We’re just a few weeks away from the first College Football Playoff rankings, and the results of Week 7 will be a huge factor in how the committee makes its initial decision on the four playoff teams. There are also programs on the opposite end of the spectrum who’s coaches are feeling the heat after yet another disappointing effort. Here’s a look at some of the names who could be out soon at their respective schools.
Dino Babers, Syracuse
After going 7-6 last year, Babers was in a similar position after four weeks with a 4-0 Syracuse Orange team set to face the ACC’s best. The Orange went 0-3, losing by a combined score of 112-24. Babers gets a week off to regroup with his squad before going to Blacksburg to take on a Virginia Tech team that just got a big win. If Babers loses to the Hokies, he might not be coming back to Syracuse for the next game.
Justin Wilcox, California
This is a tough situation for Wilcox, who doesn’t have great resources and gets constrained in recruiting with academic standards. The Bears have an off week after getting smacked by Utah, and there’s a crucial three-game set coming up on the other side of the break. Wilcox’s squad played tough with Auburn and Oregon State, so the USC-Oregon-Washington State set is crucial. Wilcox likely needs a win somewhere there to buy another year. The Bears are also making a move to the ACC, so there might be some financial help to allow them to make a coaching change.
Tom Allen, Indiana
We’ve all seen enough here. The Indiana Hoosiers are not going to recapture the days of Michael Penix Jr. (who is killing it at Washington by the way), and they’re just getting smoked by the cream of the crop in the Big Ten. It’s time to make a move to save Allen any more embarrassment.
Honorable mentions
- It’s one thing to lose to the Ohio States and Michigans of the conference. But Illinois? Mike Locksley has built some impressive teams at Maryland, but he can’t quite seem to get over the hump and always has a bad setback. Do the Terps look elsewhere after the season is over?
- We’ve talked about Jimbo Fisher so many times in this column but once again a winnable SEC game was lost due to incompetence. Fisher brought in highly rated recruiting classes consistently so the Aggies should have enough depth to overcome injuries, even at key positions.
- South Carolina expected to be a contender in the SEC after 15 wins in the first two years of the Shane Beamer era. The Gamecocks are now 2-4 on the season, with losses to Florida, Tennessee and Georgia among the setbacks. Beamer will get some time but this is not how fans expected the 2023 season to go.