The holidays are upon us, and that means college football teams are preparing for their bowl games. However, it's not all holiday cheer this time of year. Coaches running a number of FBS schools have gotten pink slips in their stockings this year, leaving vacancies which either have been filled or are still open.
Check out how all of next season's college football odds at BookMaker.eu shake out in the summer.
Bowling Green Falcons
Old Coach: Dino Babers
New Coach: TBD
The Falcons went 10-3 last season, but it was clear that there was a better job on the horizon for Dino Babers. He's now with Syracuse after very possibly spurning UCF. Bowling Green still needs to decide on its new coach, but in all likelihood, it will promote from within.
BYU Cougars
Old Coach: Bronco Mendenhall
New Coach: TBD
Mendenhall never figured to leave BYU, so it was a bit of a shock to see him lured to Virginia. The Cougs are going to hire another man who is already a head coach somewhere, and Navy's Ken Niumatalolo is definitely a candidate.
East Carolina Pirates
Old Coach: Ruffin McNeill
New Coach: TBD
East Carolina parted ways with McNeill after a 5-7 season which ended without a bowl game in somewhat shocking fashion. ECU largely underachieved, but this could be a net positive. Gene Chizik could be on the horizon for this opening.
Georgia Bulldogs
Old Coach: Mark Richt
New Coach: Kirby Smart
Part of the reason Richt got fired from the post he held for a decade and a half is because he couldn't beat Nick Saban. So who do you hire when you want to beat Saban? The man who has largely been his right hand during his entire coaching career. Smart is going to bring a real attitude to the UGA defense, but he has a lot of coaching to do on the offensive side of the ball to bring the Dawgs back to the forefront in the SEC.
Hawaii Warriors
Old Coach: Norm Chow
New Coach: Nick Rolovich
Rolovich blew away the media with his first press conference with the quote, "Live Aloha, Play Warrior." It was a smart hire for the Warriors even though a potential revival with June Jones might've worked out as well. Chow's days of coaching are very likely over with.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Old Coach: Tim Beckman
New Coach: Bill Cubit
This one really isn't all that fair. Illinois fired Beckman right before the start of the season. Cubit did a great job as the interim coach and was rewarded with the permanent position.
Iowa State Cyclones
Old Coach: Paul Rhoads
New Coach: Matt Campbell
Rhoads never really brought Iowa State anywhere as its head coach, so Campbell, the man who built Toledo into a Top 25 program this year, will get his shot in Ames now.
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
Old Coach: Todd Berry
New Coach: TBD
A job like Louisiana-Monroe stinks. You're either going to get fired because you're dreadful and never get a gig again, or you're going to have one great year and leave for a better job. In this case, ULM needs to find its next young coach after Berry went 1-9 this year and was dismissed with two games left.
Maryland Terrapins
Old Coach: Randy Edsall
New Coach: D.J. Durkin
Edsall got what he deserved after he spurned Connecticut before its trip to the BCS in what was a lateral move at best. Durkin was the leader of a Michigan defense which allowed a total of 14 points in five games earlier this year.
Memphis Tigers
Old Coach: Justin Fuente
New Coach: Mike Norvell
Fuente turned around a program which was a train wreck when he took over, but he was never staying at Memphis for that long. Norvell is the next man in line, and if he just maintains this level of success which came with several Top 25 appearances this year, he'll be the next to fly the coop to head to greener pastures.
Miami Hurricanes
Old Coach: Al Golden
New Coach: Mark Richt
Miami pulled off a coup in getting Richt, probably the best and most accomplished coach on the market this year. Golden did a nice job getting Miami through its sanctions, but he was never the long-term answer after Randy Shannon.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Old Coach: Jerry Kill
New Coach: Tracy Claeys
Claeys took over as the interim coach when Kill took a leave of absence to tend to his health, and it was only logical for the Gophers to turn the full-time job over to him when Kill announced he was stepping away.
Missouri Tigers
Old Coach: Gary Pinkel
New Coach: Barry Odom
Missouri has decided to promote from within, naming its DC its new head coach. Pinkel steps away from a program he was with for decades and helped bring to the SEC from the Big XII.
North Texas Mean Green
Old Coach: Dan McCarney
New Coach: Seth Littrell
North Texas is a mess right now. The team posted the worst loss ever to an FCS school when it was killed by Portland State earlier this year. Littrell was the play caller for UNC, one of the top offenses in the land this season.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Old Coach: Kyle Flood
New Coach: TBD
Rutgers is a tough place to step into right now. Scandal is all over the athletic department, and whomever takes the job from Flood is going to have a mess on his hands to try to clean up.
South Carolina Gamecocks
Old Coach: Steve Spurrier
New Coach: Will Muschamp
The last time South Carolina went on a coaching search, it hired a former Florida coach in Spurrier. It has done the same thing this year. Muschamp is an extremely risky hire, knowing that he didn't do a great job with the Auburn defense this year and left the cupboard relatively bare in Gainesville when he was fired after several dismal seasons.
Syracuse Orange
Old Coach: Scott Shafer
New Coach: Dino Babers
Babers brings promise of an awesome offense to Syracuse, something that the Orange haven't had in forever. Syracuse has a lot of potential in the ACC, but it has largely been untapped since Doug Marrone left.
Toledo Rockets
Old Coach: Matt Campbell
New Coach: Jason Candle
Toledo's offense has been the strength of its team for years, so it only makes sense that the team promoted Candle to the HC spot after Campbell left for Iowa State.
Tulane Green Wave
Old Coach: Curtis Johnson
New Coach: TBD
Tulane really hasn't offered any hints where its coaching searching is turning, but the job really is a wreck to take over at the moment.
UCF Knights
Old Coach: George O'Leary
New Coach: Scott Frost
Don't expect Frost to be in Orlando long. The Knights were one of two teams without a win last year, but this can be turned around in a hurry in Orlando. UCF played more freshmen than any other team in the land this year, and Frost brings a fresh offensive mind to a school with a dearth of talent and potential.
USC Trojans
Old Coach: Steve Sarkisian
Current Coach: Clay Helton
Not surprisingly, after USC dismissed Sarkisian, it hired yet another member of its own family in Helton, the man who took over as the interim coach. That's four straight coaching hires straight out of the USC football family.
Virginia Cavaliers
Old Coach: Mike London
New Coach: Bronco Mendenhall
Mendenhall never made BYU a National Championship contender, but he isn't going to be asked to do that in Charlottesville either. The ACC Coastal Division is wide open, and if he can make UVA a contender to go to the ACC Championship Game most years, this will be a slam dunk hire.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Old Coach: Frank Beamer
New Coach: Justin Fuente
There's still a lot to settle here in Blacksburg with Bud Adams as a candidate for other head coaching gigs, but if he stays and Fuente's offense gets put in place in a hurry, the Hokies could be back to national relevance in a hurry.
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