ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

The good folks at CoachesHotSeat.com do more than merely collect the top continuous grouping of story clips each day. They also maintain a hot seat list that judges the relative job prospects of all 120 FBS coaches.

It's not surprising that a Big 12 coach has cracked the top five. But it might surprise you who tops this week's list from the Big 12.

Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman is listed in fifth place on the most recent poll of those coaches with the hottest seats. Sherman is topped, in order, by Ty Willingham of Washington, Kirk Ferentz of Iowa, Greg Robinson of Syracuse and Joe Glenn of Wyoming.

Sherman has struggled during the Aggies' 2-3 start. But I would be surprised if he's the Big 12 coach with the most tenuous job security.

That might be Kansas State coach Ron Prince, who is ranked 34th on the list after his 3-2 start. I guess CoachesHotSeat.com is factoring in Prince's contract extension he received  before the season, although those can be broken -- just ask former Nebraska coach Bill Callahan.

It sets up a delicious matchup Saturday in College Station between the two coaches with the shakiest job status, according to the Web site. It will be interesting to check the site next week to see how things have changed after the KSU-A&M game. 

Here's a list of Big 12 coaches and their ranking on Coaches Hot Seat.com's list.

Mike Sherman, Texas A&M          5

Gene Chizik, Iowa State             25

Ron Prince, Kansas State           34

Dan Hawkins, Colorado              55

Bo Pelini, Nebraska                   61

Art Briles, Baylor                       81

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State     94

Mark Mangino, Kansas              98       

Mike Leach, Texas Tech           114

Mack Brown, Texas                  115

Bob Stoops, Oklahoma            117

Gary Pinkel, Missouri               119

Sherman and Chizik are both judged by the Web site to be on the hot seat. Prince is considered on the edge of the hot seat. The rest of the Big 12 coaches are considered safe.  

Interestingly, Pinkel is perceived to have the second-most secure job of any coaches in the country, other than defending national champion Les Miles at LSU.

I don't know how accurate this list really is, but it is an interesting conversation piece.