The 2023 regular season is over, which means that college football's "silly season" is fully upon us. Now is the time where programs looking to fire their coach will finally make a call -- if they haven't already -- creating a domino effect that will see big names move around the country.
There's already plenty in motion. Michigan State and Mississippi State made big hires, while other major vacancies like Texas A&M seem to be closing in on a top target. There will be plenty more schools that join the hunt for a new coach over the next week.
Speaking of, a pair of Big 12 schools -- Baylor and Houston -- finished dismal seasons with a whimper in Week 13. The Bears were shredded through the air in a 34-31 loss to West Virginia, while Houston lost 27-13 to fellow conference newcomer UCF. With a combined record of 7-17 and coaches that are deep into their tenures, it could be time to make a move.
The same could be said for a program like Indiana. The Hoosiers just suffered their third straight losing season under coach Tom Allen, who has been with the program for eight years now. The list of potential vacancies will likely grow with each passing day as athletic departments evaluate a full season of work. Chaos is the only guarantee for this time of year.
Florida State is a CFP team until proven otherwise
By that I mean Florida State should be in the College Football Playoff unless it loses a game. The only chance for that to happen between now and the committee's final rankings is in the ACC Championship Game against Louisville.
While the Cardinals are a formidable opponent, they're reeling after a regular-season loss to a Kentucky team that entered the game 6-5. So if Florida State finishes the year 13-0, with non-conference wins against LSU and Florida -- the latter of which came on the road in primetime -- why is this even a question?
Well, there was a significant contingent of people on social media during FSU's 24-15 win against the Gators Saturday saying Florida State didn't look like a playoff team without quarterback Jordan Travis. Travis isn't coming back, which means it's the Tate Rodemaker show. Rodemaker didn't exactly set the world on fire in his first major action of the season, completing 12 of his 25 passes for 134 yards. But Florida State still won by leaning on its underrated defense and an elite rushing attack.
If we're going to knock Florida State for winning close on the road without its starting quarterback against an SEC team, what about Washington? The Huskies have been mostly healthy and they've only managed to win by double digits once since Sept. 23. In the meantime, they've struggled to firmly put away the likes of Arizona State, Stanford and Washington State. Nobody is questioning Washington's status as a playoff competitor; rightfully so. Keep that same energy with the 'Noles.
What to do with Ryan Day
Another year, another season that came up short for Ohio State. Ryan Day makes $9.5 million a year to win one game. The Game. But with Saturday's 30-24 loss to Michigan, Day is now 1-3 against the Wolverines in his career. He hasn't beaten them since 2019 -- his first year leading the Buckeyes. Ohio State won't even have the College Football Playoff to cushion the blow this season, as there are at least seven teams ahead of them in line with just four spots up for grabs.
So what now? There are plenty of voices calling for Ohio State to move on from Ryan Day, including former players and notable alumni. OSU is a very desirable job and it probably wouldn't have much trouble sorting through a long list of potential successors. But parting ways with Day at this point would be a bit rash.
Not to say he shouldn't be on a short leash. If he can't get the job done next year, that's when Ohio State should probably get the separation process started -- no matter what else happens. Michigan has 44 seniors on its roster. No one knows what the result of the NCAA's investigation into Michigan for its alleged sign-stealing operation may yield and coach Jim Harbaugh seems to perpetually flirt with the NFL once the offseason rolls around. Point being, the Wolverines may be down in 2024. If Day can't get it done then, he never will.
Michigan State won this coaching carousel
The 2023-24 coaching carousel is still in the very early stages. That being said, barring some unforeseen chaos (like Lincoln Riley leaving for USC in the dead of night), Michigan State has already made the most impressive coaching hire.
The Spartans were left in a bad situation when coach Mel Tucker was fired midseason after sexual harassment allegations surfaced. They went out and upgraded by poaching Oregon State's Jonathan Smith, who turned a dormant Beavers program into a legitimate Pac-12 contender by the end of his tenure.
Oregon State was 18-7 in its last two seasons under Smith. The Beavers won 10 games in 2022 for the first time since 2006 and closed the year ranked 17th in the AP Top 25, their highest finish in 22 years. OSU pushed for a Pac-12 Championship Game appearance in 2023 but ended the year with a pair of tough losses against top-10 Washington and Oregon. Smith is a proven program builder that gets the most out of his talent. He runs a style of football that should translate seamlessly into the Big Ten. He may also make a splash on the recruiting trail with better resources, as he had some pretty impressive wins in that realm in his time at Oregon State.
Arkansas might want to reassess things
Just a week ago, Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek reaffirmed his faith in coach Sam Pittman and even went so far as to say that Pittman will return to lead the program in 2024. He might want to rethink that.
The Razorbacks got run out of their own stadium in a 48-14 loss to rival Missouri to close the season. That put the bow on a 4-8 season, Pittman's worst showing since he took charge in 2020 in the middle of a global pandemic. Even worse, Arkansas won just one SEC game and fell by an average of 15 points in its seven conference losses.
Pittman is now 11-23 in SEC contests as a head coach. The Hawgs have never finished better than 4-4 in conference play with Pittman running the show. Add in the fact that longtime quarterback KJ Jefferson might not return for another year, plus Oklahoma and Texas are set to join an already loaded field and Arkansas seems like it's just treading water under Pittman.
