There were plenty of blowouts during Week 1 of the college football season that allowed fanbases to breathe a little easier. But for several programs, the first weekend of the season may have made things considerably more uncomfortable. And that situation massively impacted the college football coach firing odds.
Florida State lost to SMU, Rutgers was embarrassed by UMass as a 29.5-point favorite, Wisconsin was dominated by Notre Dame, and Clemson suffered a 51-10 demolition at the hands of LSU.
That has caused the College football coach firing odds to shift enormously
According to BetOnline Sports & Casino, Mike Norvell is now the overwhelming favorite to be the first Power 4 coach fired at 4/7 after opening at 3/1 two weeks ago. Greg Schiano made perhaps the biggest jump, moving from 33/1 to 2/1 after Rutgers’ stunning loss to UMass.
Dave Doeren went from 40/1 to 9/1, while Dabo Swinney went from not even appearing on the preseason board to 9/1.
The market is sending a pretty clear message: Some coaches may already be running out of runway.
Week 2 Could Make College Football Coach Firing Odds Come to Fruition
Schools don’t usually fire coaches after one bad game. But that’s not necessarily what is happening here. But the college football coach firing odds didn’t shift for no reason.
Norvell entered the season under enormous pressure after Florida State‘s dramatic decline following its 13-1 campaign in 2023. The Seminoles then lost to SMU in Week 1, making his 4/7 price particularly notable.
Schiano and Doeren have even more reason to be nervous after their odds exploded following Week 1. Rutgers wasn’t simply beaten by UMass. The Scarlet Knights were 29.5-point favorites and still managed to lose.
And that’s why Week 2 could become a do-or-die event. If one of these programs gets blown out again, administrators may decide they have seen enough. And that may be enough to make the current college football coach firing odds come to fruition.
Norvell could be the first domino to fall. If that happens, however, it may not be the last. Once one major program makes a coaching change this early, other schools under pressure suddenly have permission to do the same.
That’s when the coaching carousel could start moving much earlier than expected.
Florida State and Clemson Can’t Afford to Wait Forever
The situation at Florida State may be the most desperate. The Seminoles aren’t simply trying to save a coach’s job. They’re trying to prevent another season from slipping away before the program can make a meaningful push toward the College Football Playoff.
Clemson has a similar problem. Hence, the college football coach firing odds reveal their sense of urgency.
Dabo Swinney wasn’t even included on BetOnline’s preseason firing board, but after the 51-10 loss to LSU, he’s suddenly sitting at 9/1. That’s a remarkable shift after one game, particularly for a coach who has already built one of the most successful programs in the sport.
The longer either program waits to make a major move, the more expensive the decision could become. Recruiting suffers. Players can enter the transfer portal. The playoff picture can disappear before a new coach even gets a chance to stabilize the program.
That’s where the desperation index starts creeping higher.
For Florida State, that clock may already be ticking. Clemson has considerably more goodwill built up around Swinney, but another disastrous performance could change that quickly.
The College football coach firing odds suggest the market already believes someone is going to make the first move.
The only question may be how long it takes.
College Football Coach Firing Odds Reveal Major Week 1 Shakeup