Hot Seat Rankings: Beamer Ball burns Brent Pry

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The first 2StripesCPD Hot Seat Rankings of 2025 are upon us!

1. Brent Pry - Virginia Tech (0-1)

There's nuance to losing while you're on the hot seat. How it happens and the story surrounding the loss while you're on it is almost as important as the loss itself. For instance, imagine a world where Virginia Tech plays a neutral site season-opener vs. No. 12 Illinois.

A stingy Tech defense holds the score to 10-8 through three quarters. They get the ball back to their struggling offense to start the fourth with an opportunity to take the lead, redeem themselves, and potentially pick up a season-opening win against a team with College Football Playoff aspirations. Then, it all unravels.

The offense loses eight yards on a three-and-out. The punt team allows the game-winning TD an 80-yard return where they miss six tackles. The offense drives inside the Illinois 25, but settles for a 39-yard field goal to make it 17-11. Finally, the defense gives up a 64-yard bomb with just under eight minutes left, effectively ending the game.

Picture all that happening - just instead of a random top-15/20 team like Illinois, it's against a team led by the son of your program's greatest head coach. If that's not bad enough, his team twists the knife by ending you on special teams - the exact thing your program used to dominate its opponents with under his dad:

To cap it all off, the opposing team's star QB gives the game ball to your former coach - who's in their colors, supporting his son:

Brent Pry doesn't take the number one spot because losing to a top-15 South Carolina squad is some kind of unacceptable disaster. He takes it because losing by Beamer Ball to Frank Beamer's son while you're on the hot seat as the Head Coach at Virginia Tech feels like it's the universe's way of saying it's over.

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2. Trent Dilfer - UAB (1-0)

Last season's hot seat rankings served as a crusade against Trent Dilfer's tyranny at UAB. If week one is any indication, 2025 will be more of the same. Before the Blazers' season-opener, Dilfer tried goading the fanbase who can't stand him by saying Alabama State would have as many fans in the stadium as UAB:

During the game, his defense gave up 514 yards and allowed almost eight yards per play in a 52-42 win. The Blazers trailed 28-17 midway through the third quarter, but ripped off five TDs from then on to squeak away with a win that was within three points with four minutes left. Some of my favorite highlights included giving up a 60-yard TD, getting stuffed inside the Alabama State five on fourth-and-one, and allowing a TD on third-and-20 with five seconds left in the first half.

Kudos to UAB for dropping 52 points, and even I'll admit that Dilfer's brought in some intriguing talent - particularly at the skill positions. But you could say the exact same thing about last year's team. This already looks like a carbon copy. The Blazers play Navy this week, and I'm willing to bet it goes the same as last year. The Midshipmen roll up 450-plus yards of offense, score 40-plus points, and Dilfer jumps to the top of next week's rankings.

3. Derek Mason - Middle Tennessee State (0-1)