Which Coach Do Oddsmakers Think Mississippi State Will Hire?

Even though there are still two weeks remaining in the college football season, the coaching carrousel is already spinning.
Which Coach Do Oddsmakers Think Mississippi State Will Hire?
Which Coach Do Oddsmakers Think Mississippi State Will Hire? /


Oddsmakers always seem to know something, don't they? We're not going to speculate on if they're just really good at what they do, or may have some internal knowledge specific to the subject, or both, there's almost a good reason for how lines and odds are what they are. 

So when BetOnline listed the favorites for who would be the next head coach for Mississippi State football, you bet we were interested.

Not only did the name at the top jump out, but so did the absence of someone who fans have been wondering if he might be interested in coming back to Starkville, Dan Mullen. The oddsmakers seem to think it's highly unlikely. 

Or as a Magic 8-Ball would say, "My Sources Say No."

Jamey Chadwell 3/1
Jeff Lebby 4/1
Willie Fritz 5/1
Rhett Lashlee 6/1
Tom Herman 6/1
John Sumrall 7/1
Glenn Schumann 8/1
Lance Leipold 8/1
Jimbo Fisher 18/1

Fisher is an interesting name because after years of being unable to break through in the SEC West, staying in the division would seem to be the last place he'd want to be. Granted, the SEC is doing away with the East and West next year, but his Aggies teams topped out with nine wins and no rings of any kind. 

Here the odds on who might be the next head coach in College Station:

Lane Kiffin 5/1
Dan Lanning 6/1
Mike Elko 7/1
Mike Norvell 7/1
Jeff Traylor 10/1
Kalen DeBoer 10/1
James Franklin 12/1
Chris Klieman 14/1
Dan Campbell 14/1
Dan Quinn 14/1
Kliff Kingsbury 14/1
Sonny Dykes 14/1
Glen Schumann 16/1
Jonathan Smith 16/1
Deion Sanders 20/1
Jedd Fisch 20/1
Lance Leipold 20/1
Sherrone Moore 20/1
Urban Meyer 20/1
Bill Belichick 50/1
Jim Harbaugh 50/1

Even if Kiffin doesn't head west as many expect, the soon-to-be-extinct SEC West could see even more movement as Sam Pittman is clearly on the hot seat at Arkansas. He's only listed second, though, on the list of the coaches who could next get a pink slip:

Dave Aranda (Baylor) 5/1
Sam Pittman (Arkansas) 6/1
Tom Allen (Indiana) 6/1
Jeff Hafley (Boston College) 7/1
Ken Wilson (Nevada) 7/1
Dana Holgerson (Houston) 9/1
Danny Gonzales (New Mexico) 9/1
Billy Napier (Florida) 10/1
Matt Rhule (Nebraska) 10/1
Ryan Silverfield (Memphis) 10/1
Dino Babers (Syracuse) 12/1
Mario Cristobal (Mami) 14/1
Lincoln Riley (USC) 20/1
Chip Kelly (UCLA) 25/1

Note: Brad Hoke was among those listed at 9/1. He has since announced his retirement. 

Consequently, there are six open FBS head coaching jobs in college football coming out of Week 11 of the college football season:

  1. Texas A&M fired coach Jimbo Fisher on Sunday morning.
  2. Boise State fired Andy Avalos. Finally, the Bulldogs announced 
  3. Mississippi State fired Zach Arnett after less than a year at the helm. 
  4. Northwestern fired Pat Fitzgerald in July amid a hazing scandal. 
  5. Michigan State fired Mel Tucker in September amid a sexual harassment allegation.
  6. San Diego State

Mississippi State Hot List: 10 Coaching Candidates to Replace Zach Arnett


Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the publisher of Cowbell Corner. He's covered college athletics since 2004, and is the author of 26 books. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Walsh is also the publisher of BamaCentral and MizzouCentral in the SI/FanNation network.