College Football Hot Seat Index: Locksley, Schiano Face High-Stakes Week 7 Showdown

Maryland and Rutgers meet Saturday with both coaches under pressure, while Florida State’s Mike Norvell carries a $51 million buyout into the Miami game.

Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley (left) talks with Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano before the game at SHI Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Maryland head coach Mike Locksley tops the college football coaching hot seat after Week 6, while South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer earned a reprieve with the Gamecocks’ first win in Gainesville since 2014.

The Terps fell 45-16 at Ohio State and have allowed 54, 48 and 45 points in three Big Ten games. Florida State blew a 14-0 lead in a 44-20 loss at Louisville, and Wake Forest’s 31 unanswered points added NC State head coach Dave Doeren to the list.

Mike Locksley, Maryland Terrapins

Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley reacts in the first half of their game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Maryland sophomore quarterback Malik Washington finished 12 of 25 for 64 yards in Saturday’s loss at No. 5 Ohio State, and the Terps went 3 for 12 on third down. Ohio State scored four touchdowns on plays of 25 yards or longer.

The loss dropped Maryland to 2-4 and 0-3 in the Big Ten, its 11th straight defeat against conference opponents. Locksley tried a fake punt, a 2-point conversion and an onside kick to swing the game, but none of those calls worked.

Reporting last week indicated Maryland was expected to keep the D.C. native through the Ohio State game and pointed to Rutgers as the game to watch. The Scarlet Knights visit College Park on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET on BTN, and Locksley would be owed roughly $10 million if he’s fired before January.

Mike Norvell, Florida State Seminoles

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell before a game against the Central Arkansas Bears | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell passed on a short field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line while leading 14-0 at Louisville on Friday, and the Seminoles scored six points the rest of the night. Florida State is now 3-3 and 10-20 since the start of 2024, including 4-15 against ACC opponents and 0-11 in true road games.

Still, college football insider Pete Nakos reported Sunday that a midseason change appears unlikely and that sources had discussed better roster funding for Norvell in 2027. “Decisionmakers had wanted to give Norvell the runway to finish 7-5 or better for a return in 2027,” Nakos wrote.

That roster-first thinking matches Rece Davis’ prediction that schools will move money away from buyouts. “The wiser play financially ... is to commit that level of money to your roster,” the ESPN College GameDay host said.

Florida State would owe the seventh-year coach $51 million if he’s fired before Dec. 31. The Seminoles visit Miami on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Greg Schiano, Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano reacts during the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano entered the open date at 1-4 and 0-2 in the Big Ten after Indiana piled up 593 yards in a 47-15 win at SHI Stadium on Oct. 3. “So we’ve got a bye week and we need to examine some things and make some tough decisions,” Schiano said after that game.

The Scarlet Knights’ only win came against Howard, and their losses include a 37-21 home defeat to UMass in the opener. Rutgers has allowed 8.1 yards per play in Big Ten games despite rebuilding the defense with a new staff and more than 10 transfers.

Rutgers and Maryland are both winless against Power Four opponents, so Saturday’s trip to College Park carries more weight for the 60-year-old coach than the losses to USC and Indiana did. A loss to a Maryland team on an 11-game Big Ten skid would be harder to defend than any of Rutgers’ previous defeats.

Dave Doeren, NC State Wolfpack

Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren before the game against the Virginia Cavaliers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NC State led Wake Forest 14-10 at halftime Saturday in Raleigh, then gave up 28 second-half points in a 38-14 loss. The Wolfpack ran for 15 yards and managed six first downs after the break, while Wake Forest gained 265 yards.

“They outplayed us in the second half,” Doeren said. “A lot of times they’re running the same plays, and we’re not defending them with discipline.”

The loss dropped NC State to 3-3 and 1-2 in the ACC, and it follows a last-second loss to Vanderbilt in Week 3. Wake Forest is 5-1 in Jake Dickert’s second season, a contrast that adds in-state pressure on the 14th-year coach.

NC State has a bye before visiting Stanford on Friday, Oct. 23.

Shane Beamer, South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer looks on before a game against the Florida Gators | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Beamer headlined last week’s hot seat index after a blown 17-0 lead against Kentucky. Saturday’s 38-19 win at No. 16 Florida ended an eight-game SEC losing streak and was South Carolina’s first win in Gainesville since 2014.

Quarterback LaNorris Sellers completed 23 of 35 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score. The Gamecocks gained 393 yards without a turnover, and Florida turned it over three times in its second-most lopsided loss in the series.

South Carolina improved to 3-3 and 1-3 in conference play. The 49-year-old coach is now 36-33 overall and 17-27 in SEC games, and his buyout sits at $28 million.

The Gamecocks are off this week before hosting Tennessee on Oct. 24.

Deion Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders walks the sidelines in the second quarter against the Texas Tech Red Raiders | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders spent the bye at 2-3 and 0-2 in the Big 12 after a three-game skid in which the Buffaloes were outscored 93-27. Sanders is 18-24 in four seasons in Boulder.

Julian Lewis, Isaac Wilson and Kaneal Sweetwyne are competing for the start against Utah on Saturday. Lewis was benched at halftime against Baylor in Week 4, and Wilson threw three interceptions in his first start against Texas Tech.

“That’s the position that’s somewhat disabling us and disarming us,” Sanders said after the Texas Tech loss. Coach Prime’s pressure hasn’t changed during the open date, and the Utah game is the first test of whether two weeks of practice produced a starter.

Hot seat monitor after Week 6

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko walks onto the field prior to the game against the Kentucky Wildcats | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mike Elko, Texas A&M: The Aggies fell to 3-3 with a 27-6 loss at Missouri, and Elko’s postgame shot at the TexAgs message board drew as much attention as the score. “Billy’s cesspool can go be Billy’s cesspool,” Elko said. A&M has lost five of its last seven games against FBS opponents since an 11-0 start in 2025.

Lance Leipold, Kansas: Kansas trailed No. 12 Utah 27-24 entering the fourth quarter before the Utes scored the final 14 points of a 41-24 win. The Jayhawks are 2-3 and 0-2 in the Big 12 and visit Kansas State on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET on FS1.

Sonny Dykes, TCU: TCU spent its bye at 2-3 and 0-2 in Big 12 play after scoring 23 combined points in losses at UCF and against BYU. The Horned Frogs visit Baylor on Saturday.

Tim Albin, Charlotte: Charlotte fell to 0-6 with a 50-10 loss at North Texas and has one win since Albin arrived before the 2025 season. This year’s losses include The Citadel, an FCS program, in Week 1.

Cooling off

• Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney leaves the main list after national college football reporter Pete Thamel wrote, “Clemson is not firing Swinney. Let’s start there.” Thamel cited Swinney’s success and $57 million buyout.
• USC head coach Lincoln Riley also cooled after a 31-23 win at Penn State improved the Trojans to 6-1.