Only four SEC football teams have played three conference games. In Week 7, it should be too early to write off any team. However, the situation is different for head coaches. A head coach can be shown the door at any time. At Arkansas, Sam Pittman did not make it until the end of September.
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So which guy will get the axe next? The SEC hot-seat coaches are Billy Napier, Hugh Freeze, and Mark Stoops. Steve Sarkisian does not have a hot seat yet in Austin. But if the Longhorns lose to Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown, Texas would no longer be a serious Playoff contender. With the Longhorn program, along with Texas A&M and now, also Texas Tech, apparently, no price is ever too high for football. If the Horns miss the Playoffs and if Arch Manning does not show considerable improvement, Sarkisian will have a tense offseason.
If rumors are accurate, apparently, one SEC football program has spending limits for football. It is rumored that Stoops wants a buyout, and Kentucky is balking. His buyout clause requires the full $38-$40M to be paid within 60 days of termination. According to Wildcat Blue Nation, Kentucky's AD Mitch Barnhart has other plans for the large amount of money. Perhaps they want to direct more to Mark Pope's player budget. Publicly, it is being said that Barnhart is more focused on funding a $40M entertainment district near Kroger Field.
It feels as though Billy Napier's tenure at Florida has been on life support for years. Napier dodged the axe again last week with the Gators beating Texas. The task will be tougher on Saturday in College Station. USA Today's Paul Myerberg recently wrote, "Napier’s tenure will go down as one of the most disappointing in program history given his losing record and the fanfare that came with his arrival."
With a loss to the Aggies, the Gators will drop to 2-4, with Georgia, Ole Miss, and Tennessee as probable future losses. There is no roster rebuilding value for Florida to delay making a change.
Hugh Freeze is slightly more secure than Napier. Freeze should survive a loss to Georgia. But he might not survive a blowout loss if rumors are true that players are looking for their next team. Hugh's preseason goal was to make a bowl game. The Tigers may achieve it, but Freeze may not be there to coach them.
LSU should beat South Carolina on Saturday. If the Bengal Tigers lose, Brian Kelly can probably be said to be on an approach to a hot seat landing.