DeBoer is going into his second season as head coach, and his first one couldn't have gone better. Not only was he named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, but his 11 wins were the most ever by a first-year coach at Washington.

Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State)

Hot-seat ranking: 1 (Safe and Secure)

After turning everything he touched into gold as an offensive coordinator at stops in Auburn and Oregon, Dillingham gets a chance to revive his alma mater.

Dan Manning (Oregon)

Hot-seat ranking: 1

In his first season in Eugene he led the Ducks to a 10-3 record, and was able to bounce back after a horrific start against Washington. He had a strong recruiting class and appears to have Oregon headed in the right direction.

Jedd Fisch (Arizona)

Hot-seat ranking: 2 (All Good...For Now)

The Wildcats improved from 1-11 to 5-7 this past season and appear poised to make their first bowl game since 2017.

Jonathan Smith (Oregon State)

Hot-seat ranking: 2

The former Oregon State quarterback led the program to their best season in nearly two decades, and has them in position to reach heights they've never seen. The Beavers are viewed as a dark horse for the playoff.

Troy Taylor (Stanford)

Hot-seat ranking: 2

After a decade of success with David Shaw, things went sour at the end for Stanford. They now have offensive guru Troy Taylor at the helm, and he is expected to help this program reassert itself in modern college football. He also already shown an ability to recruit, and use the portal.

Chip Kelly (UCLA)

Hot-seat ranking: 2

After people began questioning whether or not Chip Kelly was the right guy at UCLA, the head coach was able to silence the critics. It was their best season under Kelly and their first time winning 9 games since 2014.

Jake Dickert (Washington State)

Hot-seat ranking: 2

While Dickert has led the program to some success, there are questions emerging as to what the ceiling can be with him at the helm.

Justin Wilcox (Cal)

Hot-seat ranking: 3 (Pressure is Mounting)

Viewed as the lone coach in the conference on or close to the hot seat, Justin Wilcox needs to get things going at Cal. He brought in a new offensive coordinator which should help with the anemic offensive display we've seen the past few seasons from Cal.