9 College Football Coaches On The Hot Seat After Week 10

We’re close to entering the home stretch of the college football season, and teams that have failed to live up to expectations this year are quickly running out of time to salvage things now that November has arrived.

There were already a number of college football coaches on the hot seat heading into Week 10, but there’s one very notable addition thanks to what unfolded as well as more than a few guys who’ve only solidified their position thanks to what went down.

There’s a chance a few of these names end up turning things around by the time the season comes to an end, but they’ve certainly got their work cut out for them.

James Franklin—Penn State

James Franklin is obviously a talented football coach, and he’s far from the only reason Penn State lost to Ohio State in their highly awaited showdown on Saturday. However, he’s probably facing more pressure than ever after the Nittany Lions dropped to 7-1.

Franklin has gone 1-10 against the Buckeyes during his time in Happy Valley, and while it seems like Penn State is still on track to make the College Football Playoff, his inability to get wins in big games is a topic that’s become impossible to ignore.

I don’t want to suggest it’s national championship or bust for Franklin, but if he can’t get over the hump in his 11th season, Penn State is probably going to do some soul-searching.

Billy Napier—Florida

No one really expected Florida to pull off the upset against Georgia, and the Gators deserve some credit for keeping things close until the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half to secure the 34-20 victory.

However, the program suffered its second major setback of the season at QB after DJ Lagway was carted off the field with a hamstring injury just a few weeks after Graham Mertz was sidelined for the season with a torn ACL.

Napier was already facing a major uphill battle with the brutal SEC schedule that will see Florida face off against Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss in the coming weeks, and they seem to be heading to a 5-8 finish (which assumes they’ll be able to beat Florida State in their final game).

The skipper could try to leverage those injuries to save his job, and while his approximately $25 million buyout also complicates matters, it seems like boosters are already gearing up to foot the bill to kick off a new era.

Mike Norvell—Florida State

At this point, there really isn’t anything new to say about a Florida State team that fell to 1-8 with a 35-11 loss to a North Carolina squad that was only listed as a 2.5-point favorite.

The only real question surrounding Mike Norvell’s future is whether or not the school will be able to stomach the massive $63.8 million buyout it would owe him if they opt to kick him to the curb after the season ends.

Lincoln Riley—USC

USC got off to a solid start with a win over LSU in Las Vegas to open up the season, but it’s been largely all downhill from there for a Trojans squad that dropped to 4-5 with a 26-21 loss to Washington on Saturday.

Riley went 11-3 during his first season with the Trojans, but that also marked the first time he lost more than two games following his impressive five-year tenure at Oklahoma—something he’s failed to achieve since heading out west.

I find it a bit hard to believe USC is going to fork over a buyout that’s reportedly hovering at around $90 million, but it’s becoming increasingly clear Riley doesn’t have what it takes to produce the kind of results they expect.

Sam Pittman—Arkansas

It looked like Sam Pittman managed to escape the hot seat he acknowledged he was on heading into the current season based on how it started, as Arkansas exceeded expectations with a 5-3 start that included a huge win over Tennessee.

However, the Razorbacks took a massive step in the wrong direction with a 63-31 beatdown at the hands of Ole Miss.

They’ll almost certainly be eligible for a bowl when you consider they have a cupcake matchup with Louisiana Tech after facing off against Texas next weekend, and while a win over Missouri also isn’t out of the question, it might not ensure he’ll be invited back for a sixth season.

Hugh Freeze-Auburn

Hugh Freeze’s fate may have already been sealed before Auburn faced off against Vanderbilt, but their 17-7 loss to the Commodores is probably the nail in the coffin if that wasn’t already the case.

The Tigers are now sitting at 3-6 and will probably end up at 4-8 when you consider they close out the season against Louisiana-Monroe, Texas A&M, and Alabama.

If that ends up being the case, Freeze will have posted a 10-15 record during his first two seasons at Auburn, and the school will probably be more than happy to pay his $20.3 million buyout to bring this fairly disastrous experiment to an end.

Ryan Walters—Purdue

Purdue was able to take Northwestern to overtime on Saturday, but they ultimately lost their seventh game in a row while falling to 1-7 with a 26-20 loss.

The showdown with the Wildcats was realistically the only winnable game left on the team’s schedule, as the Boilermakers will be closing out the season with showdowns with Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, and Indiana (the Spartans are the only one not currently ranked in the Top 10).

This is only Ryan Walters’ second season, but it’s hard to envision a scenario where he ends up returning for a third.

Dave Aranda—Baylor

The Dave Aranda situation has taken a fairly interesting turn over the past few weeks, as Baylor has rattled off three wins in a row to improve to 5-4 and could realistically beat the three teams left on the schedule (West Virginia, Houston, and Kansas).

With that said, the Bears still haven’t come close to matching the 11-2 record they posted during Aranda’s second season, and even though there’s a solid chance they make a bowl after a two-year absence, you have to wonder if that will be enough to stop them from going in a new direction.

Trent Dilfer—UAB

UAB was able to snap a six-game losing streak with a decisive 59-21 win over Tulsa, but the Blazers are still 2-7 and will likely be listed as underdogs in the four games left on the schedule.

Running the table and making a bowl could potentially provide Trent Dilfer with the momentum he needs to prove the program is actually headed in the right direction despite the mountain of evidence that’s amassed this season suggesting otherwise, but I find it very hard to believe that will end up being the case.