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Published Nov 12, 2017
Florida head coaching candidates weekend wrap-up
Mark Wheeler  •  1standTenFlorida
Publisher

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.

MATT CAMPBELL  

What went right: The game was exciting, as the Cyclones used three different quarterbacks to throw for almost 400 years. However, that was about it as #21 Iowa State fell 49-42 to #15 Oklahoma State to fall to 6-4 on the year.

What went wrong: Two straight losses have tarnished Campbell's dream season to a degree.

Coach's quote: "It's a gut-wrenching loss. It's not easy. But college football isn't easy," Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. "It's a game of inches, and our job is to win the inch. And we came up a little bit short."

The latest: Here is another coach who Las Vegas likes as a candidate probably a bit more than what he really is.

SCOTT FROST   

What went right: It was another 500 plus yards of offense on the day as No. 18 Central Florida beat UCONN 49-24 to remain undefeated on the year.

What went wrong: Plagued by penalties and turnovers, it wasn't quite the run-a-way win that the score would indicate as the Knights had to score 21 points in the fourth quarter to get to 49 on the day.

Coach's quote: "When you look up and you didn't have best day but you have 49 points those are good problems," UCF coach Scott Frost said. "We can play a lot better but I think the guys made enough plays."

The latest: Entering the third full week since the Florida job came open, you have to still feel like Frost is in the top 1-2 spots.

JUSTIN FUENTE  

What went right: Nothing really as No. 17 Virginia Tech fell to unranked Georgia Tech 28-22.

What went wrong: The Hokies were held to under 260 yards of offense as they fell to 7-3 on the year, 3-3 in the ACC. That is two straight losses for Fuente.

Coach's quote: "We got the best match-up we could possibly get. That was as good a look as we were going to get," Fuente replied to a question about throwing two deep balls instead of trying to run for a short first down with plenty of time remaining on their final drive.

The latest: If he were interested in leaving, there's no doubt he would be someone for Scott Stricklin to take a long hard look at, but the chances were/are that he isn't leaving Virginia Tech so soon to begin with.

MIKE GUNDY   

What went right: It was another high scoring affair that - unlike last week - ended in victory. This time No. 15 Oklahoma State beat No. 21 Iowa State 49-42 while piling up over 500 yards of offense.

What went wrong: Once again, it was all on the offense to carry the day as the Cowboys either don't believe, or simply don't play defense.

Coach's quote: "We're very resilient. I knew it was going to be a difficult game," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said after last week's exhausting 62-52 loss to the rival Sooners.

The latest: He is on the list out of Las Vegas, but he doesn't seem like a legitimate candidate.

DAN MULLEN  

What went right: Mullen's #24 ranked Mississippi State squad led for most of the game before taking #2 ranked Alabama down to the final minutes before falling 31-24. The Bulldogs are now 7-3 on the season 3-3 in league play.

What went wrong: Not much. They didn't win, but they weren't expected to. Once again Mullen's team performed better than their talent level would indicate.

Coach's quote: "We are an aggressive defense," Mullen said when asked if he regretted blitzing Jalen Hurts late in the game. "We came after them. That's our style. We are not going to charge our style or get conservative."

The latest:

BYE WEEKEND

* Mike Norvell

* Charlie Strong

* Willie Taggart

OUT OF COACHING

* Chip Kelly

* Bob Stoops

TAKEN OFF THE LIST

* Jeff Brohm

* Dino Babers

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