The toughest schedules for hot seat coaches in 2025: No. 12 – Scott Satterfield

Pressure is a part of being a Power Four college football coach. It’s constant. Pressure to manage the roster, pressure to raise money, and most importantly, pressure to win games and championships. FBSchedules is counting down the most challenging roads for coaches facing heightened expectations in 2025. Checking in at No. 12 is Cincinnati’s Scott Satterfield, who enters a pivotal third season. (For context, No. 13 was Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and No. 14 was North Carolina’s Bill Belichick.)

The Heat Is On in Cincinnati

Scott Satterfield’s move from Louisville to Cincinnati was supposed to offer a clean slate, and it came at a time when Cincinnati was transitioning into the Big 12 and still riding the momentum of a recent College Football Playoff berth. Instead, Satterfield’s tenure has been marked by two underwhelming seasons, combining for an 8-16 overall record and a 4-14 conference mark that has raised eyebrows. Most alarming? The Bearcats are just 2-9 at home against FBS teams under his watch.

Expectations haven’t faded simply because of a conference change. Cincinnati won an average of 10 games per year from 2018 to 2022 and developed a reputation for punching above its weight nationally. Now, after consecutive losing campaigns, fans and boosters are restless. While Athletic Director John Cunningham brought Satterfield aboard and may still support his vision, the university has poured significant resources into football, including facilities and infrastructure, and results are expected sooner rather than later.

That said, a coaching change in 2025 would be complicated. Satterfield’s contract reportedly includes a full buyout if terminated before the end of the calendar year, making an early dismissal financially burdensome. Unless the team takes a massive step backward, the odds suggest he’ll be back in 2026, but a third straight down year would make that decision tougher to justify.

A Favorable 2025 Path

One major factor working in Satterfield’s favor? The 2025 schedule is considerably more forgiving than most coaches facing hot-seat pressure.

Cincinnati opens the season in primetime on a Thursday night against Nebraska at Arrowhead Stadium. While that’s no gimme, the following two weeks feature back-to-back home games against Bowling Green and Northwestern State, both of which are clear opportunities to build momentum early. Following the last nonconference game versus Northwestern State the Bearcats get an opportunity to rest, self-scout, and finetune heading into Big XII play with a bye week.

Five of the nine Big XII teams that Cincy plays this year were under .500 in the league last year and will be looking to rebuild and bounce back themselves in 2025. Those teams include Kansas, UCF, Oklahoma State, Utah and Arizona. Kansas, Oklahoma State, and Utah are all on the road. While those environments are challenging, Satterfield’s squad does get the benefit of facing the two most difficult teams on its schedule at home, those being Iowa State and BYU. Baylor and TCU both finished with six wins a year ago and and looking to make a move into playoff contention. The Bearcats face both and get the Bears at home and the Horned Frogs on the road.

All-in-all, Cincinnati has as favorable of a path as you can in a wide open Big XII. No Arizona State on the schedule. No Colorado circus to deal with, and all of the biggest games are at home. There is an opportunity for Cincinnati to break through in 2025, and with Scott Satterfield’s hot-seat status, it’s one that needs to be taken advantage of.