:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/1141257/uspw_5738092.jpg)
CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd has compiled his College Football Coach Hot Seat Ratings for the 2012-13 season and to the surprise of few, Boston College coach Frank Spaziani is near the top of the rankings. Spaz was one of eight coaches that received a score in the 4-4.5 range, receiving a 4.0. "Warm seat, better start winning."
Two coaches received a 5 rating -- "Hot seat! Win or be fired." Both will be coaching in the SEC this fall. New Arkansas coach John L. Smith was hit with a five rating, as was Tennessee's Derek Dooley.
Two coaches received a 4.5 rating. New Mexico State's DeWayne Walker and Central Michigan's Dan Enos.
Spaz was lumped together with five other coaches, receiving a 4.0 rating. The others: UNLV's Bobby Hauck (4-21 in two seasons), Rice's David Bailiff (23-38 in five seasons), Maryland's Randy Edsall (2-10 in one season), Idaho's Robb Akey (19-43 in four seasons) and Buffalo's Jeff Quinn (5-19 in two seasons).
On the bright side, Spaz has the best winning percentage of the top 10 coaches on Dodd's list, having gone 20-19 in three plus seasons as head coach of the Eagles. The bad news other than Idaho's Robb Akey, Spaz has made the single biggest year-over-year jump in the rankings (1.5 to 4.0).
CBS Sports' Matt Hinton thinks that Spaz's seat -- along with N.C. State's Tom O'Brien -- is slightly warmer than indicated by Dodd's register, though only a minor quibble. I tend to agree. Of the list of coaches that received a 4.0 rating, by my count, Spaz's seat is hotter than any of those other coaches. That includes Maryland's Randy Edsall, but only as a result of each coach's tenure at their current stops.
Expectations are understandably lower at virtually every other coaching stop listed in the top 10. Especially at Idaho (Akey), whose days as a member of Division I-A could be numbered. The one exception to that statement is probably Tennessee (Dooley) where the Vols faithful are likely equally restless. Arkansas' John L. Smith should get a N/A or something instead of a five, but again, that's only a minor quibble.
In any case, I think we can all agree that the label "Warm seat, better start winning" is an appropriate one for Spaz and the 2012 Eagles.