College Football’s Problem: Penn State Acted Quickly To Avoid Fan Apathy. Florida And Auburn Are Risking It
James Franklin is out of a job — and his firing is a warning to every program clinging to “close enough." In college football. Like Billy Napier and Hugh Freeze
Three weeks ago, James Franklin was preparing his team for a top-10 showdown against Oregon. On Sunday, the Nittany Lions decided Franklin wasn’t the right coach to lead them into the future.
That's how fast things can change in college athletics. A preseason favorite for the CFP is fired just two weeks into October, which should send a clear message that schools can no longer afford to wait around in hopes of righting the ship.
In this era, coaches are no longer afforded the opportunity of mediocre seasons, unless an athletic department isn’t worried about the dreaded ‘apathy’ setting in across a fan base.
Here is a list of schools that realized the dire situation, before Halloween arrived.
- Arkansas
- Oregon State
- Oklahoma State
- Penn State
- Stanford
- Virginia Tech
- UAB
- UCLA
Now, James Franklin will be the catalyst of further movement among bigger college football programs that will set the tone for how programs are moving forward in this new era of revenue-sharing and massive television deals.
Oh, and it most certainly helped that the Big Ten is dangling the private equity carrot in front of conference commissioners.
One of the biggest gambles for schools that are not achieving success right now is the thought of fans starting to check out. Kentucky's current situation is a great example, and the same could be said for Florida and Auburn.
And please, don't act like coaching buyouts are preventing schools from making a move, unless you are like Kentucky, who screwed itself with a clause in Mark Stoop's contract that calls for him to receive his full buyout within sixty days of his firing.
That was a $38 million mistake by AD Mitch Barnhart, and the trustees who signed off on the ludicrous clause.
A Coach Is Too Expensive To Fire? Mark Stoops’ $38 Million Buyout Has Kentucky Stuck
On Sunday, three schools decided that ‘close’ was not good enough, and I can't say I blame them. UAB, Oregon State and Penn State thought it was in the best interest of their schools to move on and find new leadership.
But the bigger question is how long do others wait to follow suit?
Schools Like Florida And Auburn Can't Wait For Apathy
If an athletic director is mulling a decision to fire the sitting head coach, that means there is already enough evidence on the table to make the move. Sure, finances play a major factor in these decisions, but losing fans is a massive risk that they should not take if presented a way out.
Take Florida, for instance. Billy Napier is 2-4 on the season. While the Gators entered 2025 with hopes of participating in the college football playoff, behind quarterback DJ Lagway and a defense that could cause enough problems for opposing teams.
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - OCTOBER 11: Head coach Billy Napier of Florida Gators taps on the helmets of Hayden Hansen #89 and Amir Jackson #7 before a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on October 11, 2025 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Scott Wachter/Getty Images)
After the loss to Texas A&M on Saturday night, a game which was winnable, the Gators administration is going to have a very hard time selling the future to a group of fans who have patiently waited for the football team to put it all together.
How many times do you think Florida fans want to hear these postgame words from Billy Napier about the future?
"We were right there. We had our opportunities,'' Napier said. "We just have to make plays. We've got to stay the course, and we're going to have opportunities to play better moving forward."
You can only get away with this type of talk for so long, and it's officially reached the level of overused nonsense. Are fans honestly supposed to get excited about a game against Mississippi State on Saturday? I know the Bulldogs will be.
Sure, the last home game ended with a win over Texas, but when you followed it up with another dud on the road, your ‘good grace’ was thrown out the window as the team bus headed for their ride home at the College Station airport.
Hugh Freeze Experiment Has Tested Fans' Patience
Oh, it's not just Florida going through this crisis, or even a school like Wisconsin.
The same can be said for Auburn fans, who once again had to sit through another letdown performance from this supposed high-octane offense from head coach Hugh Freeze.
Trust me, I understand the frustration of the SEC officiating crew for a bevy of awkward calls on Saturday night against Georgia. But when the offense could only manage 45 yards in the second half against a mediocre Kirby Smart defense compared to years past, you're now trekking down a very slippery slope.
One Auburn BOT member told OutKick before the season started that Hugh Freeze needed to win eight games this season to keep his job. The resources were provided over the past two seasons for Freeze to put together a roster that could compete in the SEC, but the return on investment has been nonexistent.
What is Hugh Freeze going to do over the next few months leading up to the transfer portal opening? He would be going to those same boosters asking for additional funds to help build another portal roster. Nope, that's not going to happen when they aren’t seeing results from money already spent.
Schools Will Beg, But Keep Producing Mediocre Product
As for the fans, they will be emailed, called, texted and begged for more donations to the NIL fund that was supposed to already have them in contention for a CFP spot. At this point, it's a wasted outreach, and that should in no way be blamed on the fans who are asking for change.
Right now, with money pouring in from television deals and apparel contracts, along with sponsorship sold to anyone willing to slap a logo on the stadium or jerseys, asking fans to put up with this mediocre product is a kick to the crotch.
Remember that word Apathy? Yea, continue having fans show up and spend thousands of dollars for a weekend of football, only to leave town with a sour taste in their mouths.
That's how you start seeing apathy form, which is a disease the athletic departments will have a hard time beating if decisions aren't made.
Just like Texas A&M did a few years ago in firing Jimbo Fisher and funding his massive buyout, Penn State made the decision that ‘close’ was not going to cut it.
I think we can all form an honest opinion about what is taking place in cities like Gainesville and Auburn. When James Franklin was fired, it gave other schools the cover needed to make the same decisions about the outlook of their football programs.
But sure, keep waiting around for things to either turn around or the ‘right time’ to make a move. Those folks sitting in the ticket or NIL office, cold calling on a Thursday afternoon, are going to start hearing a lot more people hanging up on them when they try to make their pitch regarding the future.
Good luck.