There were three coaches fired in the FBS after Week 7.
Will there be more after Week 8? Penn State fired James Franklin on Oct. 12. There are six Power 4 vacancies for next season, including Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Virginia Tech and UCLA.
Five more coaches are on the hot seat heading into Week 8, and none appear hotter than Florida's Billy Napier. The Gators are 2-4 heading into a matchup against Mississippi State at the Swamp on Saturday. Florida has a bye week before facing Georgia on Nov. 1.
Does the result on the field even matter? Napier faces an up-hill battle to save his job for the second straight season. In his defense, the Gators have faced nine ranked opponents since last season and have three more on the schedule in November.
Napier isn't the only coach worth watching in Week 8. Here are the five hottest seats in college football.
1. Florida: Billy Napier
On the hot seat: On Oct. 15, USA Today's Matt Hayes reported Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin met with boosters and was “told continuing financial support depends on the new direction within the football program.” That's not subtle. Napier has a $20 million buyout that can be paid in installments. When and if this happens, nobody will be surprised. Napier – who is 21-23 at Florida and 11-16 in the SEC – got off the hot seat with four straight victories to close the 2024 season.
Will he make it through the season? Doubtful. There is too much smoke. The Gators face Mississippi State before the bye week, and that would be the most opportune time to make a move if this is the play. Florida faces No. 9 Georgia, No. 5 Ole Miss and No. 11 Tennessee in November – and all that is before the regular-season against Florida State.
Who's next? Lane Kiffin will be a popular choice, and he's crushed it with a 27-5 record since 2023. Florida is 15-17 under Napier in the same stretch. Jedd Fisch – who played at Florida and was a GA for the Gators during the Steve Spurrier era – is 5-1 at Washington and won 10 games at Arizona in 2023. If the Huskies beat Michigan on Saturday, which isn't that much of a reach, Fisch's stock will rise.
MORE: Seven names to watch if Florida fires Billy Napier
2. Wisconsin: Luke Fickell
On the hot seat: Is anybody expecting a miracle at Camp Randall Stadium against No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday? Fickell is 15-17 at Wisconsin with an 8-13 record in Big Ten play. The offensive struggles are the story this season. The Badgers average 15.5 points per game, which ranks 131st in the FBS. Wisconsin averages 6.7 points in Big Ten play, and the Buckeyes allow 6.8 points per game.
Will he make it through the season? Fickell's buyout is in the $25 million range, but the adjustment to the new-look, 18-team Big Ten has been difficult for Wisconsin. The Badgers' last coach – Paul Chryst – was let go after five games. This season will not get better – not with a schedule that features No. 8 Oregon, Washington, No. 3 Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota after the Ohio State game.
Who's next? If Wisconsin wants to get back to its roots, New Mexico coach Jason Eck is the fit. Eck – who played offensive line for the Badgers under Barry Alvarez from 1995-98 – is 3-3 in his first season at New Mexico. This hire would require patience in the first few years, but keep in mind Alvarez was 11-22 in his first three seasons. This is the kind of rebuild required in Madison.
MORE: Six names to watch if Wisconsin moves on from Luke Fickell
3. Auburn: Hugh Freeze
On the hot seat: "It's clear that we find ways to not win football games," Freeze said after a 20-10 loss to Georgia on Oct. 11. The Tigers are 14-17 under Freeze, and that includes a 5-14 record in SEC play. Auburn is 1-11 against Top 25 teams under Freeze, and that's no to way to succeed in a conference that has 10 ranked teams in the Week 8 AP Poll. The Tigers are 1-7 in one-score games against those ranked teams, so it's on Freeze to figure out how to win those close football games.
Will he make it through the season? The heat could turn up this weekend. Auburn is favored against No. 16 Missouri, but the Tigers are capable of winning at Jordan-Hare Stadium. No. 17 Vanderbilt and No. 6 Alabama are the other opportunities to score a victory against a ranked opponent. Arkansas, Kentucky and Mercer are the rest of the schedule. The Tigers were 5-7 last season. Can they afford to duplicate that record?
Who's next? If Freeze is fired, Auburn would be a wide-open search that could attract names ranging from James Franklin to Fran Brown. Of those two, Brown might be the more interesting hire now. Brown is 13-6 at Syracuse, and he's 3-1 against ranked teams. Brown has led the Orange to victories against Miami and Clemson the last two seasons.
DECOURCY: Penn State might have a hard time finding an upgrade from James Franklin
4. North Carolina: Bill Belichick
On the hot seat: The Tar Heels are 2-3, and North Carolina spent the bye week denying and deflecting stories about the dysfunction within the program. "I'm fully committed to UNC Football and the program we're building here," Belichick said in the statement on Oct. 8. Belichick also denied looking for a buyout, according to ESPN.com. This was supposed to be a lot more fun. The Tar Heels rank 118th in the FBS with an offense that averages 18.8 points per game.
Will he make it through the season? It's a combustible situation, but Belichick appears committed. A Friday road game at Cal is interesting – and No. 18 Virginia visits Chapel Hill on Oct. 25. A .500 season would exceed most best-case scenarios at this point.
Who's next? This is where James Franklin fits. North Carolina made a mistake by letting Mack Brown go, and it might be best to not let a one-year fiasco become a two-year disaster with Belichick. Franklin had six double-digit-win seasons in 11 years at Penn State. North Carolina has eight seasons with 10 or more wins in school history.
MORE: Tracking college football's coaching carousel
5. Florida State: Mike Norvell
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
On the hot seat: Norvell led Florida State to a season-opening win against Alabama, but the Seminoles are on a three-game losing streak that knocked them out of ACC contention for the second straight season. It's brought back memories of last year's 2-10 disaster. Florida State was 8-0 in ACC play in 2023. The Seminoles are 1-10 in conference play since.
Will he make it through the season? Norvell has a hefty buyout that is worth more than $60 million. The Seminoles are on the West Coast at Stanford in Week 8. Florida State easily could have a record of 5-1 in the second half of the season, where the toughest game remaining might be at Clemson (Nov. 8). What will the stakes be against Florida in the regular-season finale?
Who's next? We don't have a name in mind because we believe Norvell will get to seven or eight wins – including a bowl game – and that buyout makes moving on difficult unless there is a home-run hire in the works.
MORE: Indiana extends Curt Cignetti through 2032