October may be known for ghosts and ghouls, but lately it’s belonged to something even scarier: college football. While others fear spiders and witches, college football coaches face a far scarier threat: their jobs. Just like too much candy can give you a stomachache, too many losses can end a coaching career. The grim reaper of college football has claimed several victims this season, but he’s also spared others. Here are four coaches who have experienced a mix of tricks and treats throughout their college careers, from sweet triumphs to chilling setbacks.
James Franklin and the Hauntings of Big Games Past
Penn State has been a perpetual contender under head coach James Franklin, but this season, the Nittany Lions seem to have run out of magic. Franklin was fired on Oct. 12, halfway through his 12th season after a disappointing 3-3 record. The year began with high expectations and hopes. Penn State was the number two-ranked team in the 2025 AP preseason poll, led by Franklin, a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and senior quarterback Drew Allar. Many believed Franklin could finally end his big game struggles, and this could be Penn State’s year. The season soon took a scary turn. A promising 3-0 start, the team unexpectedly fell to 3-3 with losses to No. 6 Oregon, unranked UCLA and Northwestern. The Week 6 22-21 loss to the latter was when everything fell apart. Allar suffered a season-ending injury late in that game, and the team’s three-game spiral caused Franklin to be let go the very next day. He brought one Big Ten championship in 2016 and guided Penn State to seven New Year’s Six bowl games, winning four. But, he was ultimately haunted by a somber 4-21 record against AP top-10 teams and the glaring absence of a national championship.
Billy Napier is Bobbing for Wins
After a promising 7-5 season last year, the Florida Gators seemed like a possible threat with Billy Napier entering his fourth year as head coach. A two-time Sun Belt Coach of the Year during his time at Louisiana, Napier had surprised fans by helping the Gators be one of six unranked schools in 2024 to secure multiple wins against AP top-25 teams. However, 2025 brought a nasty curse and a different story. Florida stumbled out of the gate, dropping three games to unranked South Florida and powerhouses LSU and Miami. This less-than-ideal start to the year isn’t all that surprising if you look at Napier, who has had a long struggle with momentum. He is an unsettling 0-14 in away games against ranked opponents, and he has never reached a win streak of more than four. These patterns caught up to him and put his job in jeopardy. A day after a 23-21 win over Mississippi State, nudging Florida to 3-4 on the season, the Gators fired Napier on Oct. 19. His season was like bobbing for wins instead of apples, and eventually it wasn’t enough to avoid the tricks of the brutal SEC.
Bill Belichick: The NFL Vampire
When Bill Belichick took over North Carolina in December of 2024, Tar Heel fans hoped the accomplished coach could help the frustrated football program. After 29 seasons and six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, Belichick brought an astounding resume of 333 total wins, the second-most in NFL history, but collegiate football was an uncharted and dangerous path he had never gone before. During the offseason, Belichick brought in over 70 new players through combined transfers and freshmen. All these new additions, however, created problems during his first campaign. A divided locker room formed between veteran players and the newcomers. This tension soon led to poor performances on the field early in the season. The Tar Heels were handed a brutal 48-14 loss by TCU in Belichick’s debut. He soon rebounded, but with wins against lesser opponents in Charlotte and Richmond. The losses continued again with lopsided games against UCF, Clemson and California. Belichick hasn’t been fired yet, but his seat is hotter than a flickering candle in a jack-o-lantern after his shaky start. Only time will tell if the oldest active vampire, I mean coach, survives the frights of his first college coaching job.
Curt Cignetti Finally Broke the Curse
While others seem to be haunted by ghosts of seasons past or chasing wins in the dark, Indiana seems to have found its lucky charm in Curt Cignetti. In his first year as Hoosiers head coach in 2024, Cignetti led the Hoosiers to one of their best seasons in school history, winning a record-setting 11 games and the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance. He earned both Big Ten and Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year honors as well. Cignetti’s experience and success aren’t new. He won Sun Belt Coach of the Year during his time at James Madison University, and this season, Indiana is off to another fantastic start, staying undefeated through seven games with impressive wins against No. 9 Illinois, 63-10 and No. 3 Oregon, 30-20. After the door was closed on Penn State coach Franklin, some believed Cignetti might try to seek greater opportunities and take his position. Indiana knew they had their man, though, and acted fast, signing him to an eight-year, $11.6 million contract extension on Oct. 16. Cignetti’s got the recipe for the Hoosiers’ success; here’s hoping their fortune lasts well past Halloween night.
From firings to fortune, this Halloween reminds us that in college football, every coach faces their own monster. For some, the reaper knocks; for others, the treats just keep coming.
