SEC Football teams with their hands on the panic button in Week 4

We're heading into Week 4 of the season and there's several SEC teams that are already ready to slam that panic button and start looking toward 2025 and beyond.

After this week, several coaches will have their seats warmed up and fans slamming their keyboards for google searches of who might be the best candidate to replace who they have. Act now, and a slightly used Billy Napier could be available soon!

Panic has already passed in Gainesville. Reality has now set in that the Gators are probably staring a 3 or 4 win season in the face. Things could be worse, though, they could have fired a proven, successful SEC coach to hire Napier...

So which SEC teams need a win the most in Week 4?

3. Arkansas or Auburn

The winner of Saturday afternoon's bout in Jordan-Hare will emerge with a 3-1 record and renewed optimism having started SEC play with a win. Auburn fans have already disillusioned themselves into thinking all is well after Hank Brown subbed in at quarterback and the Tigers had the super impressive win over winless New Mexico where they held a four-point lead at halftime.

Sam Pittman entered the year on the hot seat at Arkansas, and little has changed after he mismanaged a winnable game on the road to Oklahoma State in Week 2. Another loss this weekend would make the chatter about firing Pittman and promoting offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino (what could go wrong!) to the head coaching job will grow louder.

Auburn is currently a 3.5 point favorite, which means oddsmakers see this game as a toss-up. Both teams have difficult schedules on the horizon. The Razorbacks have three straight home games coming up, but they figure to be underdogs in all three against Texas A&M, Tennessee, and LSU.

Auburn has one more home game coming up against Oklahoma next week, but after a bye they go on the road for three straight week against Georgia, Missouri, and Kentucky.

2. Mississippi State

Mississippi State fired Zach Arnett after only 10 games last season because they felt they had no time to waste. The Bulldogs thought they were slipping further down the pecking order in the SEC, and needed a drastic move. That made the decision to hire a head coach with only four years of Power-4 coordinating experience all the more curious.

Jeff Lebby has gotten off to a rocky start in his first year in Stakville. After a close road loss to Arizona State, the Bulldogs followed that up with a blowout loss at home to Toledo. The loss to Toledo makes reaching bowl eligbility nearly impossible without several signifcant upsets, but a home loss to Florida could have Mississippi State staring at a 2-10 finish. They haven't finished a season with three or less wins since 2006.

Panic has already set in for Florida, but a loss to Mississippi State would probably be the final blow for Napier.

1. Oklahoma

Oklahoma is shaky 3-0 after less-than-stellar performanes in wins over Houston and Tulane in back-to-back weeks. There would be no shame in losing to Tennessee. They have a very good football team.

My concern for the Sooners is how they might lose. The Vols have looked like one of the very best teams in the country, and if Oklahoma gets dismantled in front of the home crowd, by a team coached by a former OU QB, things might start getting awkward for Brent Venables in Norman.

The schedule is brutal for Oklahoma going forward. Along with the Red River Rivalry, the Sooners still have road games at Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU as well as a home game againt Alabama. A six or seven win season for Oklahoma could prompt the administration to make a quick move on Venables in year three to try and avoid falling down the SEC hiearchy.