College Football Overtime: Coaching hot seats, statements by Texas Tech and Indiana lead …

College Football Overtime: Coaching hot seats, statements by Texas Tech and Indiana lead Week 4 takeawaysSeveral coaches on hot seats didn’t do themselves any favors. Meanwhile, while Texas Tech and Indiana looked like College Football Playoff teams in Week 4.Chris HummerVIP0Sometimes contenders emerge in a slow burn throughout the season. Sometimes they emerge throwing fireballs and set college football alight. Indiana and Texas Tech went that route in top 25 matchups this week. Michigan made a statement of its own while Oklahoma’s defense had a historic performance in its reunion with Jackson Arnold. As for that strange smokey smell you’re trying to identify while reading this story? Don’t worry. It’s just the smell as several seats across college football catch fire.Week 4 is over and you know how this works: Let’s run through College Football Overtime, highlighting everything you need to know from the week that was in college football.ONE BIG THING: HOT SEAT SEASON IS IN FULL SWING Mike Gundy (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)Entering the 2025 season, there was a common prediction among college football staffers, coaches, administrators and agents: This is going to be a crazy coaching cycle.Administrators protected their bottom line a season ago in anticipation of the looming implementation of revenue sharing and the $20 million it’d require teams to come up with annually. That led to an unusually slow Power Four coaching cycle. But boosters and fans don’t stay patient for long.That point was illustrated last Sunday when Virginia Tech and UCLA fired their coaches within minutes of each other. Week 4 likely won’t prove that chaotic in terms of imminent changes, but it is the week we’ll look back on when dominoes began to tip in earnest for the 2025-26 coaching cycle.It started Friday night in Stillwater when Tulsa upset Oklahoma State, 19-12. It’s the Cowboys’ first home loss to Tulsa since 1951. The Cowboys were known as Oklahoma A&M back then.Those around Oklahoma State (1-2) would point out that the program brought in 63 new players this offseason and integrating them takes time. But a loss to Tulsa (2-2) is still a loss to Tulsa. That’s a roster filled with players the Cowboys passed on as high school recruits.The temperature in Stillwater couldn’t be any warmer for program legend Mike Gundy, who has now lost 11 straight FBS games. Changes are coming in Stillwater, sooner or later. Luke Fickell (Photo: Getty)Coaches who had to win did anything but that in the noon slate.Wisconsin fans chanted “Fire Fickell” during a 27-10 loss to Maryland. The circumstances for the Badgers (2-2) are far from ideal as their high-priced quarterback transfer, Billy Edwards — ironically, from the Terps (4-0) — has been largely unavailable due to injury since Week 1.But the Badgers have been outscored 65-24 against Power Four competition this season and lost nine of their past 12 games versus Power Four teams.Wisconsin is a generally patient administration. The Badgers have only had five coaches over the past 35 seasons. But that patience could be tested this season and industry sources view Wisconsin as a job that could open.Fickell did get a vote of confidence from athletics director Chris McIntosh following the loss. But it’s never a good sign when you need one after Week 4, especially in what projected to be one of the most winnable games on the schedule.I wouldn’t anticipate Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek giving Sam Pittman a vote of confidence following a disastrous 32-31 loss to Memphis.Pittman survived last season by making a bowl and thanks to a difficult buyout to navigate ahead of the rev-share era. Don’t expect that to save him in 2025 as his buyout dips below $10 million.The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Razorbacks (2-2) either. Notre Dame, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Auburn are on deck.Of course, there’s Billy Napier and Florida. The coach who’s basically been on the hot seat since Week 1 last year moved to 20-22 overall in four seasons with the Gators (1-3) after a 26-7 loss to No. 4 Miami. That’s the worst record through a Florida coach’s first 43 games since World War II.Napier’s players are still playing hard. But the pressure is on Napier from the booster class and fan base is beginning to feel insurmountable. How athletic director Scott Strickland handles the next few days, before Florida’s Week 5 bye, will determine Napier’s short-term future.There’s a key redshirt deadline coming up for players over the next four weeks. Fire a coach too early, and administrators risk key members of the team choosing to sit out and redshirt instead turning their focus to the transfer portal. Remember, a 30-day portal window is triggered for players to explore transferring as soon as their program undergoes a head coaching change.Speaking of the transfer portal, let’s not forget about Dabo Swinney. Clemson, the preseason ACC favorite, fell to 1-3 with an embarrassing 34-21 loss to Syracuse — its first-ever home loss to the Orange (3-1). Dabo Swinney (Photo: Getty)Swinney entered the season talking up the possibility of going unbeaten. Instead, the Tigers are the country’s most underwhelming team.Swinney’s buyout is $60 million. He’s not going anywhere unless he wants to. But it does feel like Clemson is reaching a crossroads with Swinney at the helm.By the way, if you’re looking for a thematic way to tie all those guys together, it’s an unwillingness to change or being late to doing so.Swinney won’t go all in with NIL and the portal. Napier is unwilling to hire a play-calling offensive coordinator. (Of note, UF was 0 for 13 on third down against Miami.)Gundy had to be threatened last year with his job to embrace NIL and the transfer portal.Arkansas still makes far too many mistakes in close games — the Razorbacks are 2-10 in those situations since 2023 — and defensively continues to get gashed since former coordinator Barry Odom left after the 2022 season.Fickell made a horrendous mistake by bringing the Air Raid to Wisconsin in 2023 and may not get time to fix it.Get the latest football and recruiting scoop on your favorite college team today.Those are just five jobs we’re watching. Many more are expected to open this season. Buckle up. To read this full article and more, subscribe now —SALE: Only $1 First MonthGet access to this article and all of the in-depth coverage from the 247Sports Network with this special offer.$1 First MonthAlready a subscriber? Login247Sports LogoSometimes contenders emerge in a slow burn throughout the season. Sometimes they emerge throwing fireballs and set college football alight. Indiana and Texas Tech went that route in top 25 matchups this week. Michigan made a statement of its own while Oklahoma’s defense had a historic performance in its reunion with Jackson Arnold. As for that strange smokey smell you’re trying to identify while reading this story? Don’t worry. It’s just the smell