Thanksgiving is usually "hot stove" time for discussions about college football coaching jobs in flux, but we're not even to Halloween yet this year and eight FBS head coaching positions — many of them at power conference schools — are already up for grabs for a variety of reasons.

Let's take a look at the open slots in a game of musical chairs that became a much bigger local story Wednesday with the retirement of Gophers coach Jerry Kill because of health concerns.

• Gophers: This is now one of three Big Ten schools that will be seeking a permanent head coach at the end of the season, though quite possibly the one at which the interim coach (Tracy Claeys) has the best chance of getting the job. If the U administration feels as if the path charted by Kill can be continued by Claeys and his other assistants, he would be a compelling choice. The mitigating circumstance is that Minnesota also is seeking a permanent athletic director and that person could have other ideas.

• Illinois: This was a dumpster fire even before Tim Beckman was let go before the season began over allegations of player mistreatment. The Illini were 12-25 in Beckman's three seasons. A 4-1 start, including a win over Nebraska, put interim coach Bill Cubit in the mix for the permanent role. But a regime change seems more likely.

• Maryland: Randy Edsall, 22-33 with the Terrapins, was fired three weeks ago. Even though Maryland is a relative newcomer to the Big Ten, this could be the most attractive of the three open jobs in the conference.

• Miami (Fla.): A 58-0 trouncing by Clemson last weekend sealed Al Golden's fate. Since then, there has been no shortage of permanent candidates discussed — including former Hurricanes head coach Butch Davis for another go-round and current Alabama assistant Mario Cristobal, an ex-Miami player.

• Southern Cal: A tumultuous offseason followed Steve Sarkisian into the regular season, when he was fired earlier this month for multiple reported incidents allegedly related to alcohol. The Pete Carroll juggernaut of the 2000s seems like a long time ago, but this remains a premier destination. Pretty much every school with an opening will get in line behind USC.

• South Carolina: Steve Spurrier caught the college football world by surprise when news broke a few weeks back that he was retiring from his job at South Carolina, effective immediately. Longtime assistant Shawn Elliott took over as interim coach and could have a shot at the job long-term, though this is another very attractive destination.

• Central Florida: George O'Leary had this program in the Fiesta Bowl two seasons ago. This year, his squad was 0-8 when he resigned this past weekend.

• North Texas: Losing 66-7 to an FCS school is a tough thing to come back from. It was the final straw three weeks ago when North Texas fell by that score to Portland State. Coach Dan McCarney was fired immediately.

Michael Rand