College Football Oddsmakers Make The Wrong Call On First Coach To Get Fired | Barrett Sallee

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The college football season doesn’t start until Saturday, which means that every fan base is full of hope. That will change quickly, as several teams will turn on their coaching staffs and demand massive changes to be made as quickly as possible. Who will be fired first? BetOnline released its odds on Monday on which coach will be handed a pink slip first, and there are some interesting names on the list.

Who will it be? Is there a value play out there? Is there a coach who will work his way out of this list with a big season?

Let’s break ‘em down.

Most likely: Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman (5/1)

The knee-jerk reaction will be Florida’s Billy Napier by most people due to that daunting schedule, and he’s certainly on the hot seat. I think Pittman is more likely. Full disclosure, I like Pittman a lot. He’s a genuinely nice guy who I hope doesn’t earn this designation. I just don’t see how he can avoid it.

The Razorbacks play at Oklahoma State and Auburn, in Arlington, Texas, vs. Texas A&M and have a home tilt with Tennessee before their first bye week on October 12. Bye weeks provide perfect opportunities for athletic directors to rip the Band-Aid off, and it’s hard to see a scenario in which Pittman isn’t under .500 at that point. He needs Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green to be a star early behind an offensive line that was atrocious last season.

Sam Pittman waves to the media as he takes the stage to talk about his Arkansas Razorbacks football program at SEC Media Days

DALLAS, TEXAS - JULY 15: Head coach Sam Pittman of Arkansas Razorbacks speaks during SEC Football Media Days at Omni Dallas Hotel on July 15, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)

Florida, on the other hand, should be in decent shape before its first bye week on September 28.

Best value: Virginia head coach Tony Elliott (16/1)

Elliott has three wins in each of his two seasons at the helm, and there isn’t much hope heading into this season. He was brought to Charlottesville to kickstart the offense after he had consistent success as the offensive coordinator at Clemson, but that hasn’t happened … at all. The Cavaliers finished 13th in the ACC in offensive yards per play last season at 5.21 and 10th in 2022 at 5.13.

They play at Wake Forest in Week 2 and at home vs. Maryland in Week 3. If he loses those, he could be gone before the calendar even flips to October. Even the Cavs hit the bye week on September 28 at 2-2, things could go downhill quickly.

Who shouldn’t be considered: West Virginia coach Neal Brown (14/1)

Brown definitely entered last season on the hot seat, but a 9-4 season and 6-3 record inside the Big 12 cooled things off in a big way. He has one of the best quarterbacks in the country in dual-threat stud Garrett Greene (NFL folks love him) and a ton of firepower returning on an offense that averaged 6.31 yards per play. Plus, it’s much easier to win in the Big 12 now that Oklahoma and Texas have moved on to the SEC.

West Virginia is much more likely to play in the Big 12 Championship Game than it is to send Brown packing mid-season.

Deion Sanders Gives Dumb Excuse Why He Got Into It With Troll On Social Media

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Viral sensation: Deion Sanders (50/1)

Ok, this isn’t going to happen because Sanders has brought the Buffaloes into the spotlight in a way that hasn’t been seen in Boulder for multiple generations. That’s the primary reason that he is there. However, can you imagine what would happen if athletic director Rick George pulls the plug in mid-September.

The clicks. Oh the clicks that would be made on the inter-webs!