College football hot seat: Who could be the next head coach to be fired this season?

After UCLA and Virginia Tech both cut loose their head coaches following 0-3 starts, the question now becomes who's next on the hot seat/chopping block. Florida's Billy Napier seems like a likely candidate, but he's far from the only coach who could be heading out sooner rather than later. Here's a rundown on the top suspects.

Billy Napier, Florida

At 20-21 in Year 4 and with a schedule featuring seven top 15 opponents in the remaining nine regular-season games, there are two questions with Napier. Can he pull out another 2024 miracle to swing the story again? And if not, when is enough going to be enough? Florida is off after this week, but a more likely slot would be the post-October18th off week. If UF is indeed 2-5 then, as seems plausible, that might be the logical spot for an announcement.

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State

For a coach with over two decades at a school, it's not an easy move to make to cut him loose, but off a 3-9 season, OSU looks plausibly headed for another such year and even Gundy probably can't survive that. As with Napier, the timing could be the question. OSU has an off-week after the November 1st game with Kansas. With only three games left at that point, it seems like a logical spot for a coaching chance announcement.

Trent Dilfer, UAB

Dilfer's hiring was an incredibly strange decision by a UAB program that had posted six consecutive winning seasons since being eliminated in the mid-2010s. But Dilfer is 9-18 and despite a 2-1 start, ESPN's FPI predicts a 4-8 season overall. Three straight seasons without reaching even five wins could certainly motivate a move by the Blazers.

Joe Moorhead, Akron

The Zips have only appeared in three bowl games, so former OC wizard Joe Moorhead walked into a tough job here. But with an 8-31 mark and a fourth straight losing season all but certain, even Akron might decide to make a coaching move. Moorhead has called plays at Penn State and Oregon, so he'll probably be able to find a new spot in that role.

Pat Narduzzi, Pitt

This one is far from a finished matter, as Pitt is 2-1 and Narduzzi is in his 11th season with the school. But after a 3-9 2023 season, an ugly slide after a 7-0 start in 2024 turned to 7-6, and a loss to a rebuilding West Virginia team in the Backyard Brawl, there's a little smoke here. ESPN gives Pitt a slightly worse than coin-flip shot at a six-win season (46.6%). If that comes to pass, it wouldn't be shocking if Pitt moved on.