College Football Betting: 4 Head Coaches On The Hot Seat

The 2021 college football season is winding down. Coaches are trying to win division and conference titles. They are trying to prepare for upcoming rivalry games. They are also trying to avoid getting fired. Several coaches are squarely on the hot seat entering the final few weeks of the season. Here are the four coaches sitting on very toasty and fiery thrones:

Dan Mullen, Florida

Though the Florida Gators won this past weekend, they gave up 52 points to Samford, a small FCS (lower-division) school, 42 in the first half alone. That is totally embarrassing and a great reason to fire Mullen, who has allowed the Gators to collapse one year after winning the SEC East title. Florida had already fired defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, meaning that this latest embarrassment against Samford was a deeper problem than just Grantham himself. It goes to the top, and that means the head coach. Mullen isn’t certain to be fired, but if Florida loses either to Missouri or to Florida State – either one – Mullen is very probably gone as Florida head coach. He is on extremely thin ice with no real margin for error at this point.

Herman Edwards, Arizona State

The Arizona State Sun Devils won’t win the Pac-12 South, or at least their odds are virtually zero with Utah having complete control of the division. Utah would have to lose twice in a row, and ASU would have to win twice in a row, to win the division at this point. Utah plays lowly Colorado later this season, so it’s nearly impossible to see ASU actually winning a division title. The Sun Devils have had an unfulfilled season. Add to that a COVID-19 recruiting scandal being investigated by the NCAA, and it becomes clear that Edwards has no real leverage on the job. He and his boss, athletic director Ray Anderson, are both likely to be pushed out at the end of the season.

Manny Diaz, Miami

The Hurricanes just lost to rival Florida State to fall to 5-5 on the season. This is pathetic and nowhere near close to the standards a proud Miami program has for itself. There was a thought that Diaz could save his job by beating Florida State, but after failing to do that, Diaz is once again in really big trouble. People in Miami are fed up with his performance. The big question is whether the school can find the money to hire a new head coach at a reasonable market rate (or something close to it).

Scott Frost, Nebraska

The Huskers won’t make a bowl game this year. That was the minimum expectation for the program in 2021. The complicating factor is that Nebraska was competitive against good teams, including Ohio State and Michigan. That might still buy Frost one more year, but it’s hard to say at this point. New athletic director Trev Alberts played at Nebraska, as did Frost. How that dynamic shapes the politics of Alberts’ upcoming decision remains unclear. Nevertheless, Frost cannot think he is completely safe at this point.