Hot Seat Rankings: Return of the King

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GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Brent Pry - Virginia Tech (Last week: 1) and DeShaun Foster - UCLA (Last week: NR)

We've got a major shakeup in the rankings after Brent Pry and DeShaun Foster became the first two coaches to get the axe this season. Pry was on the hottest seat in the country, so it's no surprise that Tech cut bait after Old Dominion ran circles around them:

Meanwhile, Foster was on a hotter seat than I realized. I didn't have him ranked yet –I'll get into why that is when I talk about a certain coach in this week's rankings– but UCLA had no choice. The Bruins looked awful in their first two games, then got their pockets run by New Mexico:

Pry and Foster are the first to go in 2025, but they certainly won't be the last. This week's new No. 1 might be joining them sooner than later...

1. Billy Napier - Florida (1-2) (Last week: 2)

90 percent of head coaches who've ever seriously been on the hot seat have said, "We're close," at some point before they were fired. It's the kind of classic coach speak that transcends generations. Add Billy Napier to the list:

Florida played a collection of Napier-era 'greatest hits' in their 20-10 loss at LSU. The underdog Gators had more yards (366-316) and first downs (23-10) than the Tigers, while controlling the ball for 15 more minutes and only giving up one TD defensively. They were ready to play, and did more than enough on one side of the ball to walk out of Death Valley with an upset. Unfortunately, the offense –which Napier still runs– turned the ball over five times (All DJ Lagway interceptions.) It was exactly the type of aggravating, incomplete showing that Gators fans have become used to.

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Napier's teams can hang with anyone. They can even beat anyone - when they stay out of their own way. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they either keep it close, or outright beat Miami on Saturday, given their history. That's precisely why Napier will never truly right the ship in Gainesville, regardless of the outcome. No program in the country can operate healthily when every game is a referendum on whether their coach should keep his job. Meanwhile, Florida's in the midst of their second-straight season of trying to do exactly that!

2/3. Joe Moorhead - Akron (0-3) (Last week: 4) and Trent Dilfer - UAB (2-1) (Last week: 3)

I watched every second of Akron-UAB. I'm glad I did, because it lived up to its billing as Hot Seat Game of the Week, right from the start. First, the Blazers housed the opening kickoff: