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We’re nearing the end of the regular season in college football and with that comes the conclusion of several coaching tenures across the country. Here’s a look at the coaches likely to be out of a job, and the schools set to go through a search looking for the next leader of the program.
Sam Pittman, Arkansas
It’s basically over for the Razorbacks head coach. He was a cool story coming in as an offensive line coach from Georgia and did have some success in Years 2 and 3, but Year 4 has been a disaster. Getting wrecked by Hugh Freeze’s Auburn squad is just one more nail in the coffin.
Dave Aranda, Baylor
Aranda is going to be a hot commodity as a defensive coordinator, but he’s likely out in Waco. He is the first Baylor coach since Guy Morriss to miss a bowl game in his fourth season or later, and that’s not acceptable in the new Big 12. The only reason the Bears might hold onto him is the lack of high-profile candidates available.
Brady Hoke, San Diego State
Hoke has a decent buyout, and I’m not sure San Diego State is the type of school to pony up that kind of money to reset everything. However, this has been a truly dismal season. The Aztecs used to be a perennial bowl team under Rocky Long, and Hoke has taken the program backwards so far.
Honorable mentions
- In the most predictable result ever, Mike Gundy followed up a big win in the last Bedlam game with a gigantic letdown against UCF. Oklahoma State was expected to be one of the regular contenders in the new Big 12, and Gundy is school royalty so firing him is not really a great option. Maybe a “mutual parting of ways” is in the works.
- James Franklin has a massive contract so he’ll be back, but it’s time to start a conversation about the Penn State head coach. He’s great at racking up wins against inferior competition, but has routinely folded in big games. The conference is about to add USC, Oregon and Washington to the mix. Can the Nittany Lions truly maintain their standing in the Big Ten as the third best team, and is that good enough at a school which considers itself a blue blood football program?