5 CFB coaches on the hot seat as James Franklin's dismissal sparks fears of potential firing spree ft. Billy Napier

College football coaches on the hot seat have been put on notice after the unexpected firing of James Franklin by the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sunday after a dismal start to the season. Several teams have underperformed from preseason expectations, stoking the hot seat speculation for their coaches.

5 CFB coaches on the hot seat

Below, we take a look at five college football coaches on the hot seat ahead of Week 8 action.

#5. Sherrone Moore

The Michigan Wolverines, under coach Sherrone Moore, were blown out 31-13 by the USC Trojans in Week 7, dropping them to 4-2 for the season. During Monday's segment of "Pate State," CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate placed Moore firmly on the coaches on the hot seat list (1:28:40).

"I think there are some people around the Michigan program that would look at 9-3 and certainly would look at 8-4 and say 'we're making a change.' And I'm telling you that if that happens not to be too surprised by it," Pate said.

#4. Bill Belichick on the hot seat

The North Carolina Tar Heels under the beleaguered coach Bill Belichick, have a 2-3 record this season and despite having a bye week in Week 7, speculation swirled around the former NFL legend's job security in Chapel Hill.

A bombshell report released by "WRAL" reporter Pat Welter last week signaled a disjointed program and on Friday, the Tar Heels released a statement denying Belichick's impending exit.

During his weekly news conference before North Carolina's clash against the California Golden Bears, Belichick, who has dominated the coaches on the hot list discourse, once again reaffirmed his commitment to the program.

"(The statement) was just for clarification, there were some things that were reported that factually were totally inaccurate," Belichick said. "So, just wanted to make sure those things were cleared up. I mean, I'm with all these people every day, coaches, players on the field. Our guys work hard.

#3. Luke Fickell is on the hot seat

Luke Fickell is one of the coaches on the hot seat in college football after the Badgers were blown out 37-0 by the Iowa Hawkeyes in Week 7. The Badgers now have a 2-4 record with a tough schedule on the horizon.

Fickell has a 15-17 record as the coach of Wisconsin and during his postgame news conference after the loss to the Hawkeyes, he summarized his feelings at the shock result.

“I’m dumbfounded,” Fickell said.

According to USA TODAY, Luke Fickell has a buyout topping out at $27 million, thus the reluctance by Wisconsin to fire him immediately.

#2. Hugh Freeze is on the hot seat

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze has been one of the coaches on the hot seat for the past few weeks and after the Tigers dropped their third consecutive game, 20-10 to the Georgia Bulldogs at home, the pressure on him has grown significantly.

The Tigers lost to both the Bulldogs in Week 7 and the Oklahoma Sooners in controversial fashion, with officiating calls dominating those encounters. During his postgame news conference, the under-pressure Auburn coach doubled down on his team's competitiveness.

“It’s clear that we find ways to not win football games,” Freeze said. "That locker room is a good enough football team to play with anyone."

#1. Billy Napier is on the hot seat

Florida coach Billy Napier has been a consistent presence on the coaches' hot seat lists ever since the Gators dropped their first game of the season to the South Florida Bulls. Despite a shock upset of the Texas Longhorns in Week 6, the Gators dropped to 2-4 for the season after a comprehensive 34-17 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies in Week 7.

Napier now has a 21-23 record and is 0-14 away from the Swamp in games against ranked teams. During his weekly news conference, he addressed his job security.

“I don't think anything's changed," Napier said. "I think it happens every year. It's what we sign up for. They pay us. They compensate us well. So these are challenging jobs in today's climate in particular. We're all men. We’re all competitors."

The college football landscape has changed significantly since the season began and the coaches on the hot seat list also keep revolving as sides register upsets every week.

Edited by Cabral Opiyo