ATHLON SPORTS College football’s carousel for the 2025-26 season is already active with 12 job openings, including eight at the power conference level.

Stanford and Kent State both made coaching changes prior to the ’25 season, and the carousel has sped up significantly in recent weeks with Florida, Penn State, and LSU openings. And with several coaches still on the hot seat entering Week 10, the carousel doesn’t appear to be slowing anytime soon.

Sorting out which college football program is the best job is a source of constant debate. Each of the 136 jobs in the nation presents its share of challenges, resource concerns, recruiting territory, or just the willingness to win or commitment level from the school.

Which of the open jobs is best in the 2025 coaching carousel? Athlon Sports takes a look at the pros, cons, recruiting, win trends, and other factors to consider for determining which open job should be the most attractive to head coaches.

1. LSU

Why LSU is Open: LSU fired coach Brian Kelly on Oct. 26 after the team’s 49-25 loss to Texas A&M in Week 9.

Pros: This is one of the premier jobs in college football. LSU has won three national championships since 2003 and has all of the resources, fan support, and tradition to win at a high level and consistently make the 12-team College Football Playoff. The state of Louisiana produces a high level of talent each year. Despite different coaching tenures, LSU thrives at keeping that talent at home. The program also invested heavily in NIL last offseason after falling behind some of the SEC’s top teams in recent years.

Cons: It’s hard to find many (if any) drawbacks for this job. LSU is competing with Florida and Penn State, so it’s a crowded competition to hire a top candidate. The school is also going through some turnover on the administrative side with a new president hire coming soon.

2. Florida

Why Florida is Open: Florida fired coach Billy Napier on Oct. 19. The Gators went 22-23 under Napier’s watch, including a 12-16 stint in SEC play.

Pros: Florida is one of the top jobs in the nation. With a talent-rich state to recruit from, a fan base eager to get back to the top of the SEC, along with a strong track record of success in the modern era of college football, there are few downsides to this job. The Gators have won three national championships since 1996, showcasing the program can consistently win at the highest level. After falling behind on facilities and NIL investment, Florida has made substantial progress. The program opened a new football training facility in ’22.

Cons: Florida is one of the top states for high school talent, but the Gators have plenty of competition from in-state rivals Florida State and Miami. Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia also recruit the state prominently. The administrative side of the school has been a mess in recent years. The next coach needs alignment in order to elevate the program to the highest levels of college football.

3. Penn State

Why Penn State is Open: Penn State fired coach James Franklin on Oct. 12. Franklin’s dismissal came after the program lost three consecutive games after opening 2025 with national championship aspirations. Franklin went 104-45 with the Nittany Lions.

Pros: Penn State has all of the pieces in place to compete for national championships. The program has a strong tradition and a passionate fan base that fills the stadium for each home game. Additionally, the recruiting territory is outstanding with opportunities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and along the East Coast. Under athletic director Pat Kraft, the program has made the necessary investments to improve facilities (including a $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium), hire or retain top assistants, and player retention.

Cons: James Franklin won 104 games and guided the program to six seasons of double-digit victories. Although this year’s underachievement played a significant role in his dismissal, it’s clear Penn State wants its next coach to lead this program beyond being a top-10 team and into contention for the national title. The expectations are high for the next head coach.

4. Arkansas

Why Arkansas is Open: Arkansas fired coach Sam Pittman on Sept. 28. Pittman went 32-34 with the Razorbacks since 2020 and guided the program to three bowl trips in that span.

Pros: This job has its share of challenges, but Arkansas has a passionate fan base that wants to win at a high level, along with solid facilities to sell on the recruiting trail. Northwest Arkansas is also home to a growing corporate sector (Walmart and Tyson Foods), giving the program (potentially) untapped resources to expand its NIL ability.

Cons: The state of Arkansas doesn’t produce enough high-level talent to win a SEC title. The Razorbacks need to recruit Texas, Oklahoma, and the surrounding states to elevate this program. However, with Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma joining the SEC, the task of luring talent to Fayetteville has grown more challenging. Also, athletic director Hunter Yurachek recently admitted the program has room to catch up to its SEC peers on the budget front. The nine-game SEC slate won’t make life any easier for the next Arkansas head coach in ’26 and beyond.

5. Virginia Tech

Why Virginia Tech is Open: Virginia Tech fired coach Brent Pry on Sept. 14 after a 45-26 loss to Old Dominion, which dropped the Hokies to 0-3. Pry went 16-24 overall as the head coach in Blacksburg.

Pros: Virginia Tech is a solid job with the potential to compete for the ACC title. The school also plans to make a significant investment in athletics, adding $229 million to the budget over the next four seasons. The next coach has fertile recruiting territory to mine in the state of Virginia, as well as the surrounding DMV area. Lane Stadium is one of the ACC’s top home fields, and the Hokies have a passionate fan base that wants to win. Also, the path to the College Football Playoff is favorable in the ACC.

Cons: How fast will Virginia Tech see the increased investment pay off for the program? Of the 20 times the Hokies finished a season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, 16 came during Frank Beamer’s tenure. Can another coach replicate Beamer’s success after the last two coaches (Justin Fuente and Pry) both ended with a firing?

6. UCLA

Why UCLA is Open: UCLA fired coach DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14 after a 35-10 loss to New Mexico, which dropped the team to 0-3. Foster went 5-10 as head coach of the Bruins.

Pros: Potential. With a location in the talent-rich state of California, along with Big Ten resources, UCLA should be able to compete at a high level.

Cons: Although this job has a ton of potential, resources and fan support have lagged. Will UCLA’s administration continue to make necessary investments into the program to help the Bruins compete for playoff trips in the Big Ten?

7. Oklahoma State

Why Oklahoma State is Open: Oklahoma State fired coach Mike Gundy on Sept. 23 after a 19-12 loss to Tulsa in Week 4. Gundy — a former Oklahoma State quarterback — finished his tenure in Stillwater with a 170-90 mark.

Pros: Considering how wide open the Big 12 is on a year-to-year basis, the right coach can build rosters capable of consistently competing for the conference title and a playoff berth. Oklahoma State has a solid recruiting territory in Texas, with Dallas less than five hours away.

Cons: Oklahoma State has work to do to catch up in the NIL space for attracting roster talent. Stability is also needed in the school’s leadership positions to help the new coach grow this program in the new era of college football.

8. Stanford

Why Stanford is Open: Stanford fired coach Troy Taylor in April after an offfield investigation. Former NFL coach Frank Reich is working as the team’s interim coach for the ’25 season. He’s not expected to pursue the job on a fulltime basis.

Pros: Stanford is a job with challenges, but for the right coach, this program can be a long-term fit. Also, Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw proved you can win (albeit in a different era of college football) at a high level here. With former quarterback Andrew Luck in charge of the program, there’s a willingness to do what it takes to become a consistent winner again. Although there are financial challenges with travel in the ACC, Stanford has a solid conference home after the Pac-12 fell apart.

Cons: Even if Stanford wants to build a winning program, the academic admissions at this school limit the recruiting pool and could make it difficult to manage the transfer portal. Going to a bowl is a reasonable goal, but the Cardinal have not posted a winning mark in a full season since ’18. Simply put, it’s hard to build a high-level winner on an annual basis here.

9. Oregon State

Why Oregon State is Open: Oregon State fired coach Trent Bray on Oct. 12. Bray finished his tenure in Corvallis with a 5-14 record.

Pros: The Pac-12 is no longer a power conference, but Oregon State invested at that level prior to the collapse of the league. With good facilities — including a major renovation to Reser Stadium — the Beavers are positioned to compete at a high level in the new Pac-12. Although this is a challenging job, Mike Riley, Dennis Erickson, and Jonathan Smith all showed you can consistently piece together winning seasons.

Cons: Oregon State is one of the programs impacted the most by conference realignment. The Beavers went from a home among teams in power conferences to a revamped Pac-12 that includes Washington State, Boise State, Fresno State, Utah State, Texas State, San Diego State, and Colorado State. In addition to the step back in conference strength, the new Pac-12 won’t match the television revenue of the old 12-team conference. Regardless of the Pac-12 membership, Oregon State has traditionally ranked among the toughest places to win, and it lacks a strong in-state base of talent to recruit.

10. Colorado State

Why Colorado State is Open: Colorado State fired coach Jay Norvell on Oct. 19. The Rams went 18-26 under Norvell and posted just one winning season (2014). Tyson Summers is the team’s interim coach for the remainder of ’25.

Pros: There’s a lot to like about this job. Colorado State opened a new stadium in 2017, and Fort Collins is widely regarded for its livability. The Rams are also on the move from the Mountain West to the Pac-12. Colorado State is willing to pay its next head coach. Norvell was the Mountain West’s highest-paid coach in ’24 and ranked second to UNLV’s Dan Mullen in ’25.

Cons: Despite a lot of positives about this job, Colorado State has only one double-digit win season since 2003. The Rams also have just one winning mark in Mountain West play since ’18. The state of Colorado doesn’t produce enough talent to build a roster capable of winning the Pac-12. The next coach must thrive at recruiting California, Texas, Nevada, Utah, and the transfer portal.

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