Week 11 of the College Football season has arrived as we head into the final stretch of the regular season. While the games on the field have been great, the coaching carousel is even more entertaining to follow. This past weekend, Hugh Freeze was the latest coach to get fired, opening another SEC job in this coaching carousel Coaching Carousel.
Every week, we seemingly see one of the biggest names in the sport fired, and as we near the end of the season, teams officially underperforming expectations will only lead to more moves being made.
These 5 Head Coaches are feeling the heat heading into Week 11
Last weekend felt like the losing coach would get fired, and Mark Stoops got the big win while Hugh Freeze was fired. The pressure is still on Mark Stoops as the fanbase isn't changing its mind after beating a bad Auburn team, and if the boosters were prepared for the move, they may still be out on Stoops. The best thing for Stoops would be either knocking off Louisville or winning 1 of their final 2 SEC games.
Mike Norvell got a ton of pressure off himself last weekend by picking up his first ACC win in over a year. While Norvell avoided things getting even uglier in Tallahassee, the Seminoles losing another game in embarrassing fashion will only bring all of the pressure back. If Mike Norvell is going to survive the season, he desperately needs to go on a run to end the year to salvage this season.
While AD Chris McIntosh has supported Luke Fickell, the fans are on the opposite side, as it's clear Wisconsin lost its identity. Barring a shocking win, Wisconsin will finish the season winless against Power 4 teams and in league play. If the Badgers can't find a way to pull off an upset down the stretch, it's going to be impossible for the school to convince the fanbase that bringing Fickell back is the right decision.
The start of the season made it look like Mike Locksley may have put it together, but with 4 straight losses, it's becoming clear to the fanbase that it was false hope. Locksley is in year 7 at Maryland, and he's yet to post a winning season in league play. While he can recruit well, the Terps have proven they're not going to reach that next level under Locksley, which makes it clear they should part ways.
The fanbase has soured on Jonathan Smith before the end of his second season as the Spartans are clearly trending in the wrong direction. The Spartans are 3-6 on the season, which includes a 0-6 record in league play, bringing Smith's record to 8-13 and 3-12 in Big Ten play. If Smith can't beat Penn State, Iowa, or Maryland to get a win in league play, it's hard to envision Smith sticking around.