Don't listen when college athletic departments say there just isn't enough money, especially coming out of a pandemic. Because when it comes to firing well-paid coaches with very expensive buyouts, somehow the green always turns up. And the coaching carousel is starting earlier than ever this year.
There have already been 14 head coaching vacancies across college football, with probably another 15 or so coming after the season. And we're talking some high-profile gigs that have openings across the country. With still a week to go in the regular season, plus the bowl games, here are the top jobs available:
5) Virginia Tech: Like a marriage that seemed to increasingly disgruntle both sides the longer it lasted, the Hokies and Justin Fuente parted ways after nearly six years, with a middling 5-5 record upon departure. This is an unusual job, given that for how "high-profile" it is the program has only ever played for one national championship, back in 1999 with Mike Vick. They haven't been to a major bowl since 2011 and in one of the nation's weakest Power 5 divisions haven't won the ACC Coastal since 2016. But given the state of the ACC, you feel there could be a sleeping giant here (though you could say that about plenty of other ACC schools, too).
4) Washington: After 13 tumultuous games, Jimmy Lake was dismissed and the Huskies, a preseason top-25 team, won't go bowling in 2021. Similar to Virginia Tech, there are reasons to believe that a good hire could go a long way in a winnable division. Oregon is consistently getting the best recruiting classes in the Pac-12, but haven't been Clemson-level dominant with it. In short, they're "gettable". And the Ducks are really all that stands in the way of competing for Pac-12 championships annually.
Seattle is a phenomenal city, the fans are great, and they've been to a College Football Playoff. You might not be getting five-stars all the time, but in a down Pac-12 the Huskies might not be as far off as many believe.
3) LSU: How is LSU is only third on the list? Well, for starters, let's look at the expectations: they fired Ed Orgeron less than two years removed from perhaps the greatest season in college football history (yes, their record since is middling at best). So the expectation is, basically, a national championship contender. The pro to that is the money, resources and fertile recruiting ground where five-stars do seem to grow on trees.
Now the down side: you play in the SEC West. You get Alabama and Texas A&M every year, plus your cross-division showdown is Florida... that's (at least) one loss most years, right? Now factor in Ole Miss is humming under Lane Kiffin, Arkansas appears to be in a good spot with Sam Pittman, Mississippi State is decent. There are two or three losses in that grouping, and all of a sudden there go your national title hopes, at least until the field is expanded. How long is 9-3 acceptable in Baton Rouge?
2) USC: Another school willing to pay a lot of money who should be able to dominate west coast recruiting, finding a culture guy to turn all that talent into production could turn the fortunes of the program. Unlike LSU, who has the annual gauntlet to survive, it's not like anyone in the Pac-12 has exactly pulled so far ahead of the Trojans that they can't close the gap.
If USC ever figured it out foundationally, without even drastically changing their recruiting, who is stopping them in the Pac-12 South? Arizona State and UCLA are rumored to be flirting with coaching changes of their own. Utah has an identity and is very good at it, but talent would win out most times if the right coaching was there. Of all the openings, USC gives you the clearest path to success... someone just has to walk through it.
1) Florida: Remember when Florida looked inspired even in defeat against Alabama? It seems like a lifetime ago, no? After four losses in five games, with the one win being a 70-52 survival against Samford, Dan Mullen is out with a game to go. Again, though, the theme here is the environment around the program. Georgia is a monster, of course, in the SEC East... and that's basically it. Nine times out of ten the Cocktail Party in Jacksonville decides the East division. Just two years removed from back-to-back double-digit win seasons, the talent, resources and money won't just dry up. Get someone in who can recruit well, rebuild the culture and suddenly, bam, the Gators are likely a top-15 team.