Hot Seat Pressure Mounts for Three Major College Football Coaches

These three college football head coaches are under immense pressure as October begins.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables talks with South Carolina coach Shane Beamer after a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A year after firings comprised all three months of the regular season, no college football head coaches were fired in September of 2026.

While every coach managed to stay employed through the first month of the season, that doesn't mean hot seats are nonexistent. Many of the same head coaches who were floating around in preseason hot seat discussions loudened the discourse around their job status through the first month.

Other coaches have worked their way onto hot seats due to undesirable starts to their seasons. Coaches like Dave Doeren at NC State and Sonny Dykes at TCU saw their teams fail catastrophically against their first two Power Four opponents, opening a Pandora's Box of dialogue about their futures.

Below, we examine the three head coaches sitting atop the warmest seats at the start of October.

Lincoln Riley

Sep 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley walks off the field after the game against the Oregon Ducks at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Riley and USC came into 2026 with College Football Playoff aspirations, but those aspirations are rapidly waning. The Trojans weren't reassuring in their victories against Louisiana and Rutgers in mid-September, and a 41-27 home loss to Oregon reaffirmed Riley's inability to prevail against top-tier competition.

The Trojans can only afford to slip up once more if they want to reach the College Football Playoff, but that requires a win over either Ohio State or Indiana. Additionally, UCLA burst onto the scene in September, and a loss to the Bruins along with a missed opportunity at a College Football Playoff run could place a cherry on top of an underwhelming tenure for Riley.

Mike Norvell

Sep 26, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell before a game against the Central Arkansas Bears at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Norvell is a dead man walking amongst college football coaches. Florida State's abysmal 2024 season and collapse through the final two months of the 2025 season created a state of apathy around the program entering this season, and the university made changes in leadership above Norvell in September.

The Seminoles have neither won a game against a Power Four opponent nor have they shown signs of coming improvement. A home game against Virginia and trips to Louisville and Miami lie in the immediate future for Florida State, which likely bring about more of the same. If a mediocre Clemson team prevails in Doak Campbell Stadium on Halloween, it'll be hard to keep Norvell around longer.

Shane Beamer

Sep 26, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer reacts to a call during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A 4-8 finish in 2025 made Beamer's seat the hottest in the SEC, and that hasn't changed through two games in league play. A terrible third quarter cost South Carolina a 41-34 home loss to Mississippi State in the SEC home opener, and it was never competitive in the 49-18 rout at Alabama.

The Gamecocks host No. 24 Kentucky in what feels like a must-win game for Beamer this week. If he makes it through the Wildcats, his next hurdle is a road game against a Florida program oozing with momentum in SEC play.