This is the time of year when anticipation has reached a boiling point, as the 2025 college football season has finally arrived. For some teams, the realistic chances of having a successful season are hit-and-miss, while others are hoping that they can build off last year and turn it into a spot in the college football playoff. 

Unfortunately, for a number of fans, the mixture of excitement and also hesitation to expect much from their team is the unwavering emotion that comes with the territory when rooting for a team that has led you to feel this pit in your stomach of anticipation, as the 2025 season begins. 

While there is always hope, plenty of coaches in the SEC are facing expectations of a turnaround season that most certainly could fall flat on the field this season. And, thanks to this new era of college athletics, filled with revenue-sharing and NIL for athletes, schools are going to be quicker to pull the trigger on finding a replacement if things start heading south in short order. 

The reality is that athletic directors and presidents can no longer wait until the end of the season to make tough decisions, given that the transfer portal remains the same, along with the temptations that other schools will present athletes on the current roster. 

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at which coaches are facing the most pressure to win in 2025, with their jobs on the line. 

Mark Stoops Must Turn This Around At Kentucky. But, Will The School Pay The Buyout? 

If there seems to be more enthusiasm for the basketball team compared to the product Mark Stoops is putting on the field at Kentucky, that is actually a yearly tradition in Lexington. 

The problem is, with Stoops entering his 13th year as the head coach, the Wildcats are in the rearview mirror in terms of competitive teams in the SEC. Coming off a 4-8 season in 2024, there isn’t a lot of hope for Kentucky fans this year, especially when the team is hitching their wagon to quarterback Zach Calzada. Yes, the journeyman who has SEC experience. And, that’s not a shot at the transfer quarterback, it’s just reality. 

While there have been a few early portions of seasons that have garnered hope for Kentucky fans, things usually fall off the tracks down the stretch. By now, it’s just a common ingredient in the football fandom recipe. 

In reality, I don’t know if Mark Stoops has ever gotten over the fact that he was a few hours away from being the head coach at Texas A&M. Add in the fact that there seems to be this perception that Kentucky is spending more rev-share money on basketball than football, and you have a recipe for disaster. But, if the ‘Cats have another rough season in Lexington, the question won’t center around whether it’s time for Stoops to find another job. 

Is Kentucky willing to pay Mark Stoops around $40 million to leave? Tough decisions are ahead if this team doesn’t make a bowl game. 

Sam Pittman Loves Coaching Arkansas. But, Are The Razorbacks Going To Continue Settling? 

It feels like a decade ago when Arkansas went 9-4 in 2021, right? While Sam Pittman is truly one of a kind, his personality can only get him so far in Fayettville. 

Remember when I mentioned that schools are not going to wait around until the end of the season to make a decision on the head coach? You can use Arkansas as a prime example when testing this theory in 2025. For the Razorbacks to rebuild their football program into the old scary program that used to haunt teams in the SEC West, it feels as though they need an injection of life, just as John Calipari has done with the basketball program. 

The first month of the season will define 2025 for Sam Pittman. The Razorbacks will square-off against Arkansas State, Ole Miss, Memphis and Notre Dame. If they come out of that stretch with a 1-3 record, it might be time for Hunter Yurachek to appoint an interim coach and start looking for their next head coach. As the guys on OutKick’s Hot Mic mentioned last week, Jon Gruden would be the type of hire that would have Arkansas fans calling the Hogs in a more profound way. 

It’s Time For Hugh Freeze To Win At Auburn. 

Coming off his second-straight losing season with the Tigers, the pressure is on for Hugh Freeze to start competing again for SEC titles, or at least be in contention for a playoff spot. 

The excuses have run dry, no longer being able to point towards recruiting or even the financial aspects of this era in college football. Freeze cannot pull a Billy Napier, and have Duece Knight as a backup plan that would save his job if Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold doesn’t work out. The Tigers have receivers, a nice group along the offensive line, and a steady dose of talent on the defensive side. 

I had one source recently tell me that it’s eight wins or bust for Freeze this season, but I don’t know if that would even sit well with the Auburn fans. The Tigers did not take advantage of the situation when Nick Saban retired, specifically kicking the dog while it was down, as Kalen DeBoer tried to figure out how to follow a legend. 

Now, the pressure is on to win, and I don’t mean making the TaxSlayer Bowl. If Hugh Freeze doesn’t at least flirt with the CFP, the Auburn boosters will come up with the $17 million or so to start looking for a new coach. 

DJ Lagway Saved Billy Napier In 2024. Pressure Is On Again In Florida

After it looked as though Florida boosters were going to pressure AD Scott Stricklin to fire Billy Napier midway through the 2024 season, the Gators gave fans something to be excited about in the process of surprising teams down the stretch. 

And heading into the 2025 season, the fate of Napier lies on the shoulders of quarterback DJ Lagway.

If there ever was a season where Florida could regain that magic, this is it. Enough talent on the defensive side, along with plenty of weapons on offense to help Lagway, has fans in Gainesville expecting a massive turnaround in 2025. Heck, I have Florida ranked 15th in my preseason poll, which is the type of expectation that the Gators should be ready to thrive on. 

Can DJ Lagway and the Florida Gators save Billy Napier from the hot seat, again? (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

The problem is that we’ve seen these types of stories before with other teams in college football. If the wheels somehow come off this 4X4 vehicle in 2025, the Gators’ administration is not going to sit by, hoping that it will fix itself. After three seasons, Billy Napier is 19-19 as the head coach. This year, he might only be able to afford to add three or four losses to that overall record, or he’ll be looking for a new job. 

Even though that fire dimmed towards the end of 2024, all it takes is a little accelerant to have Gainesville engulfed in flames once again. Buckle up. 

Honorable Mention

Brent Venables: While Texas is competing for national championships, Oklahoma is treading water in the SEC, as Brent Venables enters his fourth season as the Sooners head coach. Just like the situation in Gainesville, the Sooners’ fate hangs on the shoulders of transfer quarterback John Mateer. Don’t forget, AD Joe Castiglione is retiring, and you know how these new athletic directors like to bring in their own person for the job. 

Jeff Lebby: It’s obvious that Mississippi State needs to win a few SEC games this season. But, would the athletic department pull the trigger after year three if he couldn’t? We’ll see, but the Bulldogs need a bowl game. 

Brian Kelly: The only way LSU decides to move-on from Brian Kelly is if this team just falls flat on their face in 2025, with such high expectations. And even then, it would be a tough call for the Tigers administration. But, not contending for national championships in Baton Rouge will get you fired. So, I’m just slightly throwing it on your radar, though I expect the Tigers to have a big season. 

Alright, that’s going to do it for the SEC. Next up, we’ll take a look at the Big Ten, where there is plenty of room for this same exact conversation with a number of coaches, especially out in Los Angeles. 

Steve Spurrier is never afraid to poke fun at some of his biggest rivals. Another one may have come on Monday, going after the Georgia Bulldogs for their two national championships. Specifically, quarterback Stetson Bennett.

Even as Georgia was winning, a lot of conversation surrounded Bennett’s standing with the team. Well, Spurrier has the same opinion of some fans in Athens. When downplaying the need for a “special quarterback” in order to win the whole thing, he brought up Bennett with UGA.

“I think there’s two areas that are, probably, going to determine the best teams,” Spurrier said. “Obviously, coaching is important. And then special players. It could be the quarterback but it could be other guys. Georgia won two national championships with Stetson Bennett. So, the quarterback, he needs to be a good player but he doesn’t have to be one of those guys that has to throw for 300 yards every game.”

Funny enough, Bennett did surpass the 300-yard mark in three of the four College Football Playoff games he played in. No performance better than the Ohio State win in 2022, throwing for 398 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Georgia’s first national championship, against Alabama, would be considered the worst outing, still putting up a solid 224 yards and two touchdowns while completing over 65% of throws.

There was even a performance against Florida where Bennett got over the mark Spurrier mentioned. It was a blowout victory in favor of Georgia, taking down their arch-rival back in 2022.

Michigan and Ohio State have won the two national championships after Georgia. JJ McCarthy left Ann Arbor and wound up being a first-round selection, slating to start this upcoming season for the Minnesota Vikings. Ohio State got an upgrade at the position via Will Howard, someone who threw for over 4,000 yards during his lone season in Columbus.

As for this season, we have an exciting five months ahead to see who winds up winning the national championship. Some “special” quarterbacks are thought to be playing for some massive programs. NFL scouts will be quite interested to see the likes of Drew Allar and Garrett Nussmeier.

However, Spurrier can see somebody without a big name ultimately hoisting the trophy in January. His example will get a laugh from a good amount of Florida, and maybe even SEC, fans — downplaying Bennett’s ability while Georgia made their famous two-year run.

Oklahoma released a statement regarding QB John Mateer and the alleged sports gambling controversy that came to light. The transfer quarterback’s Venmo account was allegedly screenshotted, showing transactions that signaled he was betting on college games.

Sooner Scoop previously reported that the school was aware of the alleged incident and was looking into it. Mateer made it clear to Oklahoma that he never gambled, per George Stoia.

“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,” Mateer said in a statement. “My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends.

“I have never bet on sports. I understand the seriousness of the matter, but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have no engaged in any sports gambling.”

Mateer was a star at Washington State before he transferred to Norman. The addition promises a jolt to the Sooners’ offense.

Over the course his career with the Cougars, Mateer was a dual threat QB. He threw for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns, seven interceptions, a 64.6% completion percentage, 826 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in 2024.

Having swagger like Mateer’s isn’t an accident. He has been that good throughout his college career to this point, which even leads him to talking trash in practice and during games.

“I know from playing football, it gets people going a little bit,” Mateer told reporters after fall camp practice on Monday. “And that’s what you need on this field. Like, this (is) practice four, and it’s great, but come here soon it’s gonna be, ‘Damn, this practice is hot,’ this and that, so you can get everybody going a little bit more. And that comes from me.

“I’m the quarterback, I’m the leader, so I’ve got to do it. I love doing it — if you talk a little trash, you’ll get the best out of everybody.”

Mateer’s status as the leader of the team comes without him ever playing a down of football for the Sooners. The 2025 season will be Mateer’s first with the program alongside new Sooners offensive coordinator and QB coach Ben Arbuckle earlier this offseason. The two are expected to lead the offense to greater heights than what they saw in 2024.

Georgia enters the 2025 season ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 college football preseason poll and No. 4 in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

This marks a slight reduction from the two previous seasons, when Georgia was the top-ranked team in the 2023 and 2024 preseason AP Polls. The Bulldogs received just one first-place vote, finishing with 1,331 total points to narrowly rank above Notre Dame, which sits at No. 6 with 1,325 points.

Despite losing to Georgia twice last season, Texas took the top spot in both rankings with promising quarterback Arch Manning officially becoming the Longhorns’ starter. The second and third spots in the AP poll are held by Penn State and Ohio State, respectively, with the two swapping places in the Coaches Poll. While it ranks below Georgia at No. 6 in the Coaches Poll, Clemson places one spot above the Bulldogs at No. 4 in the more recently announced AP poll.

After an up-and-down 2024 season in which Georgia ranked as high as No. 1 and as low as No. 12, the Bulldogs managed to take the No. 2 ranking into the College Football Playoff after their SEC Championship victory over Texas. Following a loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, however, Georgia was leapfrogged by teams still in title contention and finished the year ranked No. 6.

While Georgia remains a true contender for the 2025 season, concerns such as Gunner Stockton’s lack of experience and multiple talented players graduating likely played a role in the decision to rank a few teams above the Bulldogs.

The SEC has 10 ranked teams in the AP poll, the most of any conference, followed by the Big Ten with six and the Big 12 with four. Five of Georgia’s opponents for the 2025 season enter the year ranked; Texas at No. 1, Alabama at No. 8, Florida at No. 15, Ole Miss at No. 21, and Tennessee at No. 24.