The coaching wheel of death started spinning with Mike Locksley, and Maryland’s prodigious losing streak against Power Four competition made him an obvious first passenger.
By Sunday, Oct. 25, the wheel had spun twice more. Baylor fired Dave Aranda. NC State dumped Dave Doeren. And just like that, three of the four Power Four conferences have openings.
The lone holdout? The SEC, where Shane Beamer’s South Carolina resurgence has quieted what once looked like the league’s most obvious hot seat.
Elsewhere, though, the losing hasn’t stopped. Neither has the discomfort.
From Atlanta to Boulder, Colorado, to Piscataway,
New Jersey, there are coaches who might want to avoid sitting down for a while.
It’s time for another USA TODAY Sports Heat Check: Backside discomfort.
Greg Schiano, Rutgers
We said it last week about Maryland and Mike Locksley, and it applies here, too: Rutgers received an additional $5 million earmarked by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill for support roles designed to bolster NIL efforts.
The return on that investment hasn’t exactly shown up in the standings.
Since midway through the 2024 season, Greg Schiano’s Scarlet Knights are 6-17 against Power Four opponents. Two of those six wins came against Locksley’s Maryland teams.
Then came the latest indignity: a noncompetitive blowout loss to Northwestern.
There is, however, one very expensive reason for Rutgers to tolerate the discomfort. Firing Schiano as of Oct. 25 would cost the school a whopping $19.102 million buyout.
Deion Sanders, Colorado
Not breaking news, but still worth repeating: The final 20 games of Karl Dorrell’s Colorado tenure and the past 20 under Sanders look remarkably similar. Both produced 5-10 records with an equal number of blowout losses.
Colorado’s latest cowpie came courtesy of the Cowpokes. Oklahoma State turned a 24-20 Buffaloes lead just before halftime into a 57-24 demolition.
Welcome to Boulder, Fernando Lovo.
Colorado’s new athletic director inherited the expensive boondoggle Rick George left behind. Deion Sanders is making $10 million this year, with another $34 million in salary earmarked over the next three seasons.
Colorado isn’t exactly flush with cash. But at some point, the question becomes unavoidable: How much money can you afford to keep flushing?
Mike Norvell, Florida State
Is Florida State really going to shrug off this mess because the Seminoles managed to lose a close game to now-No. 1 Miami?
Here’s the uglier number: From Dec. 3, 2023 through Oct. 25, 2026, Florida State has won just five games against Power Four opponents. That’s five wins in 1,057 days.
Then there’s the $48 million problem.
That’s what FSU would owe Norvell if it fired him without cause, a massive bill for an athletic department without a permanent leader and already dealing with well-documented financial issues. Norvell also has another potential lifeline: the ACC is easily the weakest Power Four conference in college football this season.
So, yes, even at 3-4, Norvell could meander through this wasteland and stumble into bowl eligibility. Keep him another calendar year, and FSU’s buyout bill drops to roughly $36.5 million.
But patience has consequences, too.
As one person with knowledge of the situation in Tallahassee told USA TODAY Sports this week: "The FSU president (Richard McCullough) and board of trustees now are starting to get heat about the football program, and they don’t like that — nor are they used to getting heat in those positions."
Scotty Walden, UTEP
Walden brought energy into UTEP when he arrived from FCS program Austin Peay, and he got strong community involvement.
Those outside investments have not seen any significant ROI; UTEP is tepid, Walden is 7-27 and FBS newcomer North Dakota State, already bowl eligible in its first year at the level, comes calling next. That’s disaster for Walden.
Phil Longo, Sam Houston State
The former fabled offensive coordinator who didn’t mesh with Luke Fickell at Wisconsin but landed the Sam Houston State head job simply hasn’t had success translate to the top chair.
The Bearkats are a meager 3-16 in that span, with no wins this season against FBS foes. Given the rise of in-state FCS program Tarleton State, which has made no secret it would like to climb up to the FBS level if it can find the right fit, just a couple hundred miles away, pressure is elevating on Longo. He’s owed approximately $2.2 million through the end of his current pact, less mitigation.
WARMING WATCH
Less than 11 months ago, Georgia Tech extended Brent Key amid some mild outside interest from Florida and Penn State. At the time, there was plenty to like.
The Yellow Jackets opened 2025 with eight straight wins and climbed into the top 10 nationally.
Since then? Nine losses in 12 games. Five by double digits.
And with his former offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner now at Florida, Georgia Tech suddenly looks like a program traveling in the wrong direction.
Speaking of uncomfortable trajectories, hello, Dabo Swinney.
Clemson infamously opened last season ranked in the top five. In the 21 games since, the Tigers have slogged to a putrid 11-10 record. Swinney has changed offensive coordinators and shuffled his staff, but eventually there’s only one change that matters: the results.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football coaching carousel picks up speed. Who is next to be fired?
