8 College Football Coaches On The Hot Seat After Week 7

At this point in the college football season, there’s more than enough evidence to determine which teams have what it takes to compete for a national championship and the fanbases that know they’re not going to have much to cheer about during the second half of the year.

There were already a number of college football coaches on the hot seat heading into Week 7, and the pressure has also started to build for some guys who suffered setbacks by the time the action came to an end.

There’s a chance some of these coaches can salvage things over the next month and a half, but they’re going to have their work cut out for them based on what’s unfolded so far.

Billy Napier—Florida

Part of me wants to give Billy Napier some credit for giving Tennessee a run for their money in a game where most people assumed the Vols would coast to victory.

With that said, an overtime loss is still a loss, and the Gators coach declined to gamble and go for the two-point conversion after scoring with less than 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter that almost certainly would’ve led to the 3-3 Gators securing a massive win if it had been successful.

Napier’s $26 million buyout could buy him one more season, but the school may be willing to stomach that sum to get off to a fresh start.

Trent Dilfer—UAB

UAB fell to 1-5 on the season with a 44-10 loss to an Army team that ended up in the Top 25 following the victory, and at this point, it’s time for the Blazers to admit the Trent Dilfer experiment was a dismal failure.

I don’t know if there’s any real upside to kicking Dilfer to the curb before the season ends when you consider it’s already a lost cause, but at this point, it’s clear the former NFL QB who’d never coached in any capacity at the college level before UAB took a chance on him just doesn’t have what it takes.

Mack Brown—North Carolina

I acknowledge “hot seat” is a bit of a misnomer when it comes to discussing Mack Brown, as the coach who kicked off a decade-long run with the Tar Heels in 1988 before returning for a second stint in 2019 has amassed enough goodwill to dictate how his time with the program is going to end.

However, based on what we’ve seen this year, it may be time for the 73-year-old to enter a well-earned retirement.

UNC dropped to 3-4 with a loss to Georgia Tech, and while it would be a stretch to describe most of the teams left on the schedule as “intimidating,” it does seem like there’s a very real chance they don’t make a bowl for the first time since Brown’s return based on how they’ve looked. .

Gus Malzahn—UCF

Gus Malzahn got off to a solid start after taking over at UCF in 2021, but the team has taken a big step backward since making its Big 12 debut last season.

The Knights did make a bowl in 2023 while finishing with a 6-7 record, but they’re off to a 3-3 start and in the midst of a three-game skid that has a very real chance of rising to at least five when you consider they’re gearing up for games against #9 Iowa State and #13 BYU.

UCF knew its leap to the Big 12 was going to come with some growing pains, but if Malzahn isn’t able to hang in his new conference, the program might want to find someone who can.

Hugh Freeze—Auburn

Auburn had a bye in Week 7, but that’s not going to stop me from putting Hugh Freeze on a list he’s firmly earned a spot on.

Freeze is currently 8-11 during his time at Auburn after getting off to a 2-4 start this season, and it’s a bit hard not to call his leadership into question based on his tendency to blame pretty much everyone but himself for his team’s woes.

Freeze might be able to leverage a buyout that would cost Auburn $20 million if they fired him after the end of his season to keep his job, but they may be willing to bite the bullet if things keep trending in the wrong direction (which is a very real possibility based on the opponents left on the schedule).

Dave Aranda—Baylor

Baylor also had a bye week, but Dave Aranda also isn’t getting a pass.

The Bears are 2-4 after going 3-9 last season, and while I do think they’ll post a better record this year when everything is said and done, there’s nothing to suggest this team is going to stage the second-half turnaround required to make a bowl.

At this point, Aranda can no longer cling to the 12-2 season he posted in 2021, and it’s hard to imagine Baylor is going to be bringing him back based on how things are currently looking.

Lincoln Riley—USC

Lincoln Riley got off to a hot start at USC by posting an 11-3 record in his inaugural season, but it’s hard to ignore how things have been trending since then.

The Trojans went 8-5 last year and dropped to 3-3 with an overtime loss to Penn State in a game where some questionable clock management came back to bite them.

USC can take some solace in knowing the toughest part of their schedule is behind them, and the fact that they were able to open up the year with a win over an LSU squad that’s currently in the Top 10 does suggest they have the talent to turn things around.

However, Riley has to be feeling a ton of pressure.

Ryan Day—Ohio State

Before we dive into this one, I want to stress Ryan Day’s hot seat is significantly cooler than everyone else on this list. However, it’s warmed up in the wake of Ohio State’s loss to Oregon.

Day has posted an incredibly impressive 61–9 record with the Buckeyes since debuting as their head coach in 2018 in the wake of the Urban Meyer scandal, and while most programs would be thrilled with that performance, Ohio State has yet to win a national championship during his tenure.

It might be a stretch to suggest it’s Title Or Bust for Day this season, but his team’s tendency to come up short in big games is an issue that’s become increasingly hard to ignore.

Ohio State will have a bye before getting the chance to bounce back against Nebraska at the end of the month, and their showdown with Penn State at the start of November will be a huge test Day needs to pass.