While mid-season coaching changes are often an act of desperation, several notable college football programs have successfully turned their seasons around by switching offensive coordinators or play-callers midway through the year.

1. Boise State Broncos (2022)

• The Change: Following a historic and sluggish 27-10 upset loss to UTEP in Week 4, Boise State fired offensive coordinator Tim Plough. Head coach Andy Avalos elevated former NFL and college head coach Dirk Koetter from analyst to interim offensive coordinator.

• The Improvement: The transformation was immediate. Koetter completely restructured the offensive approach, leaning heavily into a power-running identity and starting dynamic freshman quarterback Taylen Green. Prior to the change, the Broncos ranked 106th in the country in rushing (120.2 yards per game). Under Koetter, that metric jumped significantly as the team vaulted 40 spots in the national rankings. Boise State rattled off wins in seven of their next eight games, went undefeated in regular-season Mountain West play (8-0), and capped the turnaround with a 35-32 victory over North Texas in the Frisco Bowl.

2. Wisconsin Badgers (2012)

• The Change: Just two games into the 2012 season—and following a highly scrutinized, uncharacteristic performance against Oregon State where the offense generated only 7 points—head coach Bret Bielema fired offensive line coach and co-offensive planner Mike Markuson.

• The Improvement: The decision directly impacted the team's identity. Matt Canada took full control of the play-calling parameters and simplified the blocking assignments. The offensive line play dramatically improved overnight. The rushing attack—featuring a historic backfield of Montee Ball, James White, and Melvin Gordon—unlocked its full potential. The mid-season course correction allowed Wisconsin to secure a spot in the Big Ten Championship game, where they completely dominated Nebraska 70-31 to secure a Rose Bowl berth.

3. California Golden Bears (2026)

• The Change: Stagnating heavily with an offense averaging just 18.3 points against FBS opponents, Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi executed a sudden mid-game change at halftime during their matchup against UNLV. Lupoi stripped offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville of play-calling duties and promoted passing game coordinator Pat McCann into the live role.

• The Improvement: While the change occurred in a tight loss to the Rebels, the strategic adjustment quickly allowed quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and the rest of the unit to work out of a more balanced scheme, sparking immediate improvements in drive efficiency and playbook variance during the subsequent weeks of the season.

Bravo! While I feel that the Ducks just don't have the internal options at their disposal to pull off a mid season change, I think the research put into this post was outstanding!

This is excellent. Someone get this in front of DL pronto..(I wish).

It is interest to see that the OC can resolve some OL issues.

Obviously some of the improved outcomes is the element of surprise that the other team couldn't game plan for the changes, but still.