OT: Which College Football Coach(es) Get Fired This Year?
Posting this thread is becoming somewhat of an annual tradition for me around this time of year, but I'm going to make sure I make clarifications this year as to what the question is. In the past, I wasn't specifying between asking who you thought would get fired, and who would get fired FIRST.
So...with that in mind....which college football coaches do you think get fired this season? Doesn't matter if they're first, last, or anywhere in between, although feel free to include that if you'd like.
Some prominent options:
Jimbo Fisher - Got that massive buyout, but I'm not sure anyone could've possibly done less with more last year than Jimbo. After that historic, all-time recruiting class, and then limping to a 5-7 record with a decent amount of transfers, the heat has to be on big-time down in College Station. My guess is that Fisher is safe this year barring a repeated implosion, because A) the buyout is too big, and B) Say what you will about Bobby Petrino as a human being (and he is a terrible one), but he's got an extremely good offensive mind and seems to know how to call plays. That said, it wouldn't surprise me to see Petrino try to get Jimbo run out of town and mark him as "the real problem" so Petrino can effectively take over.
Dino Babers - Minus a 10-3 season in 2018, I'm not sure how Dino Babers has survived this long. Only reason I can think of is because Syracuse might already have low expectations for its program / been too focused on getting Jim Boeheim out of town? In any case, I'm guessing this season is do or die for him.
Neal Brown - I'm wondering if he's the first to get the axe. West Virginia has been woeful under his watch, and while I don't think they have national title expectations, they certainly have to be having expectations higher than this. With the Big XII about to become fairly wide open with Texas/Oklahoma leaving, I'm guessing West Virginia decides to clean house this upcoming off-season and get someone they think can help fill the vacuum.
Tom Allen - Expectations are always low in Bloomington when its not on the hardwood, but minus the 2019 and 2020 COVID season I think its been pretty dreadful for Tom Allen's bunch, and this season looks like it could be even worse than last year.
Mel Tucker - Probably safe no matter what happens due that contract, but if the ship looks like its continuing to go down, how restless do MSU fans start getting? If they endure a 42-3 shellacking at home against Michigan, I wouldn't leave firing him off the table.
Ryan Day - Okay this is a "not really that serious but its technically possible so let's mark it down for a few laughs" kind of reach. Losing to Michigan three times in a row, and being the first guy to do that since Cooper, is a distinct possibility. OSU has a very talented but unproven QB, what appears to be a shaky OL (at least against better competition), and you have to go to Ann Arbor for The Game, playing against a team that has manhandled you in the trenches the last two seasons. Minus his team imploding and going something like 8-4 (which won't happen), I personally think Day is safe no matter what. OSU would be total s**t for brains if the powers-that-be in Columbus fired him. His teams are too talented and are still making the CFP, but if losing 3x in a row happens....how hot does his seat get in Columbus? How bad will they be begging Meyer to come back?
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Feel free to include anyone I missed!
I think Day is safe, but there were many OSU fans that wanted him fired in 2021 after losing The Game. Then more in 2022 after losing The Game. Will be interesting to see what happens this fall....I for one am not expecting them to be undefeated heading into the end of November.
If Tucker didn't have a guaranteed contract, I would assume he would be gone following a likely 4-5 win season this fall. Sparty lost their best two players in Reed and Coleman, plus they have an inexperienced QB no matter which way they go. Oh, and a top 10 difficult SOS this year....It is going to be another rough fall for Mel.
Only a horseshit coach would get fired with that much guaranteed money on the hook.
August 3rd, 2023 at 10:38 PM ^
Only a horseshit university would give a horseshit coach that much money.
August 3rd, 2023 at 11:12 PM ^
What is this obsession with horseshit?
What if Day and OSU lost to Michigan twice this year. Once in the regular season finale and once in the playoffs.
Wouldn't that be delightful.
Only way that happens is if it’s in the final, because the Committee would split us up for the semis, just like last year. I want no part of playing OSU for the National title.
We do play OSU for the national title- in November. And that's all it should be. There should never be a repeat match-up, That's one of the great things that separates and lifts the drama of college football far above the NFL.
I love the sentiment, but those days are gone.
it would be oh, sooooooo delightful, but I'd get even more delight from seeing OSU not even making the playoffs.
I'd give my only functioning nut to see that happen!
User name checks out.
OSU will have 1 loss by the time we play them. ND or PSU, or ? If we mop them up and down the field, Day more than likely won’t get fired but I look for him to bolt. He’d be public enemy number 1 in Columbus and have to deal with that unstable fanbase. I enjoy making fun of his beard, but no one deserves what he’d have to put up with.
I know save for the last two seasons, the last 20 years have been utter misery in this rivalry. But, if somehow, Michigan and OSU both found a way into the national title game and Michigan won, that makes up for the last 20 years and then some.
I would find it much more satisfying for Michigan to beat OSU and then two other traditional powers in the CFP to win the national title. For this year a trifecta of OSU, Alabama, and Georgia would be hard to top.
That's like pulling a straight flush. Beating 3 straight teams with equal or more talent than you is incredibly difficult. Would love it, but last year really was a missed opportunity with TCU in the semi.
That said, UGA played their worst game of the year against OSU and then looked like a machine in the final, so not sure we would have won that one.
I think we have the horses to win it all and have the advantage over traditional powers who are starting a new QB, but beating OSU, SEC power and SEC power 3 in a row is murderers row.
Well we'd get a break against Iowa in the Big Ten 'ship
No one is starting new QB's by the time of playoffs.
I said to anyone who’d listen (and maybe even posted it here) that as much as I’d love to see UM beat OSU in the national championship game, I couldn’t enjoy it.
The lead up to the game, the living and dying of every snap (amplified beyond normal), the thought of how to process losing that high stakes a game to that team, etc.
Beat them last game of the season, then move on to another opponent. Think about the joy we all felt after that win in Columbus last November. Think about how we’re all still enjoying it and watching the highlights or the 1 hour replay on B1G Network. Now imagine we beat TCU, they beat Georgia, and they win the rematch.
No thanks!
I have this feeling Franklin is going to take down Day this year.
In the Shoe? They're unbeatable ther- oh... Hmm...
I could be wrong, I think that game broke a 25 game home streak for them. The streak started with Oregon in 2021.
August 4th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
2021 Oregon to 2022 Michigan sounds more like a 12-game streak or so.
If Sparty is pretty much as bad as it was last year -- and it may well be -- then, yeah, Mel could get canned. This is especially true if they get thrashed by Michigan and continue to recruit in the bottom third of the conference.
Nah, he's still safe for a bit. They're only two years removed from going 11-2. (A very fluky 11-2, but still.)
August 3rd, 2023 at 11:50 PM ^
There is way too much clout and money to kick Mel to the curb this year. But it could get really bad really fast after this year. We need to sit back and enjoy.
The psychology of OSU fans is nuts, especially after the 2001-2020 era.
They expect their talent to beat Michgian 8-9 times out of 10. If they lose 3 in a row, especially by 3 scores or more AGAIN, they will be looking for an escape goat. It's not talent, and it's not injuries with their depth.
It'll be Day or the DC and a few coaches who don't produce draft picks in their position groups (cough, DB coaches and OL coaches, cough).
Escape goat? Holy shit. That’s some classic stuff right there. I imagine the origin of that term is “our Renaissance village is burning down or getting ransacked. Where’s my escape goat?”
I thought it apropos, considering it's how OSU people think.
From the Bible actually.
That’s cool, but what’s the origin of escape goat? And, Arrogance, nice work playing it off like you meant to do it.
I think “escape goat” was a reference to the cartoon sex watermark on the Dunder Mifflin paper in one of the classic episodes of The Office. Michael made the video refusing to resign because he was being made an “escape goat.”
From Sodom or Gamorrah? Where did the goat save day?
August 3rd, 2023 at 10:10 PM ^
Escape Goat is so excellent. May I have permission to use that in future conversations? I will give you full credit. It’s just a beautiful term.
I think there is zero chance Day gets fired this year, but I can understand the angst in Columbus. My question is who would even be a plausible upgrade? Fickell? He's clearly a great coach but hasn't demonstrated the consistent track record that Day has achieved (I understand Day had no track record prior to getting hired but he was hand picked by Meyer). Who else is even on the short list of potential replacements?
Vrabel if he wanted to come back to college...
and that would be a nightmare for UM. He's a great coach and builds teams inside out like Harbaugh. They'd be physical and tough again.
Vrabel's done well enough at Tennessee that he'd get other NFL offers if things went south this year. While Harbaugh turned down the pros to come back to college, I don't think most other coaches would do the same.
August 4th, 2023 at 12:25 AM ^
Agreed. You only fire Day if he loses to Michigan again, and Vrabel is definitely coming to replace him.
There is no QB in Tennessee, so I can see him being interested in becoming Ohio State’s savior. And you’re correct, that would be bad news for the Maize and Blue.
What, you don’t trust Will Levis?
Last year there seemed to be more coaches fired in-season than in past years.
Seems like there is some correlation to getting head start on finding a replacement, giving a good assistant coach a chance in live games and the early signing period. Just my opinion.
Go Blue!
Hopefully not Haffley at BC. I'd rather not see him replace Jim Knowles.
Tom Allen seems like the popular pick, but I've heard people argue it'll be at least another year because of the buy out.
I can't see Tucker getting fired with how big that contract is.
Is Schiano on the hot seat heading into 2024 if Rutgers loses 8 or more games?
I don't buy the Minnesota hype at all. I think they go under 500 this year. I wonder if Fleck would get canned after 2024 if he has back to back under 500 seasons.
Doubt Haffley would go back to being a coordinator after being a head coach but guess anything is possible in the crazy world of college football.
Only 44 and has only been a head coach since 2020 and only has 1 year of being a Co-Coordinator for experience. I don't think it would be that crazy to he would go be a coordinator at a major P5. That could be preferable to being the HC at Texas State or something.
I feel like Rutgers has been functional under Schiano in a way they just weren't before him. I know his previous run took them to heights, but that was in a different time and in a muhc less competitive league. That said RU does have far more resources now. Still, I think it'd be hasty to get rid of him when he's almost guaranteed 3 division losses every season.
We've had quite the ride with Tom Allen. After a few years playing against him, we all seemed to agree that he was a major douche-nozzle, especially after that 2018 game at the big house. Then during the covid season and IU's success, everyone couldn't get enough of him. Half the posters here all of the sudden couldn't stop drooling over this guy. And now he's at the point where he's looked at with a meh attitude.
August 3rd, 2023 at 10:13 PM ^
He was always a douche nozzle. He surprised people with a couple of decent years but his LEO schtick is tired and I don’t think he does much actual coaching.
Fleck has only two losing seasons at Minnesota: 2017, his first year, and the 2020 COVID year. He's beaten Wisconsin three times, including the last two in a row, is 4-0 in bowl games, and finished 2019 ranked in the top 10.
He's missed a couple opportunities to win the West, has a tendency towards conservative playcalling in big games, can't beat Iowa, and is generally a weirdo, but he's easily the best coach the Gophers have had since Glen Mason, and maybe further than that. It's going to take at least two consecutive losing seasons before Fleck's seat warms up, probably more.
glen mason was fired so if he is as good as mason that doesnt mean his job is safe. Granted i think thats minnesotas peak and firing Fleck is absurd just like firing mason was
Billy Napier and Steve Sarkisian come to mind
Could also see Mack Brown forced into retirement