Florida head coaching candidates weekend wrap-up

According to Las Vegas odds makers, these are the 10 most realistic active coaching candidates for the Florida head coaching job.

Here's a rundown of how they fared over the weekend.

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What went right: If you are looking for moral victories, regardless of current records, based on talent, this should have been a blowout. Syracuse losing 27-24 to fall to 4-5 on the season isn't a terrible result as far as putting yourself in position for a better job if you are Babers.

What went wrong: The Orangemen lost by three points, which calls into question Babers' decision to go for it on fourth and goal from the Florida State three-yard line right before the half. If he would have kicked the field goal, the game may have turned out differently.

Coach's quote: "If we were tied at halftime the odds are greatly going into our favor that we are going to win the game based off things we have done in the second half. We went for the touchdown. We went for the win," Babers said.

The latest: I doubt it would have had much sway with Scott Stricklin, but the Gator Nation would have loved Babers a bit more if he had beaten the hated Seminoles on Saturday.

What went right: Brohm's Purdue squad improved to 4-5 on the season by beating Illinois 29-10. The Boilermakers totaled 435-yards of offense to go with 25 first downs.

What went wrong: Brohm likely lost his starting quarterback for the season with a leg injury, which could limit his offense going forward. It was a close game for about a quarter and a half before Purdue pulled away.

Coach's quote: "Our defense really got better as the game went on," said Brohm, whose defense limited Illinois to 91 yards of total offense in the second half. "Earlier, we were not as sharp, and they were able to hit some big plays on us."

The latest: He is included in this write-up because he is included – though a long-shot – as a candidate by Vegas books. It is hard to imagine Florida hiring a little known coach out of the Midwest after just getting rid of what was a little known coach out of the Midwest when Jim McElwain was hired.

What went right: Not a whole lot unless you count No. 15 Iowa State outscoring West Virginia 13-0 in the second after falling behind 20-3 in the first half. Yes, at 6-3, ISU has some big wins, and they historically are a worse program than the teams they are losing to, but Campbell's stock stays steady this week at best, instead of rising.

What went wrong: Forget what he has done to this point in the season, he had a chance to win the hearts and minds of the Gator Nation had he been able to knock off West Virginia, led by former Florida quarterback Will Grier – a player some Florida fans still hold a grudge against. Not only did the Cyclones come up short on the scoreboard, they allowed Grier to have a field day – going 20-of-25 for 316-yards.

Coach's quote: "I give so much credit to our kids," Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. "They just kept fighting and kept playing. They gave themselves a chance to win at the end of the football game. We just came up short. A lot of those had to do with some of our inefficiencies in the first half."

The latest: Not much of an offensive showing and certainly the game didn't fit the fun description that Scott Stricklin is looking for in his next coach.

What went right: Central Florida rolled up over 600-yards of offense – including 412 through the air as the No. 18 ranked Golden Knights went on the road and defeated Southern Methodist 31-24.

What went wrong: The seven point final spread was closer then expected, and giving up 500 yards to the Mustangs wasn't great, but overall nothing happened here to diminish Frost's standing.

Coach's quote: "We found ourselves in a close game that we probably shouldn't have been in -- and I love the way our team responded," UCF coach Scott Frost said. "When you have 600-plus yards on offense, you are supposed to have more points than that."

The latest: As Frost said, it was closer then it should have been. Could the talk of his future job possibilities be causing a distraction?

What went right: Not much really as Fuente's No. 13 ranked Virginia Tech squad fell 28-10 to No. 10 Miami. The Hokies are 7-2 on the season.

What went wrong: Everything. The Hokies were never really in the game and the offense struggled against a so-so Miami defense (ranked in the 40s coming in to the game). Though Fuente is an up-and-comer among the young coaches, and still in the process of building his program, his team hasn't been competitive in their two biggest games of the year (against Miami and Clemson).

Coach's quote: "Congratulations to Miami and coach Richt," Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said. "They're good, sound and talented in all three phases of the game."

The latest: As long as they aren't upset in the last three games, they will spend the entire year ranked in the AP top 25 for the first time in six years.

What went right: Okay, so No. 11 Oklahoma State lost a 62-52 barn-burner to No. 5 Oklahoma. However, if you are looking for offense, look no further than the Cowboys, who totaled 661-yards.

What went wrong: The bad news, if you are looking for defense, don't look at the Cowboys at all. They surrendered 785 yards in falling to 7-2 on the season.

Coach's quote: "It was a heck of a college football game," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. "I just wish we had made a couple more plays later than they did."

The latest: He was brought up as a candidate the last time Florida had a head coach job opening. It seems like an even less likeihood this time around.

What went right: Though he is known as the quarterback whisperer of the SEC, Mullen's No. 16 ranked MSU squad relied on 254-yards from their ground game in order to move to 7-2 on the year.

What went wrong: UMass, which entered the game 2-6, actually led the Bulldogs 20-13 at the half before falling 34-23. The passing game, with just 134-yards, was basically non-existent. Yes he pulled out the win, but these are the type of hiccups that might hurt Mullen when more prestigious jobs come calling.

Coach's quote: "We came out and didn't perform to our standards in that first half," Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. "It happens for kids sometimes. But they buckled down for the second half."

The latest: He hasn't addressed the situation, but you know he will be one of the coaches considered – how much so remains to be seen.

What went right: Just about everything. Norvell's No. 23 ranked Memphis squad improved to 8-1 on the season with a 41-14 win over Tulsa.The Tigers balanced offense accounted for 524-yards (over 300 through the air) and 28 first downs.

What went wrong: The Golden Hurricanes rushed for almost 100-yards in the first quarter alone, and the game was closer (21-14) at the half than you might expect, but Memphis tightened up defensively after halftime and rolled to an easy victory.

Coach's quote: "Very proud of our football team," Tigers coach Mike Norvell. "We knew that was one of the keys to the game, stopping the run, and our guys did a great job in doing that. We put some pressure on our defensive backfield, they played a lot of man coverage and we were able to attack, trying to load the box and trying to make them one-dimensional."

The latest: He has been mentioned with every opening (Florida and Ole Miss) and potential opening (Tennessee and Arkansas) in the SEC.

What went right: In improving to 8-1 on the season, unranked South Florida's quarterback Quinton Flowers had 516-yards of total offense (385 passing, 131 rushing. That is the type of offensive fireworks you don't expect from a defensive minded coach.

What went wrong: The Bulls gave up 13 points in the fourth quarter to make the final score (37-20) seem closer than the game actually was.

Coach's quote: "I just don't think he gets all the credit that he deserves," Strong said. "Look at tonight; look what he did. It's kind of like it gets hidden because everyone expects that from him all the time."

The latest: He is getting more mention with the Florida job by his former Gators players on social media than he is in the actual media.

What went right: When you are beaten 38-3, as is the case here – not much went right. The only aspect of the team getting a reprieve is the rushing attack, which totaled 247-yards

What went wrong: Everything and anything. Yes, they were heavy underdogs to the No. 12 ranked Huskies, but you at least expect to look competitive. However, the Ducks fell to 5-5 on the season after passing for just 31-yards.

Coach's quote: "I think we can run the ball better if we can throw it better," Taggart said. "It's good to see that our guys are able to run the football when everyone knows we're going to run."

The latest: Lopsided losses such as this aren't exactly acceptable, but they happen at places like Western Kentucky and South Florida. It shouldn't happen at Oregon. Not with the built in advantages the Ducks have over almost everyone in the Pac12 not named Southern Cal.

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