Week 9 Hot Seat Rankings: Change could hit the Auburn Tigers next

We're past the mid-way point of the 2025 College Football season and while we still have an incredible season left to be finished, the offseason is starting to look like it'll be even more entertaining than this hectic season. This week we saw the vacancies in the FBS grow to 11 as Billy Napier was fired at Florida and Jay Norvell is out at Colorado State.

Each weekend brings a new cast of coaches that lose their way onto the hot seat creating tough decisions for their fanbase. Brian Kelly, Hugh Freeze, and Mike Norvell became the latest to deal significant damage to their tenures setting them up as coaches to watch moving forward.

These 10 Head Coaches are in danger heading into Week 9

When LSU went out and built a loaded roster this offseason it seemed like the group could finally get Brian Kelly over the hump rather than one that could get him fired. After losing to Vanderbilt this weekend, the pressure on Brian Kelly has never been higher as former players start to question his teams toughness while the fans call for his job. The Tigers are a loss from seemingly being eliminated from Playoff contention which would have to spark some level of change in Baton Rouge.

This past weekend, the Kentucky Wildcats put up a great fight, but as has become the expectation, the Wildcats fell short. The Wildcats now sit at 2-4 on the season and 0-4 in SEC play, dropping Stoops to 6-11 and 1-10 in SEC play over the past two seasons. Mark Stoops' massive buyout is the biggest obstacle to moving on, but reports have stated Kentucky is capable of paying the bill, and with Jon Sumrall available, Kentucky may make the move sooner than most would expect.

Former Vanderbilt Head Coach Derek Mason finds himself back on the Hot Seat in just his second season leading Middle Tennessee. After a 3-9 debut, this team has gotten worse with a 1-5 start with a 2-8 career record in Conference USA play. If the Blue Raiders continue to slide with Mason at the helm, the pressure is only going to build.

We're only 1.5 seasons into Jonathan Smith's second season at Michigan State, but it's become clear that he's not the right fit, as it was a questionable fit to begin with. Jonathan Smith just got blown out by Indiana, marking a 4-game losing streak, bringing his record to 8-11 and just 3-10 in Big Ten play. If the Spartans finish this season winless in league play, it may lead to a regime change. This weekend's game against Michigan will either help save his job or ramp the pressure up to new heights.

The only thing that has been worse for Bill Belichick than the results on the field has been the negative stories off the field. The Tar Heels are 2-5 this season with a 0-4 record in ACC play and a 0-5 record against Power 4 opponents. If the results don't start to get on the field, the pressure is only going to continue to build, which could lead to North Carolina making a tough decision.

Coming into the season it was a do-or-die year for Joe Moorhead at Akron as the results had been underwhelming. This season, Akron is once again struggling with a 2-6 record including a 1-3 record in the MAC. At 10-34 for his tenure and 6-22 in Conference play, if Akron limps to the finish, Joe Moorhead could find himself on the move again.

After it looked like Butch Jones and Arkansas State finally turned things around last season, the Red Wolves have struggled once again. A last second field goal helped Arkansas State scrape by Louisiana Tech, but the Red Wolves are still 3-4 on the season. Butch Jones is now just 22-35 for his tenure and as losing seasons become more common than winning seasons, the program could once again move on.

Even though the Wisconsin Badgers are just 2-5 with a 0-4 record in conference play and a 0-5 record against Power 4 opponents, Luke Fickell is seemingly safe for now. On Monday, Wisconsin's AD released a statement asking the fans to support Luke Fickell and to further invest in the program, which the fanbase reacted angrily to. There isn't a game where you can predict this team will win the rest of the way, and a winless year against Power 4 opponents may require a change.

The way that things have unraveled at Florida State is truly shocking as the Seminoles have lost their last 4 games after their loss on Saturday Night to Stanford. Reports have surfaced that players behind the scenes are making fun of Mike Norvell as the AD released a statement that the end of the season will bring a full review of the program. Norvell won't be fired at least for now, but things could change with every loss.

Things haven't gone well for Hugh Freeze after Auburn went out and brought in key pieces via the Transfer Portal to suppliment an already talented returning roster. Freeze appears to have missed at the quarterback position again as Jackson Arnold has been abysmal helping lead Auburn to a 3-4 record losing all 4 games in SEC play. If Freeze doesn't start to turn things around, he could be fired and he seemingly knows that as he's looking for support from his Athletic Director.