Florida’s Billy Napier odds-on favorite to be first coach fired

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell called his team’s 0-2 start to the season a “failure,” but his job remains safe after leading the Seminoles to the ACC title and the brink of the College Football Playoff last year.

The same can’t be said for in-state rival Billy Napier, whose Florida Gators opened with a 41-17 loss at home to No. 19 Miami. It was the Gators’ first loss to the Hurricanes at The Swamp since 2002 and snapped Florida’s 34-game winning streak in home openers.

More important, it dropped Napier’s record to 11-15 since taking over the program as the Gators attempt to rebound from failing to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2017.

Napier was installed as the 4/1 favorite by one sportsbook to be the first coach fired over the summer. After Saturday’s loss, he is now the odds-on favorite at 2/3.

The Hurricanes’ 41 points set a record for the most allowed by the Gators in a home opener, and Florida never led in the contest. After this weekend’s home game against Samford, the Gators play host to Texas A&M on Sept. 14 before kicking off their road slate with games at Mississippi State and Tennessee sandwiching a game against Central Florida.

SportsBetting.ag is offering odds on 19 coaches to be the first fired this season.

FIRST NCAA FOOTBALL COACH FIRED*

COACH, SCHOOL, JULY ODDS, CURRENT ODDS

Billy Napier, Florida, 4/1, 2/3 (-150)

Sam Pittman, Arkansas 5/1, 2/1

Dave Aranda, Baylor 7/1, 7/1

Shane Beamer, South Carolina, 16/1, 12/1

Justin Wilcox, California, 12/1, 12/1

Kalani Sitake, BYU, 10/1, 14/1

Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati, 14/1, 14/1

Dabo Swinney, Clemson, 25/1, 16/1

Neal Brown, West Virginia, 14/1, 16/1

Tony Elliott, Virginia, 16/1, 16/1

Mario Cristobal, Miami 6/1, 20/1

Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh, 12/1, 20/1

Ryan Day, Ohio State, 12/1, 20/1

Clark Lea, Vanderbilt, 8/1, 25/1

Brent Venables, Oklahoma, 33/1, 33/1

Brian Kelly, LSU, N/A, 33/1

Mike Locksley, Maryland, 16/1, 33/1

Deion Sanders, Colorado, 50/1, 40/1

Lincoln Riley, USC, 25/1, 40/1

*Odds by SportsBetting.ag provided for entertainment purposes only.

LSU’s Brian Kelly entered the list at 33/1 following the Tigers’ loss to Southern Cal in Las Vegas on Sunday night.

SEC rival Sam Pittman from Arkansas follows Napier on the list. His odds have shifted from 5/1 in July despite the Razorbacks kicking off their season with a 70-0 drubbing of Arkansas Pine-Bluff last week.

Also moving up the list is Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. Once considered a potential replacement for Nick Saban at Alabama’s, Swinney’s status with the Tigers took a hit with Saturday’s 34-3 loss to top-ranked Georgia.

Miami’s convincing opening win at Florida helped coach Mario Cristobal move from 6/1 to 20/1 by the sportsbook. Cristobal is now 13-13 in his fourth season with the Hurricanes.

Meanwhile, Baylor’s Dave Aranda has held steady at +700. The Bears open their Big 12 schedule at Utah on Saturday after cruising past Tarleton State 45-3 in Week 1.

The other significant movement following the first full week of the season was Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, who shifted from 8/1 in July to 25/1 entering Week 2 after the Commodores’ overtime upset win over Virginia Tech. That sent Hokies coach Shane Beaner’s odds from 16/1 to 12/1, giving him the fourth-shortest odds to be the first coach fired this season.

–Field Level Media