5 coaches whose jobs will be saved this year by the 12-team CFP in 2024
By Josh Yourish
![Penn State head football coach James Franklin yells from the sideline during the second half of an NCAA football game against Michigan at Beaver Stadium Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, in State College, Pa. Penn State head football coach James Franklin yells from the sideline during the second half of an NCAA football game against Michigan at Beaver Stadium Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, in State College, Pa.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/f946b011d81fbf9a96bcfdee659d9d4c4bc9145eedd836515a89e6f2cf32ff5a.jpg)
Dave Aranda, Baylor
Supposedly, Dave Aranda is a defensive coach. He was a lot better coaching defense as the DC at LSU than he is at Baylor right now. In Week 11, Baylor allowed 59 points to Kansas State in a loss to fall to 3-7.
Things are headed in the wrong direction in Waco and there might not be anything that can save Aranda, but the Bears’ 12-2 record in 2021 certainly doesn’t hurt his resume. That season, Baylor nearly found its way into the four-team playoff and finished at No. 6 in the country.
It equaled Matt Rhule’s 2019 team for the second-best finish for Baylor in the CFP era. Before Art Briles led the Bears to a No. 22 AP poll finish in 2010, the Bears hadn’t finished a season ranked since 1993. The expectations aren’t for a national title contender every year in Baylor and Aranda put them in the conversation. That and the extended playoff could buy him another season in Waco.