Bookies Release Odds For Which Coach On Hot Seat Is Fired First

While Sam Pittman continues to trend in the wrong direction, the Arkansas football coach was not actually first on list

Author:
Jacob Davis
Publish date:
Oct 27, 2023 1:24 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- It's a race against time now with the Arkansas football team seeking bowl eligibility this season. 2023 has not gone the way most fans, media, players and coaches alike figured it would.

While Arkansas hasn't had its doors blown off while remaining competitive against SEC teams, that doesn't mean folks around the country are straying away from analyzing Sam Pittman's job security.

A coach never wants to start a season 2-6 overall, especially in the fourth year of a complete rebuild following a program collapse. To buy time and turn the ship around, Pittman fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos after Arkansas posted three points and 200 yards of offense against one of the country's worst defenses in a 7-3 loss to Mississippi State last week.

The heat continues to get hotter with each loss. After a while, a team grows weary of losing close games and it becomes tougher to hold players' focus. While Pittman's name isn't at the very top of the list of coaches on the hot seat facing the inevitable, he is still close enough for concern.

First College Football Coach Fired Odds

How did the Razorbacks get here? It's a very easy assessment – they lose too often. A football program coming off what seemed like death penalty restrictions retooled a team within a few months on the strength of top notch coordinator hires and new transfer portal rules. Plus, Covid-19 threw a wrench into things for a first time head coach who was learning as he went a lot of the time.

For a time, things seemed good and that the rebuild accelerated at an unexpected rate. Since Arkansas rolled off a 12-4 record from 2021 through the first three games of 2022 something has shifted. The Razorbacks have been on a nosedive since.

The Hogs only have three wins against Power Five opponents in Ole Miss, Auburn and Kansas. During their four seasons under Pittman, they sit 5-14 overall in games decided by one possession – including a 0-5 mark this season. During their previous 18 games, Arkansas is 6-12 overall and 2-10 in the SEC.

Here's what Bookies had to say about Pittman and other college football coaching hot seat odds.

Pittman hasn’t been a prominent figure on our season-long odds board, but the seat is getting warm midway through Year 4. The Razorbacks have lost six straight games – none more disheartening than Saturday’s 7-3 home loss to Mississippi State.
Arkansas fought hard in one-score losses at Ole Miss and Alabama, but that doesn’t count for much in the SEC. All the momentum Pittman built throughout a 9-4 campaign in 2021 is gone. The Razorbacks are 0-5 in conference, their bowl chances are slim, and Pittman’s shirt collar will be getting a little tight after a disastrous two-month stretch in Fayetteville.
– DAN KILBRIDGE, Bookies.com

Other coaches considered to have high odds are Tom Allen (Indiana) at +150, Danny Gonzalez (New Mexico) at +400, Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M) at +600, Pittman and Jeff Hafley (Boston College) at +1000, Brent Pry (Virginia Tech) at +1200, Tony Elliot (Virginia) at +2000, and Butch Jones (Arkansas State ) at +5000.