Tom Herman a +160 Favorite to Be First Big 12 Coach Fired

• Texas head coach Tom Herman is the favorite to get fired first among Big 12 coaches at odds of +160
• Texas Tech’s Matt Wells and West Virginia’s Neal Brown are the other top contenders
• See the odds for all coaches in the Big 12 within the story below

When watching the Big 12 you can always count on high flying offenses and a lot of touchdowns.

Unfortunately for some of these head coaches, their defenses tend to be the demise of their futures.

In the Big 12 title odds, Texas is +155 to win the conference championship. That being said, Longhorns head coach Tom Herman is the favorite to be the first Big 12 coach fired at +160. Right behind Herman is his in-state rival Matt Wells, who is the head coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Let’s take a look at the odds for each Big 12 head coach to be fired first and which bet possesses the best value.

First Big 12 Head Coached Fired Odds

Odds Taken Sept. 24th

Herman on His Way Out?

Tom Herman is 26-15 in his fourth year as the head coach for the Texas Longhorns. Herman was brought into Austin in 2017 after coaching Houston for two years.

Herman’s star quarterback Sam Ehlinger threw for 426 yards and five touchdowns against UTEP in their home opener. With the competition level in the Big 12, I can’t see Herman getting the boot just yet.

My guess is Tom Herman can probably feel expectations starting to grow. He expects a significantly tougher test this week in the Big 12 opener at Texas Tech. "We haven’t done anything yet."

— Brian Davis (@BDavisUT) September 21, 2020

This week will be a big test for Tom Herman and his Longhorns. Texas will take on their in-state rival Texas Tech at Jones AT&T Stadium. The Longhorns are 18-point favorites in the Texas vs Texas Tech odds, so if Herman’s squad can’t win against the Red Raiders his seat might get a little warmer.

Herman is 3-0 in bowl games with Texas and hasn’t posted a losing record in three seasons. I don’t see Herman getting fired this season, especially with such a talented team behind him.

Wells Needs to Perform in Lubbock

Matt Wells came over to Texas Tech with an impressive record as the Utah State head coach. In six years as the Aggies head coach, Wells won two Mountain West Coach of the Year awards and one division title.

Unfortunately for Wells, his short time with Texas Tech has not gone to plan.

Wells lost his debut against the Longhorns 49-24 at home in 2019. Texas Tech was out-gained 610-470 by Texas and turned over the ball two times.

Texas Tech snuck by FCS Houston Baptist in their home opener 35-33. Allowing a team from the Southland conference to drop 33 points on your defense is not a good look. Wells is definitely on thin ice heading into their home game against the Longhorns. Bringing home The Chancellor’s Spurs would be huge for Wells’ security.

Wells could be in trouble with some of the potent offenses that the Big 12 has to offer. Coaches like Lincoln Riley, Matt Campbell, and Mike Gundy have secure jobs due to their consistency and finding ways to win.

I know Matt Wells is only in his second season with Texas Tech, but he needs to find some sort of consistency or he will be on his way out. Wells has solid value at +250, especially after a poor performance in their home opener and a 5-8 record in 2019.

Best Bet: Matt Wells (+250)