Tag: Aranda

Aug 31, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier walks on the sideline against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

Florida’s Billy Napier odds-on favorite to be first coach fired

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell called his team’s 0-2 start to the season a “failure,” but his job remains safe after leading the Seminoles to the ACC title and the brink of the College Football Playoff last year.

The same can’t be said for in-state rival Billy Napier, whose Florida Gators opened with a 41-17 loss at home to No. 19 Miami. It was the Gators’ first loss to the Hurricanes at The Swamp since 2002 and snapped Florida’s 34-game winning streak in home openers.

More important, it dropped Napier’s record to 11-15 since taking over the program as the Gators attempt to rebound from failing to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2017.

Napier was installed as the 4/1 favorite by one sportsbook to be the first coach fired over the summer. After Saturday’s loss, he is now the odds-on favorite at 2/3.

The Hurricanes’ 41 points set a record for the most allowed by the Gators in a home opener, and Florida never led in the contest. After this weekend’s home game against Samford, the Gators play host to Texas A&M on Sept. 14 before kicking off their road slate with games at Mississippi State and Tennessee sandwiching a game against Central Florida.

SportsBetting.ag is offering odds on 19 coaches to be the first fired this season.

FIRST NCAA FOOTBALL COACH FIRED*
COACH, SCHOOL, JULY ODDS, CURRENT ODDS
Billy Napier, Florida, 4/1, 2/3 (-150)
Sam Pittman, Arkansas 5/1, 2/1
Dave Aranda, Baylor 7/1, 7/1
Shane Beamer, South Carolina, 16/1, 12/1
Justin Wilcox, California, 12/1, 12/1
Kalani Sitake, BYU, 10/1, 14/1
Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati, 14/1, 14/1
Dabo Swinney, Clemson, 25/1, 16/1
Neal Brown, West Virginia, 14/1, 16/1
Tony Elliott, Virginia, 16/1, 16/1
Mario Cristobal, Miami 6/1, 20/1
Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh, 12/1, 20/1
Ryan Day, Ohio State, 12/1, 20/1
Clark Lea, Vanderbilt, 8/1, 25/1
Brent Venables, Oklahoma, 33/1, 33/1
Brian Kelly, LSU, N/A, 33/1
Mike Locksley, Maryland, 16/1, 33/1
Deion Sanders, Colorado, 50/1, 40/1
Lincoln Riley, USC, 25/1, 40/1
*Odds by SportsBetting.ag provided for entertainment purposes only.

LSU’s Brian Kelly entered the list at 33/1 following the Tigers’ loss to Southern Cal in Las Vegas on Sunday night.

SEC rival Sam Pittman from Arkansas follows Napier on the list. His odds have shifted from 5/1 in July despite the Razorbacks kicking off their season with a 70-0 drubbing of Arkansas Pine-Bluff last week.

Also moving up the list is Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. Once considered a potential replacement for Nick Saban at Alabama’s, Swinney’s status with the Tigers took a hit with Saturday’s 34-3 loss to top-ranked Georgia.

Miami’s convincing opening win at Florida helped coach Mario Cristobal move from 6/1 to 20/1 by the sportsbook. Cristobal is now 13-13 in his fourth season with the Hurricanes.

Meanwhile, Baylor’s Dave Aranda has held steady at +700. The Bears open their Big 12 schedule at Utah on Saturday after cruising past Tarleton State 45-3 in Week 1.

The other significant movement following the first full week of the season was Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, who shifted from 8/1 in July to 25/1 entering Week 2 after the Commodores’ overtime upset win over Virginia Tech. That sent Hokies coach Shane Beaner’s odds from 16/1 to 12/1, giving him the fourth-shortest odds to be the first coach fired this season.

–Field Level Media

Sep 3, 2022; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell during the second quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Take 5: Nebraska coaching candidates to replace Scott Frost

Posted on | by Field Level Media

How desirable the Nebraska football job is will be a point of debate following the firing of Scott Frost on Sunday.

The answer may well be determined by who the Cornhuskers are able to lure to Lincoln, Neb.

Frost was let go after a 1-2 start to the season, including a home loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday. That dropped Frost’s record to 16-31 at his alma mater.

Athletic director Trev Alberts said the search for Frost’s replacement will begin “immediately,” and Nebraska gets a head start on that process.

Five early candidates:

Luke Fickell, Cincinnati head coach
Fickell’s name has surfaced with most every coaching vacancy at a Power 5 program over the past few years. He has turned down every overture thus far but Nebraska could be a compelling option for the Columbus, Ohio native who played for Ohio State.

However, Fickell has already turned down Michigan State and may not be interested in a Big Ten job other than the Buckeyes. He also said no to Notre Dame.

Matt Campbell, Iowa State head coach
Campbell has turned the Cyclones into a consistent contender in the Big 12 and, like Fickell, has turned down several opportunities to interview with larger Power 5 programs.

Nebraska has the tradition and the deep pocketbooks that may pique Campbell’s interest level, and leaving Ames now might be more appealing with the future makeup of the Big 12 a major question mark. He has strung together five consecutive winning seasons with the Cyclones.

Mark Stoops, Kentucky head coach
Stoops is fresh off a big victory over Florida and has the Wildcats ranked in the top 20 despite being without his leading rusher to start the season. He has built a very respectable program in the SEC East that has posted a pair of 10-win campaigns in the past six years, but Stoops might see an easier path to sustained success in the Big Ten West.

Stoops, who is 12-3 since the start of last season, did sign an extension through 2028.

Dave Aranda, Baylor head coach
Aranda served as Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator from 2013-15 before moving on to the same role with LSU from 2016-19. He led the Bears to the Big 12 championship in only his second season and signed an extension through 2029.

Matt Rhule, Carolina Panthers head coach
Rhule entered the NFL season on the hot seat after compiling a 10-23 record through his first two years. He is a proven program builder at the college level, taking a Temple team that won only two games in his first year to consecutive 10-win seasons just two years later.

Rhule then did the same at Baylor, leading the Bears to an 11-3 record in 2019 and recording 47 total victories as a college head coach. The Bears earned a spot in the Sugar Bowl before Rhule left for the NFL.

Other notable names: Mickey Joseph, Nebraska interim coach; Lance Leipold, Kansas head coach; Jim Leonhard, Wisconsin DC; Urban Meyer, FOX Sports analyst; Bill O’Brien, Alabama OC

–Field Level Media