The 20 Worst Power 5 Conference College Football Jobs

There are certain jobs in the Power 5 Conferences that every coach should avoid. We’ve picked our best jobs, now let’s reverse course and go with the worst jobs. These are the 20 worst and if you take one you are setting yourself up to get fired and heading back to being an assistant. Just say no, coaches!!

• No.20 South Carolina: On the surface, this looks like a better job than it is. They have excellent fans, a huge stadium, and they are close to a fertile recruiting area. They would be a much better fit in the ACC, and competing in the SEC is unlikely, on a regular basis. Eight wins is about as good as they can expect.
• No.19 Texas Tech: They face the same problems as so many schools do. They are just average, at best, and face very low expectations. Lubbock, Texas isn’t the most desirable place to live either. Going to a bowl game is a good goal.
• No.18 Washington State: They have had some success over the years, but it is hard to maintain it in Pullman, Washington. Few coaches can say they used Wazzu as a stepping stone.
• No.17 Wake Forest: They are coming off a 9-3 season and that is the max for this program. They are a small private school and it is hard to keep up with the others. They win without much, because they have had some good coaches.
• No.16 Virginia: No tradition, no expectations, and stuck in the 5-7, 6-6 rut. Stay away from Charlottesville.
• No.15 Boston College: They are just a poor fit in the ACC. The Eagles are a northern school playing in a southern conference and have very little in common with anyone else in the league. Boston is not exactly known for football.
• No.14 Iowa State: Matt Campbell has elevated this program during his tenure there. But, historically Iowa State has been really bad. One has to wonder why he hasn’t left Ames and has he stayed too long.
• No.13 Colorado: There is a beautiful campus in Boulder, but most of the interest in football goes to the Denver Broncos. It is a very good place to get your butt fired.
• No.12 Georgia Tech: This is another school with it’s campus smack dab in the middle of the city. The entrance requirements are more stringent than their rivals and it has been awhile since they have been relevant. And they are competing with the Bulldogs down the road.
• No.11 Maryland: Another classic example of a school being in the wrong conference. They are not a Big 10 school and should never have left the ACC. Six wins is about the limit in College Park.
• No.10 California: You would think this would be a better job, but it is a dead end. And, they go through a ton of coaches.
• No.9 Illinois: Another job that should be better, but it seldom is. It’s been forever since they were a factor in the Big 10 and it will be interesting to see if Bret Bielema can turn them around.
• No.8 Syracuse: Syracuse has been very good over the years, but it seems those days are behind them. Again, they just don’t fit in the ACC.
• No.7 Oregon State: This job is hampered by the success of Oregon. There simply aren’t enough players for two schools in the state of Oregon to get. Occasionally, they have a decent season, but not enough.
• No.6 Rutgers: Another program without a conference that they fit into. They are a doormat in the Big 10 and have little chance to succeed. The chances of winning there are very, very slim.
• No.5 Arizona: Over the past few years, Arizona has managed to land some quality coaches. Mike Stoops, Rich Rodriguez, and Kevin Sumlin all came into to Tucson with great resumes’ and gave the Wildcats hope. They all landed on the scrap heap in the local junkyard. Stay away from there!
• No.4 Duke: First and foremost, this is a basketball school. Secondly, it is a small private school with harder entrance requirements. It’s a unique campus, with an awesome stadium to watch a college football team. They just have too many obstacles to overcome.
• No.3 Indiana: This is another program that is hard to figure out. You would think that they would be better. But, historically, they are as bad of a program as there is. Since 2000, they have had 19 losing seasons and six different head coaches.
• No.2 Kansas: Once upon a time, KU football was decent. But, that was long ago. They have a beautiful campus, the stadium is in a great setting for football, and they have a solid fan base. But, they are a basketball school, and that’s the bottom line. Since 2000, they are 80-180 and are on coach No.7 during that span.
• AND OUR NO.1 WORST COLLEGE FOOTBALL JOB:
• Vanderbilt: Why would anyone take this job when you are facing 8 games a year against SEC schools with more money, more administrative support, and 100 times better facilities? They have absolutely no chance of attaining success in this conference. Again, we see a private school with higher entrance requirements, trying to compete in a conference with 13 other schools who pour tons of money into their programs.