🧨 Top Ten Tuesday: The Wildest Offseason Headlines in College Football History

Because college football’s most jaw-dropping moments often happen when no one's even playing.

We talk a lot about game day legends and fall Saturdays — but let’s be honest, the real chaos lives in the offseason. Scandals, firings, motorcycles, burner phones — the sport’s drama machine never powers down.

Here are The Top 10 Wildest Offseason Headlines in College Football History, counted down from chaotic to completely unhinged:

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🔟 10. The Zach Smith Saga and Urban Meyer’s Suspension (2018)

Ohio State’s dynasty ran into a PR disaster when assistant coach Zach Smith was accused of domestic violence — and the school’s leadership was slow to act. Urban Meyer was suspended for three games after it was revealed he knew more than he let on, throwing the entire program into turmoil.

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9️⃣ 9. Rich Rodriguez Ghosts West Virginia (2007)

Fresh off nearly leading WVU to a national title, RichRod stunned Morgantown by accepting the Michigan job and disappearing overnight. He left playbooks and gear in his office, didn’t coach the bowl game, and left behind one of the messiest breakups in modern college football.

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8️⃣ 8. Jim Tressel’s Tattoo-Gate Resignation (2011)

It started with players trading memorabilia for tattoos. It ended with Jim Tressel losing his job at Ohio State and vacating wins. The worst part? Tressel knew it was happening and tried to cover it up. The scandal burned hot enough to force his resignation and tarnish a Buckeye dynasty.

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7️⃣ 7. Johnny Manziel’s Post-Heisman Summer (2013)

After winning the Heisman, Johnny Football lived like a rockstar. Courtside NBA appearances, Vegas weekends, autograph sessions, paparazzi photos — and, of course, NCAA investigations. The summer of Manziel blurred the lines between college athlete and celebrity.

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6️⃣ 6. Brian Kelly’s Southern Accent Debut (2021)

Brian Kelly left Notre Dame mid-season and headed to LSU, where he immediately began… speaking with a Southern accent. The man from Massachusetts went full drawl at a basketball game introduction, launching one of the most unintentionally hilarious moments in coaching history.

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5️⃣ 5. Chip Kelly’s Disappearing Act (2013)

After building Oregon into a powerhouse (and dodging NCAA heat for years), Chip Kelly peaced out to the NFL just before the hammer dropped. The Ducks were hit with violations after he left. Somehow, by 2018, he was back in college football at UCLA like nothing ever happened.

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4️⃣ 4. Urban Meyer’s Retirement… And Unretirement… And Comeback (2009–2012)

Urban Meyer quit Florida in 2009 due to health issues… then un-retired 24 hours later… then retired again a year later… then reappeared at Ohio State in 2012. It was the most dramatic will-he-or-won’t-he storyline in the sport until Aaron Rodgers got a podcast.

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3️⃣ 3. Lane Kiffin Fired on the Tarmac (2013)

After a 62–41 loss to Arizona State, Kiffin was called off the team bus and fired at the airport. He never made it back to USC’s campus. It was cold, hilarious, and somehow the most USC thing ever. Tarmac firings should have their own Hall of Fame wing.

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2️⃣ 2. Bobby Petrino’s Motorcycle Crash and Scandal (2012)

Arkansas fans first heard their coach had been in a motorcycle accident. What they didn’t hear—until the press conference—was that he had a 25-year-old staffer (and mistress) on the back. Petrino lied about it, the police report outed him, and his neck brace became internet canon.

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🥇 1. Hugh Freeze’s University-Issued Burner Phone (2017)

Already under NCAA investigation, Ole Miss’s Hugh Freeze was undone by a FOIA request. Investigators found a call to an escort service made from his university-issued phone. One call became several, and Freeze resigned amid what Ole Miss called a “pattern of personal misconduct.” College football has never been the same since.

🏆 Honorable Mentions:

• Willie Taggart’s 32-day Oregon tenure

• Art Briles and Baylor’s collapse

• Tennessee’s “McDonald’s Bags of Cash”

• Ed Orgeron’s post-championship dating tour

• Mike Price hiring disaster at Alabama (“It’s rollin’, baby!”)

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🧨 Final Thought:

It’s easy to love this sport for Saturdays, rivalries, and traditions. But the real drama? That lives in the summer — in dark press conferences, airport firings, and burner phone investigations. Long live the offseason.