Hot Seat Rankings: What's each coach dressing up as at the Hot Seat Halloween party?
Luke Fickell is Dolph Ziggler, of course
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Happy Halloween, everyone! I can't say I'm much of a Halloween guy myself, but I'm always in for a themed post here on the site. With that in mind, I thought we could have a little fun today with the rankings by predicting the costumes for each coach.
You know what scares me the most? You not having a 2StripesCPD premium subscription 👻
Hot Seat Rankings: What's each coach dressing up as at the Halloween hot seat party?
NOT INVITED
Brian Kelly - LSU
Part of what makes a Halloween costume great is committing to the bit. Brian Kelly took that a little too far when he pretended to be a Bayou native during his first public appearance at LSU, and he never really recovered from it. MAH FAM-MUH-LAY!
ON TO THE RANKINGS!
1. Luke Fickell - Wisconsin (2-6) (Last week: 1)
His costume: Former WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler
If you're not a wrestling fan, here's the best way I can describe the Dolph Ziggler/Luke Fickell connection. Dolph Ziggler set the wrestling world on fire in 2013 by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase and winning the World Heavyweight Title. Hardcore wrestling fans believed this moment would lead Ziggler to becoming one of the industry's biggest stars. Unfortunately, it ended up being his peak. Injuries and skepticism from WWE's decision-makers about his ability to be a top guy put a ceiling on his time in the company. From 2016 until he left WWE in 2023, Ziggler was mostly used as a respected hand in the ring -who could help other wrestlers gain more popularity by losing to them. Which he did. A lot.
Luke Fickell set the college football world on fire in 2021 by kicking in the four-team College Football Playoff door with Cincinnati, of all teams. He earned even more respect the next year when he went 9-4, despite losing a plethora of talent to the NFL from the year before. When Wisconsin scooped him up in November 2022, it felt like the most obvious home-run hire of that cycle. Unfortunately, Fickell's time in Cincinnati looks like his peak. He's still well respected among opposing coaches, the guys cutting his checks, and his players. The only downside? He loses. A lot. Also, in case you think this is some random connection: Luke Fickell is one of the greatest wrestlers in Ohio high school history, just like Ziggler –real name Nic Nemeth– was at Kent State! It works!
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2. Jonathan Smith - Michigan State (3-5) (Last week: 6)
His costume: Larry Bird
Dressing up as Larry Legend might be the only way for Smith to get a smile out of Magic Johnson and stop him from putting the program on blast in public:
It’s been hard for me to cheer for my Michigan State Football team. They are 0-5 in the Big Ten, the offense is lacking imagination, and the team overall looks uninspired.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) October 27, 2025
3. Mike Norvell - Florida State (3-4) (Last week: 3)
His costume: The Brickster from Lego Island
Lego Island: A lawless place where "The Brickster," –a noted criminal– attempts to deconstruct the island and keep all the bricks for himself.
Tallahassee, Florida: A lawless place where "Mike Norvell" –a noted football criminal– attempts to deconstruct Florida State Football and keep all the state funds for himself.
4. Hugh Freeze - Auburn (4-4) (Last week: 4)
His costume: A golfer
Hugh Freeze will have the easiest time finding his costume of anyone on this list, because he already wears it every day:
Brad Crawford
5. Derek Mason - Middle Tennessee (1-7) (Last week: 5)
His costume: Doctor Destiny from DC Comics
