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College Football Coaching Hot Seat & Betting Tracker Week 14

David Caraviello for Bookies.com

David Caraviello  | 5 mins

College Football Coaching Hot Seat & Betting Tracker Week 14

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Who’s on the hottest seat in college football this week? Bettors.

As the final weekend of the college football regular season dawns, the consequences from those season-win-total wagers made in July or August can finally be realized. And for 37 teams and the people who bet on them, the anxiety peaks now, in a last chance to either fall under or exceed the totals set by sportsbooks.

Not every “over” bettor is in such nervous straits. Of the 129 FBS teams on which FanDuel Sportsbook offered college football futures during the summer, 47 have already gone past their projected win totals — including Ohio State, Memphis, Utah, Appalachian State, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Iowa, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Nevada, BYU and Colorado.

There are 45 teams locked into falling under their respective win totals — including Boston College, UCLA, West Virginia, Missouri and Maryland. Of the teams 37 still undecided, nine could still push, including them Georgia, Alabama and Florida State.

Rutgers is excluded from wagering due to its location in New Jersey.

It all makes for a high-stakes final weekend for season total bettors, especially given that some programs in the undecided category are marquee names sure to have attracted a certain degree of public money. Others have head coaches who are no strangers to criticism, if not outright contempt. Here are the coaches on the hottest seats in Week 14, and how their final games may impact their fortunes—and yours.

College Football Coaches on the Hot Seat

Coach O/U wins TrendWeek 14
Jimbo Fisher
Texas A&M
7.5Warmer @ LSU
Jim Harbaugh
Michigan
9.5Warmer vs Ohio State
Gus Malzahn
Auburn
8Warmer vs Alabama
Justin Fuente
Virginia Tech
8.5Cooler @ Virginia
Jeremy Pruitt
Tennessee
6.5Cooler vs Vanderbilt

O/U win totals set preseason by 888sport

Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M (warmer)

Why it’s warm: A coach with a $75 million contract is staring down the barrel of a five-loss season, which would be the second-worst of his career.

Season total: 7.5

Next game: at LSU

Betting impact: Last Saturday’s loss at Georgia, competitive as it was, has the Aggies at 7-4 and over bettors still dangling from that hook. LSU and Texas A&M played a crazy seven-OT game last year in College Station—but the Tigers are 16-point favorites this time around, and it’s going to take a massive upset Saturday for the Aggies to avoid finishing under.

Jim Harbaugh, Michigan (warmer)

College Football Coaching Hot Seat & Betting Tracker Week 14 1
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh will likely keep his job with a victory over Ohio State Saturday.

Why it’s warm: Harbaugh is 0-4 against rival Ohio State, which is making a run at the College Football Playoff while the Wolverines hope to avoid the Citrus Bowl.

Season total: 9.5

Next game: vs Ohio State

Betting impact: It’s huge, in every way: for Harbaugh given his winless skid against the Buckeyes, for an Ohio State team eyeing the playoff, and bettors who took the Wolverines to finish over. There was no looking ahead last week for Michigan, which blitzed a pretty good Indiana team on the road to get to 9-2, but must still beat the Buckeyes (who are 8.5-point favorites in Ann Arbor) to go over.

Gus Malzahn, Auburn (warmer)

Why it’s warm: It’s getting difficult for Auburn fans to continue to be excited over good but not great seasons given the events of late in Tuscaloosa.

Season total: 8

Next game: vs Alabama

Betting impact: The Tigers improved to 8-3 after hammering FCS Samford this past weekend, so at worst bettors are facing a push. Going over would require beating Alabama, something Auburn has done just once in the past five years. The Tide are 3.5-point favorites at Jordan-Hare Stadium even with Mac Jones replacing the injured Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, and they didn’t show much in blowing out an FCS foe of their own last week.

Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech (cooler)

College Football Coaching Hot Seat & Betting Tracker Week 14 2
Justin Fuente and his Hokies have turned a corner this season.

Why it’s warm: The program that’s supposed to be the class of the ACC Coastal has had to scratch and claw its way back into contention in the division race.

Season total: 8.5

Next game: at Virginia

Betting impact: After an early stretch that included losses to Boston College and Duke, the Hokies righted things by winning six of their last seven, and Fuente is on far more solid ground than he was in September. A blowout of Pitt last week moved Tech to 8-3, so hitting the over requires beating the Cavaliers in Charlottesville. The Hokies are 2-point favorites in a Friday game pitting two 8-win teams for the Coastal crown.


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Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee (cooler)

Why it’s warm: Hey, remember those losses to Georgia State and BYU?

Season total: 6.5

Next game: vs Vanderbilt

Betting impact: : What a turnaround for the Volunteers, who looked lost and undisciplined at the start of the season. Last weekend they won their fourth straight to clinch bowl eligibility—sending Missouri to a fifth consecutive loss in the process—and host a terrible Vanderbilt team Saturday as 21-point favorites. It seemed unthinkable Oct. 19, after a loss to Alabama sunk them to 2-5, but Tennessee will likely finish as a seven-win team rewarding bettors who had the courage to go over the 6.5.

About the Author

David Caraviello for Bookies.com
David Caraviello
Veteran sports journalist David Caraviello has covered college football, college basketball, motorsports and golf, covering all three US golf majors, the Daytona 500 and SEC football.