3 coaches that are extremely close to getting fired after Week 11 college football ft. Brian Kelly

The college football season started with several coaches under scrutiny after mixed results last season. As the 2024 season has progressed, several coaches have been added to the hot-seat list, and results in Week 11 action will reinforce the idea that some of those coaches are closer to the door than most.

We take a look at the three likeliest candidates to get fired as the season winds down.

#3. Lincoln Riley

Despite the USC Trojans having an open week, Lincoln Riley has been on the hot seat since the end of last season, when he still harbored Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams on his team.

After the 26-21 Week 10 loss to the Washington Huskies, the Trojans dropped to 4-5, with a slate that still has the UCLA Bruins, Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to finish the season.

Riley is in danger of presiding over a losing season where the Trojans might not even achieve the bare minimum of being bowl-eligible. He has a massive $90 million buyout, but as the Texas A&M Aggies showed by paying Jimbo Fisher's $76 million buyout, programs will no longer hesitate to pull the trigger on underperforming coaches.

#2. Mike Norvell

Last season, the Florida State Seminoles under coach Mike Norvell were the toast of the college football world after an unbeaten regular season. Fans were outraged that FSU was snubbed for a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff.

This season, the Seminoles fell to 1-9 after a blowout 52-3 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Week 11. During his postgame news conference, Norvell, who has been on the hot seat all season long, sounded dejected while talking about FSU's woes.

“We had opportunities; I thought there were moments where we had space, but we weren’t able to finish plays,” Norvell said. “Obviously, for our football team, we all expect better. We understand that’s not acceptable.”

#1. Brian Kelly is in college football's hottest seat

LSU Tigers coach Brian Kelly entered the season under scrutiny after frittering away quarterback Jayden Daniel's Heisman-winning season with a 10-3 record in 2023.

After their 42-13 blowout loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 11, the Tigers have fallen to a 6-3 record. During his postgame news conference, Kelly addressed the disappointing season that will likely see the Tigers miss out on both the SEC championship game and a College Football Playoff spot.

The loss ruined Kelly's perfect 13-0 record of night game wins in the intimidating Death Valley, and the LSU fans showed their feelings by throwing debris on the field and clearing the stadium midway through the fourth quarter.

"If I was in the stands, I wouldn't be happy," Kelly said. "I'm not advocating that you throw anything on the field. But I think it's like any other venue: I think you should use good judgment. But I wouldn't be happy if I was watching us play, either. I wasn't pleased with the way I coached or played, either.

"If you're watching the game, you're like, 'What did these guys do for two weeks?' And I'm disappointed that we didn't live up to the standards of LSU football. That affects us more than the damn playoffs."

With the college football season entering its homestretch, there are already several teams with barely anything to play for, and their coaches will be a few bad results away from getting fired in time for recruitment season.