Calls Mount for Major College Football Program to Fire $45 Million Coach

There are no shortage of coaches on the hot seat in college football rumors, but one of the biggest names was not even on the sideline in Week 7. The Florida Gators face a decision on the future of Billy Napier, but things are looking a bit brighter in recent weeks at The Swamp.

Lincoln Riley is under plenty of heat with the USC Trojans, and his testy interactions with the media is not helping. The Auburn Tigers' situation is not being discussed as much, but the program's future is worth monitoring.

Auburn had a bye week on Oct. 12, but this is not stopping some from calling for the removal of Hugh Freeze.

The Auburn head coach is one of the top names on USA Today's Patrick Conn's hot seat list heading into Week 8.

"The good news is that Auburn didn’t play this past weekend so quarterback Payton Thorne didn’t have to worry about being thrown under the bus again," Conn wrote on Oct. 13. "Now for the bad news, the Tigers are still searching for the first SEC win of the year.

"... Perhaps if you [Freeze] fell on the sword every once in a while instead of acting like a petulant child in your post-game pressers, they might be willing to play harder."

There are plenty of challenges that Auburn faces in removing Freeze, namely the coach's seven-year, $45.5 million contract that is slated to run through January 2029, per Montgomery Advertiser. Freeze's buyout tops $20 million, not great news for a program that already paid a healthy amount to remove both Bryan Harsin and Gus Malzahn.

Freeze is 8-11 during his Auburn tenure heading into the team's Oct. 19 clash against the Missouri Tigers. Chances are Freeze has a bit more time to prove himself on the Plains, but the seat could get even hotter if Auburn's season does not turn around soon.

Related: Hugh Freeze makes wild claim about his record against Nick Saban