9 college football coaches who should be fired after disastrous rivalry week

Through November 2024, only two Power Four jobs are open. Mack Brown was preemptively fired at North Carolina before falling apart at the seams vs. North Carolina State in what may be his final game at Chapel Hill. Knowing that his head was on the chopping block, Gus Malzahn got out of Dodge in Orlando. He actually left UCF to go be Mike Norvell's offensive coordinator at Florida State.

While this may not end up being the most robust coaching carousel in recent memory, we have to believe that it will be more than just two Power Four jobs and a plethora of Group of Five gigs opening up. I would venture to guess that at least six more Power Four head coaches will be asked to leave in the next few days or so. In the meantime, let's try to figure out who all is going to get fired here soon.

With more and more teams still alive for the College Football Playoff than ever before, it has indirectly affected the candidate pool across the Power Four. Yes, a head coach can accept a position, as it is tradition for him to serve out his role at his previous post for as long as his team is still playing for a national championship. However, some of these very bad programs need to get a jumpstart quick.

Here are nine college football head coaches who might be getting a pink slip in the coming days.

For more Rivalry Week content, check out FanSided’s Ultimate Guide to College Football Rivalries, an in-depth and interactive look at the deep traditions, rich history, iconic venues and memorable moments of college football’s biggest rivalries.

9. Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables

For albatross contract extension reasons, Oklahoma is not going to fire Brent Venables after another mediocre season. The Sooners went 6-6. Had it not been for a shocking upset of Alabama, OU would not even be going to a bowl game. This is a program that typically wins nine games in a down year, not the new insurmountable zenith that Venables can only get to once in a blue moon. He needs to leave.

I would venture to guess that the only feasible way that Joe Castiglione would move on from Venables this soon into his new contract is if Oklahoma looks like an unmitigated disaster in their bowl game in a few weeks. There could be a massive transfer portal exodus between now and then. This was a bad hire, but is one that I don't think Castiglione is willing to admit he made a big mistake.

After getting smoked by another middling team in LSU, that was all I needed to see out of Venables.

8. Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day

It is so strange to even put Ryan Day on this list, but beat Michigan for once, man. Not since COVID have his Ohio State Buckeyes beaten the hated school from up north. Michigan was about as pedestrian as you could get this season. With all the financial and coaching advantages the Buckeyes had this year, they could only score 10 points at home in their biggest game of the season. Horrific...

Truth be told, Ohio State is not going to fire Day ... yet. The Buckeyes are about as close to a lock to make the College Football Playoff as any team in the Power Four. They need absolute chaos during conference championship weekend and then some to not get in. I would say that if the Buckeyes miss the playoff, Day is out immediately. If they lose in the first round, I think it could be justifiable as well.

Day will get hired immediately by another Power Four team, but Ohio State is at the end of the line.

7. USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley

What does Lincoln Riley actually do? Yes, USC is going to a bowl game this year, but the Trojans are far better than the middling 6-6 mess he has devolved them into. Every season under Riley's guidance has been progressively worse. He may have a hefty buyout, but then again, Jennifer Cohen did not hire him. Mike Bohn did, and he is gone. Riley should enter next year on the hottest of seats.

USC sees itself as a glamor program, but the Trojans are only as good as the blue-collar vibes they emit. Under Riley they give off less than zero. This team helped kill the Pac-12. By going to the Big Ten, there is a chance USC could see their fortunes be even worse than what happened to Nebraska once they left the Big 12 more than a decade ago. Keeping Riley around is absolutely killing USC.

I would have fired Riley after the Maryland loss, but USC has to accept this is no longer acceptable.

6. Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy

The saddest bag of crap in college football this year might be Oklahoma State. The Cowboys were 3-0 in non-conference play before going 0-for in Big 12 play. Yes, Oklahoma State did not win a single game in league play this year. With Oklahoma and Texas leaving for the SEC, Oklahoma State was thought to be one of the teams in the best position to take advantage of the power void at the top.

I understand that Mike Gundy has been on the job for nearly 20 years, but you would think he would have shown a little more pride than that. What Colorado did to them on Black Friday would have had most head coaches out of a job. While Oklahoma State was playing in the Big 12 Championship Game a year ago, that should not excuse Gundy for the deplorably bad coaching job he just gave us.

Oklahoma State was a pick by some to win the Big 12 and the Pokes ended up in dead last this year...

5. Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield

Scott Satterfield must be a tremendous actor because he is fooling everyone into thinking he is a college football head coach. He left Louisville after a forgettable tenure there to coach their regional rival Cincinnati. The Bearcats got off to a hot start for Satterfieldian standards, but then crapped the bed every step of the way down the stretch. They lost their last several games of the year to be 5-7.

I understand that Cincinnati is making the leap up from the Group of Five to the Power Four, but this was a BCS program not all that long ago. The transition should not be this hard. The man is not likable and he is not a good head coach, so what in the hell are the Bearcats even doing? In all honesty, why not see if Luke Fickell wants to come back because he is also failing so miserably over at Wisconsin?

It was a waste of a hire when it happened, so there is no reason to give Satterfield one more year.

4. Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops

We may have to rip the band-aid off and move on from the Mark Stoops era of Kentucky football. Under Stoops, Kentucky went from the worst program in the SEC during my formative years into being something quite competitive. However, his inability to do much of anything on the offensive side of the ball means Kentucky can only win one way. This limits their ceiling as a program massively.

I could have told you the instant Kentucky landed Brock Vandagriff in the transfer portal that it was going to be a huge mistake. While losing Liam Coen to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a tough blow, it is not like Bush Hamdan is incompetent as an offensive mind. What needs to change for Kentucky is a head coach who knows more about offense than college football Jeff Fisher. UK deserves so better.

Mark Stoops' buyout may be massive, but y'all got smoked by Louisville, and Jon Sumrall is out there!

3. West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown

If not for Scott Satterfield handing him a victory about a month ago, Neal Brown may already be out at West Virginia. The Mountaineers may be 6-6 on the season and achieved bowl eligibility in back-to-back years, but they need to fire their incredibly bland and mediocre head football coach yesterday. Wren Baker should have seen enough. Brown should have been out with Shane Lyons two years ago!

To get their bell rung by Texas Tech was absolutely brutal. This team is on life support under Brown's leadership. While I don't think Jimbo Fisher is the right answer, nor do I really believe Rich Rodriguez is some combination of panacea or manna falling out of the sky, WVU has to make a change, pronto. The move to the Big 12 has capsized this program, but the right voice and leader could change that.

West Virginia fans do not deserve another year of being forgettably irrelevant under Brown's watch.

2. Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley

It is time to take the turtle out of the half shell in College Park. Mike Locksley is a great offensive mind and a solid recruiter, but he is not a Power Two head coach in the wake of conference realignment. Outside of Purdue, was there a worse team in the Big Ten this year? Yes, Maryland did get that crazy win over USC, but Penn State flipped them on their back and let the winter sun slowly cook them alive.

Locksley would find work immediately as an offensive coach of some sort on one of the many teams led by a Nick Saban protege out there. Again, I don't think Locksley is a bad coach, but the fit and timing of it all at Maryland has his team coming up dead far too often. Maryland should be better than what they are as a program under him, especially during Big Ten play and once the weather cools off.

I may go for a more defensive-minded head coach who loves himself some ball control above all else.

1. Purdue Boilermakers head coach Ryan Walters

Ryan Walters got the Purdue job way too early. Without question, the Boilermakers were the worst team in the Power Four this year. The only team in FBS who was definitely worse than them was the winless Kent State Golden Flashes. To get shut out 66-0 by arch rival Purdue was despicable. Purdue was playing for a Big Ten Championship two years ago. It just goes to show how great Jeff Brohm is.

For my money, the only way Purdue ever gets back to being semi-nationally relevant is if they hire a clever, offensive-minded head coach. You need to see if the next Jeff Brohm or Joe Tiller is out there. Purdue lacks the resources to win with defense. At some point, you need to score points. Purdue's offense is about as reliable as an Acme product Wile E. Coyote depends upon in Looney Tunes land.

Walters should have been fired at Purdue after the home beatdown from Oregon several weeks ago.