The 2024 season is right around the corner, with this Saturday serving as “Week 0” with several early games to satiate the palate of the most die-hard college football fans out there (myself included).
With the start of a new season comes the readjustment of expectations, new goals and aspirations, and in some cases, the time when some coaches will face insurmountable pressure to win.
In the modern age of college football, coaches are expected to win almost immediately, and a failure to do so in the first couple of seasons is practically a guaranteed way to be looking for another job.
This year will be no different, as more than a few coaches will lose their jobs during the regular season. But who will get the ball rolling first?
According to odds from BetOnline.ag, Florida’s Billy Napier has the highest odds of getting the hook first, with 4/1 of being the first CFB coach to be fired this year. Much of that likely stems from the Gators’ impossible schedule, which includes matchups against eight ranked opponents and a five-game month of November against No. 1 Georgia, No. 4 Texas, No. 13 LSU, No. 6 Ole Miss, and No. 10 Florida State. Yikes.
Napier isn’t the only coach feeling immense pressure this season, though. In fact, among the list of names coaching for their jobs this season, there are five Big 12 names.
Big 12 Coaches on the List
The first and most likely Big 12 coach to succumb to the pressure is Baylor head coach Dave Aranda, who comes in with the fourth-highest odds at 7/1. After winning a Big 12 title in his second season, Aranda has gone a combined 9-16 in the last two seasons.
Then, with the sixth-highest odds, is BYU head coach Kalani Sitake at 10/1 odds. The Cougars missed out on a bowl game in their first year in the Big 12, going 5-7 with more than a couple of heartbreaking losses to end the season.
West Virginia’s Neal Brown and Cincinnati’s Scott Satterfield are tied for the 10th-highest odds of all CFB coaches at 14/1 odds. Closing out the list at 50/1 odds of being the first coach fired is Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. While he’s on the list, this feels more like his name being so popular with bettors and less about him being in danger of losing his job. However, a regression from the 4-8 campaign a year ago might be grounds enough to start looking for another coach.
