College Football’s Coaching Carousel Is Taking On-Field Toll

College Football's Coaching Carousel is taking an on-field toll. Several targets' current teams stumbled in November.

Cincinnati lost to Tulane on Friday. Luke Fickell is being considered for the Wisconsin job. He's been the coach of Cincinnati for a year. The athletic director denies that Ficcke's consideration of the job had any impact on the team's performance. The team won 9-3 and was in the American Athletic Conference. It's fair to point out that losing to this team is no disgrace.

Lane Kiffin is staying at Ole Miss despite losing his last three games. He is the hot name at Auburn. OleMiss fans are unhappy with the way the season ended. The Rebels lost to Alabama on Nov. 12th and to Arkansas the following week. The story out of Mississippi said that Kiffon was going to resign at the end of the Thanksgiving Egg Bowl game against Mississippi State and take over at a new school.

Liberty's coach Hugh Freeze is being considered for the Auburn job. He's on a three-game losing streak after starting the season 8-1. Liberty lost 49-14 at home to New Mexico State on Saturday.

Coastal Carolina lost 47-7 to James Madison on Saturday. Coach Jamey Chadwell is being considered for Georgia Tech and South Florida. The Chanticleers lost the Sun Belt East Division title. They were going to host the championship game, but it will be played at Troy instead. Last year at Oklahoma, Lincoln Riley lost to Oklahoma State and was gone to USC the next. At SMU, Mario Cristobal was being blown out in the Pac-12 title game by Utah on a Friday night and signed with Miami on Monday.

The college football coaching carousel is taking a toll on the sport. The December signing period is too restrictive. NCAA should abolish it and move the early February signing date back. The NCAA could also limit the number of transfers per year. It would also slow the flow of new coaches. College football's conference leadership might not agree to such a principle. There is an answer to the reason for coaches quitting their teams as soon as possible. They are paying large sums for their services. This is why schools are hiring early. A limited transfer limit would be a good solution. An expanded College Football Playoff would help.

College Football's Coaching Carousel is taking an on-field toll. Athletic directors who fire early and hire early are not concerned about the impact on the school they're raiding. Agents who hire and fire too early need to lie about their commitment to their clients.

The December signing period begins Dec. 21 this year and is augmented by the opening of the transfer portal Dec 5. New coaches have to get started on roster management and recruiting at the next job.