Billy Napier is the best coach on Hot Seat

The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes knocked off No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions in Happy Valley in college football’s game of the day, but there were plenty of other takeaways from the first Saturday in November.

Here are six takeaways from week 10.

The Florida Gators were quietly stringing together victories after most of the country left third-year coach Billy Napier and his program for dead in September. After all, Florida started the season 1-2 after losses to the then-No. 19 Miami Hurricanes and then-unranked Texas A&M Aggies, and rumors swirled about whether or not Napier would make it to October.

Entering Saturday, the Gators were winners in three of their last four games, with their only loss coming in overtime on the road at the then-No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers. Florida freshman quarterback DJ Lagway was in action against the Volunteers after incumbent starter Graham Mertz tore his ACL in the game. Lagway nearly led the Gators to a victory in Knoxville, Tennessee, and followed it up by leading Florida to a 48–20 win at home against the Kentucky Wildcats the following week.

Lagway had his second consecutive start against the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, but was carted off the field in the second quarter due to a leg injury. The Gators led the Bulldogs 10-3 at the time of the injury, which early reports indicate is a serious hamstring injury. The Gators lost a competitive game 34-20.

If Lagway is lost for an extended period of time, it could be the final nail in the coffin for the Napier era in Gainesville, Florida. After all, Lagway seemed to be finding his feet in his first season of college action, which was a welcome pick. view of a Florida offense entering the toughest part of its schedule. If the Gators don’t have Lagway for games on the road at No. 6 Texas, at home against No. 16 LSU or at home against No. 19 Ole Miss, Florida’s offense could be in a world of trouble.

Napier started the season on the hot seat, getting even hotter after a difficult September, but tried to reverse course when the calendar turned to November. That task will be even more difficult than expected if Lagoway cannot play.

Here’s a quick look at other head coaches who didn’t do themselves any favors on Saturday:

Sam Pittman, Arkansas Razorbacks

The Razorbacks were not competitive at all in a 63-31 drubbing at home against the No. 19 Ole Miss Rebels. Arkansas is 5-4 and 3-3 in SEC play, with home games against Texas and Louisiana Tech, and a road game at Missouri still on the docket.

Hotseat Status: Cooked. You cannot give up 63 points at home in year 5.

Ryan Walters, Purdue Boilermakers

Walters went 4-8 in Year 1 in 2023. This season, the Boilermakers have taken quite a step back and looked completely confused on both sides of the football. Purdue fell 26-20 in overtime to the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday, likely representing the Boilermakers’ best chance at a conference win this season. Instead, Purdue is now 1-7, including an 0-6 mark in the Big Ten. Purdue’s only win is a 49-0 victory over FCS Indiana State in the opener. The Boilermakers will be underdogs in each of their final four games against Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State and Indiana, and 1-11 is very much in play.

Hot seat status: Very warm. Purdue is a tough job, but the expectations are much higher than 1-11. Expect some offseason changes to Walters’ coaching staff.

Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans

USC fell to Washington 26-21 on Saturday in Seattle, dropping the Trojans to 4-5 and 2-5 in their first season in the Big Ten. USC is in danger of missing a bowl game and will need to win two of their last three against Nebraska, UCLA and Notre Dame to reach postseason play.

Hot seat status: Very warm. Riley makes $10 million a year and has now been in charge for 23-13 years in just over two seasons. If you go 11-3 the first year, things aren’t going in the right direction for a very well-paid coach at a school with sky-high expectations.

Mike Norvell, Florida State Seminoles

Florida State was another mess at home against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday. The Seminoles offense mustered just 201 total yards against a mediocre Tar Heels defense, giving up 500 yards in the 35-11 loss.

The Seminoles are done with ACC play this season, and after leading the league a year ago, the program finished 2024 with a conference record of 1-7. Florida State heads to South Bend next Saturday to take on Notre Dame and closes the season with Charleston Southern and Florida. There is definitely talk of a 2-10 season.

Hot seat status: Warm. Norvell won’t lose his job this offseason after winning the ACC in 2023, but will enter ’24 with plenty of speculation surrounding his future.

Brent Pry, Virginia Tech Hokies

Virginia Tech entered the 2024 campaign with sky-high expectations and plenty of buzz as a potential ACC title contender. On Saturday, the Hokies led Syracuse 21-3 in the second half of a game in which starting quarterback Kyron Drones and starting running back Bhayshul Tuten were out due to injury.

It looked like the Hokies were on their way to a blowout road win, a fourth straight victory to set up a home showdown with the Clemson Tigers next Saturday. Instead, the Virginia Tech defense folded in the second half, giving up 35 points against the Orange, 38-31 in overtime. The Hokies are now 5-4 and 3-2 in ACC play, a far cry from what was expected in 2024. Perhaps more importantly, the Hokies are now 1-11 in one-score games under Brent Pry.

Hot seat status: warming up. Pry won’t be fired this year, but some assistants could be on the chopping block at the end of the season. The fan base is growing restless due to the stagnant football program in Blacksburg, Virginia.

The ACC kicked off Saturday with hopes of getting two teams into the College Football Playoff. The potential is certainly still alive, but with No. 11 Clemson getting smoked at home by Louisville for its first conference loss, the Tigers will need some help to make it to the ACC title game, especially with No. 20 SMU taking the No. 20 skips. 18 Pittsburgh remains undefeated in league play. Clemson’s playoff hopes are bleak, to put it nicely, after Saturday’s home loss.

No. 5 Miami overcame a two-score deficit in the second half to roll to a 53-31 win over Duke. The Hurricanes continue to pile up wins, and while it may not always look impressive for four full quarters, Miami looks like the class of the ACC.

If Miami plays SMU in the conference title game (which it would be if the season ended today), the best possible scenario for the ACC would be for the Mustangs to win that game. A Miami team with one loss and its only loss in the ACC Championship is likely an at-large bid. But a two-loss SMU with losses to BYU and Miami is likely out of the question, especially since there will be a lack of quality wins on the Mustangs’ resume.

This league is a mess.

Speaking of leagues that are in shambles, let’s go to the Big 12, where the No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones are over after a shocking 23-22 home loss to the unranked Texas Tech Red Raiders. With one loss in the Big 12, the Cyclones can certainly still make it to the Big 12 title game, but it’s not a lock at this point.

The No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats suffered their second conference loss, 24–19 to Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars. For Fritz, it’s a first-year victory to actually hang his hat. For the Wildcats, it could very well be an elimination loss in the Big 12 title game.

The big winners here? The Colorado Buffaloes, who did nothing on Saturday. The Buffs are 6-2, 4-1 in the Big 12, and are likely favorites in each of their last four games against Texas Tech, Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State. If Colorado wins, it will be in the Big 12 title game with a win-and-in scenario for the College Football Playoff.

The No. 13 Indiana Hoosiers continued their undefeated campaign with a 47-10 victory over Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan, on Saturday afternoon. The Hoosiers, who entered Saturday without trailing in a game all season, fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter before scoring 47 straight points to give the Spartans practice.

Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke returned to the lineup after missing Saturday’s win over Washington with a hand injury, completing 19 of 29 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns. Indiana is 9-0 for the first time in program history and has won every game by at least 14 points.

Indiana will likely be favored in two of the final three games, and regardless of what happens on the road on Nov. 23 against Ohio State, the Hoosiers should be in strong contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

The Boise State Broncos should be the top-ranked Group of 5 team in the initial 12-team College Football Playoff rankings after an impressive 56-24 victory over the San Diego State Aztecs on Friday night in Boise, Idaho.

The Broncos entered Friday’s game as a three-point favorite at multiple sportsbooks, so it wasn’t the margin of victory that was most impressive here. Instead, it was the way the Broncos separated from the Aztecs that should grab your attention.

Boise State is buoyed by the fantastic play of Heisman Trophy contender Ashton Jeanty this season, and he was solid again on Friday. But to San Diego State’s credit, nothing on the court came easy for the Broncos in the first half, as the Aztecs did a yeoman’s job in slowing down Jeanty and the rushing attack. Instead, it was Maddux Madsen’s four first-half touchdown passes (and an interception return for a score) that helped the Broncos build their 35–10 halftime lead.

Jeanty scored both of his touchdowns in the second half to put the game out of reach, finishing with 31 carries for 149 yards and two scores at a 4.8 yards per carry clip. That’s more than enough to put Jeanty in strong consideration for the Heisman Trophy, but Boise State’s offensive versatility when the going got tough on the ground is the most notable takeaway from Boise’s seventh win of the season.