Four college football coaches who could be fired after Week 4

Folks, it is open season on college football head coaches now that two power conference programs — UCLA and Virginia Tech — already canned their leaders just three weeks into the football season.

So, while every other outlets ranks the hottest seats in the country for this current season, let's ask ourselves: Who actually could get fired this weekend? A la Deshaun Foster at UCLA and Brent Pry at Virginia Tech. We are ranking: which coach is actually most likely to be fired by Monday if they lose in Week 4?

Here are the candidates we've got:

1. Billy Napier | Florida

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier against the South Florida Bulls | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Whether it's during or after the season, Billy Napier likely won't be long for Gainesville. Florida is off to a 1-2 start and still have one of the hardest remaining schedules in the country with a trip to Miami coming up this weekend as part of a College GameDay showdown. Win this one and Napier likely can fend off a firing until the end of the year, at least. But if Florida gets embarrassed by the Hurricanes in a blowout to drop the Gators to 1-3, Napier could be out of a gig by this time next week.

After the matchup at top-five Miami this weekend, Florida gets a slightly easier next game... a home bout with No. 8 Texas before hitting the road to face No. 10 Texas A&M. You could argue firing Napier after a poor outing vs. Miami likely won't stop Texas A&M and Texas from also laying a beating on the Gators, but at least the embarrassment of the Napier era would be over and Florida could, in theory, rally with more energy around a different guy.

However, fans had clamored for running backs coach and associate head coach Jabbar Juluke to take over as potential interim, and he just blew that opportunity by earning himself a three-game suspension for slapping an LSU player in a pregame altercation last Saturday. Perhaps that's just another sign that Billy Napier's leadership just isn't working in the SEC.

2. Luke Fickell | Wisconsin

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Virginia Tech got off to a poor start, but heading into the Old Dominion game, you wouldn't have expected a result so bad that Brent Pry would be fired. Alas, that's what transpired. So, Luke Fickell at Wisconsin doesn't jump off the page as a name that urgently needs to go, but if Wisconsin can't take care of business at home against Maryland on Saturday, Badger leadership could make a bold decision.

Let's look at the facts. Since taking over the job on the heels of leading Cincinnati to the four-team College Football Playoff, Luke Fickell went 7-6 and then 5-7 and missed a bowl last year. If Wisconsin falls at home vs. Maryland, they'd be 2-2 with a road game at Michigan up next plus contests against four more top-20 foes on the agenda: Ohio State (1), Oregon (6), Illinois (9) and Indiana (19).

If Fickell misses two straight bowl games, which looks very possible, he almost certainly won't be returning. A loss to Maryland this week would all but confirm that reality, which could prompt Wisconsin to go ahead and make a change.

3. Trent Bray | Oregon State

Oregon State head coach Trent Bray | Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Only in his second season after replacing Jonathan Smith, who left for Michigan State, Trent Bray quickly landed himself in a sticky wicket. Bray actually led OSU to a 4-1 start last season featuring a lone loss to Oregon. However, the Beavers proceeded to lose five in a row and six of their last seven games, beating just one power conference foe all season long (lowly Purdue) while finishing 2-5 against teams from the Mountain West Conference.

To start this season, Bray's squad lost three straight heading into a rivalry bout with Oregon where the Beavers are five-touchdown underdogs according to most sports books. During an especially bad home loss to Fresno State in Week 2, Oregon State committed a literal comedy of special teams errors, including an 0-4 mark on extra-point conversion attempts plus a returned punt TD after a total disaster of a play that prompted Bray to drop an F-bomb on live TV during his halftime interview.

All that to say: life isn't great in Corvallis and Trent Bray might be floundering to a two-year stint with Oregon State. If Oregon wins by 40 or 50 points Saturday to drop OSU to 0-4, Bray's firing could be realized by next Monday.

4. Mike Gundy | Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Now, this is the real Virginia Tech example for this week. Oklahoma State has Tulsa at home in a game the Cowboys desperately need coming off a bye and having last played in a 69-3 beatdown at Oregon. If OSU drops to 1-2 without an FBS victory but with two brutally terrible losses (even as good as Oregon is), then it's hard to imagine any remaining optimism in Stillwater.

Mike Gundy already turned in the worst season of his Oklahoma State career last year with a 3-9 mark, and the Cowboys could be headed for a very similar record in 2025, making it two straight missed bowl games after OSU only missed a bowl in one other season coached by Gundy prior to 2024.

Look, T. Boone Pickens ain't around to flush Oklahoma State football with plenty of cash any longer, and it's interesting how Gundy has been more outspoken about OSU's lack of funds, particularly referencing his Oregon comments, only since Pickens passed away. Without the biggest booster in the Big 12 backing him, while aging out of his prime and losing more games than ever, it might be time for Mike Gundy to exit stage left.

If Tulsa gets the better of Oklahoma State, that decision very well may be expedited by OSU.

1. Billy Napier | Florida

2. Luke Fickell | Wisconsin

3. Trent Bray | Oregon State

4. Mike Gundy | Oklahoma State

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