It took about 378 days to present itself, but Shane Beamer’s South Carolina Gamecocks – his perpetually good-practicing outfit – finally turned all those training sessions into Saturday success.
In historical fashion.South Carolina’s 38-19 woodshed-win on host and then-No. 15 Florida marked the Gamecocks’ largest-ever win away from home against a ranked foe.
Now, one win in 10 SEC games is not why the South Carolina admin pays Beamer some $8 million annually, a number more than $12 million annually when including the Gamecocks’ assistants.
But with Josh Heupel nearly lighting aflame his Rocky Top rocker with Tennessee’s tepid work at Arkansas, South Carolina’s path – as Matt Hayes chronicled last week – suddenly might afford enough wins for a Beamer-take-all
2027 season.
Maybe.
But the same seems unlikely for several coaches toiling amidst too many losses and too much uncertainty – even in an autumn when the general consensus is folks just want to scrape by, see where the Protect College Sports Act’s fate resides and reassess based on more financial clarity.
Here’s USA TODAY Sports’ Heat Check: Backside discomfort.
1. Mike Locksley, Maryland
It would possible, understandable even, to just copy and paste anything posted into this space this season as it pertains to hot-seat status. Mike Locksley was narrowly spared a pink slip after the 2025 season, in large part because, as multiple individuals explained, the robust movement of that carousel let Terps officials know they would be well down the pecking order for a Locksley replacement. The school remained committed to Locksley and funding the Maryland football program.
Here’s their return on investment: A dozen consecutive losses against Power-Four Conference foes since Maryland’s mostly hollow 4-0 start to last season; this year’s current four-game skid has seen the Terps outscored by 114 points.
2. Greg Schiano, Rutgers
Consider this weekend’s matchup the ‘Backside Bowl.’ The Schiano Reboot is done; the question is when. The Scarlet Knights have lost six consecutive games to FBS foes. In fact, guess when Rutgers notched its last win against a fellow resident of college football’s top division? Yep, Nov. 8, 2025, at home against Locksley’s Terps.
Rutgers already has had its bye-week in this season and faces ranked Northwestern following this week’s trip to College Park, with defensively stout and offensively offensive Michigan awaiting Halloween weekend.
3. Mike Norvell, Florida State
Much like Beamer’s Gamecocks, Norvell’s Seminoles have been a largely brilliant first-quarter team. See what FSU did early-season at Alabama.
The problem, which has been Norvell’s problem, really, since the onset of the 2024 season? Games require all four quarters and beyond a middling, if not muddling, output at quarterback. Ashton Daniels had modest numbers of 209 passing yards, more than 40 rushing yards and accounted for FSU’s three touchdowns in Friday’s loss at Louisville. He also tossed a debilitating pick and absorbed four sacks.
This year alone, FSU has led Alabama and Louisville by a combined 35-3 in the first halves of those games – only to lose by yielding a combined 94 points.
FSU’s financial difficulties are noted, and the school currently has no athletics director. There’s a path for Norvell to earn at least another season, but it requires more than 15-minute wins.
4. Dave Doeren, North Carolina State
Since 2024, the Wolfpack are 9-12 against Power Four opponents. The program has stalled out. This season alone, NC State invented a way to lose at Vanderbilt – seriously, Google it – and then turned a 14-7 lead at home on Saturday, against Wake Forest into a 38-14 loss. The Demon Deacons toyed with the Pack in the second half, outscoring their hosts 28-0 in the final two frames and reinforcing the fact that NC State all too often loses in non-competitive fashion. Nine of those dozen aforementioned losses have been by 10 or more points; Clemson, Wake Forest, Virginia are all among them, not to mention neighboring rival Duke.
5. Tim Albin, Charlotte
When the 49ers plucked Albin away from Ohio late in 2024, as Albin was guiding the Bobcats into a Mid-American Conference title-game berth, it was viewed in football circles as a smart, football-savvy move for Charlotte.
In the kindest possible terms, it has been an unmitigated disaster. Albin is 1-17 since taking over the Queen City’s college football program.
Now, that all can’t fall on Albin – a football lifer who had won 58 games in seven seasons before arriving at Charlotte. The 49ers have a beautiful stadium, solid facilities and, like so many fringe FBS programs, not remotely enough money.
But an 0-6 start to 2026 on the heels of last year’s 1-11 campaign. Only under contract through the end of the 2029 season, Albin would be owed slightly more than $1.5 million, less mitigation, if Albin was fired after the team's final game.
College football hot seat warming watch
Mike Elko, Texas A&M: Laughable, right? Let’s remember Texas A&M is the outfit who paid Jimbo Fisher some $75 million – to exit College Station and stop coaching. LSU has been doling out payments of the $54 million it owes Brian Kelly, all for Lane Kiffin to lose at Ole Miss and, most recently, in overtime at Kentucky.
People close to Elko encouraged him to conduct an exhaustive search for offensive coordinator to replace Collin Klein when Klein got the Kansas State job. Instead, Elko promoted Holmon Wiggins – never a sole play-caller and most known for his excellent work tutoring wide receivers.
The Aggies have lost five of their last seven Power Four games and struggled immensely on offense in the process. Marcel Reed has regressed rather than ascended into the Heisman candidate conversation the Aggies so desperately wanted for him coming into 2026.
Texas A&M’s season is over by all measures; it has no CFP path. With road trips to Alabama, South Carolina and Oklahoma plus home tilts against Tennessee and Texas remaining, it also has more losses to come. Suddenly, 2027 is looking like the deep end of Elko’s cesspool.
Still monitoring: Deion Sanders, because an open date does not end a losing streak, and P-4 coordinators – such as Wiggins, as well as other notable programs such as Oregon and Tennessee.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football's hottest coaching seats after Week 6 see Shane Beamer cool
