Paul Finebaum Puts 3 Major College Football Coaches on Notice After Brutal Saturday

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum left little room for optimism about three of college football's most recognizable coaches after Week 5. South Carolina's Shane Beamer, Colorado's Deion Sanders and Clemson's Dabo Swinney all took damaging losses Saturday.

Appearing on The Matt Barrie Show, Finebaum said "it's impossible for me to believe that Shane Beamer is going to survive." He also declared "it's over" for Sanders in Boulder and said Swinney "needs to be looking for another destination at some point."

Shane Beamer's South Carolina hot seat

Paul Finebaum Puts 3 Major College Football Coaches on Notice After Brutal Saturday — South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer reacts after a play against the Kentucky Wildcats | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

South Carolina led Kentucky 17-0 in the second quarter and still lost 35-34 in overtime. Wildcats first-year coach Will Stein went for 2, and Kenny Minchey found Willie Rodriguez in the back of the end zone to win it. The defeat was the Gamecocks' third straight and dropped them to 2-3.

LaNorris Sellers threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 148 yards on 16 carries. But South Carolina lost two fumbles, including one by its quarterback at the Kentucky 23-yard line with 9:36 left in the fourth quarter.

Finebaum pointed to the crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium as evidence the fan base has moved on.

"You can see at the end of that game, even as great a game as it was, there were a lot of empty seats. Athletic directors keep eyes on that," Finebaum said. "There's no reason why that should not have been shoulder-to-shoulder."

He also predicted a fourth loss next week at Florida. He named athletic director Jeremiah Donati, who arrived from TCU in January 2025, as the person weighing the decision.

"So if you're Jeremiah Donati, the new athletic director, you're thinking, do I get rid of Beamer after, you know, with the bye week? Does it really matter? Is there any fan in South Carolina that still believes in Shane Beamer?" Finebaum said.

Beamer, who won four games in 2025, didn't dodge the stakes after the loss.

"We've got to win football games. I'm not dumb," Beamer said. "I mean, we're not here for moral victories, and you know that."

An article by David Cloninger of The Post and Courier suggests that no change is coming to South Carolina, and Beamer's job is safe.

"If Beamer is let go Sunday, USC owes him in excess of $24 million. Then there’s the staff and the roster turnover at the end of the year, plus a new coach … USC would be looking at around a $50 million fee, and the school simply doesn’t have it," read Cloninger's article.

ESPN's Football Power Index projects South Carolina to finish 4.6-7.4 and gives the Gamecocks a 23.7% chance to reach six wins. Earlier this week, we examined Beamer's standing alongside Lincoln Riley and Mike Norvell.

Is Deion Sanders done at Colorado?

Colorado led Texas Tech 7-3 at halftime in Boulder. Then the Red Raiders outscored the Buffaloes 26-0 after the break for a 29-7 win. Colorado threw four interceptions and ran for just 80 yards on 31 carries. One of those interceptions was a fourth-quarter pick-six that Texas Tech's John Curry caught in the end zone.

"When the last image of a program's last breath is your quarterback in his own end zone throwing a pick-six, it's over," Finebaum said. "It is going to end either gracefully or spectacularly badly for Deion."

The loss dropped Colorado to 2-3. It also dropped the Hall of Fame cornerback to 18-24 at Colorado, including 5-12 since the 9-4 breakout in 2024.

The quarterback room is another problem. Julian Lewis opened the season as the starter but never entered the game, and Isaac Wilson made his first start of the year.

"I would love for JuJu to come here and he'd tell you what happened," Sanders said. "So, 'You benched JuJu from first to third string.' No, that's not how it went down."

Finebaum suggested Sanders will manage any exit on his own terms.

"I think he will look for a strategy and make sure that he preserves his good name and finds, you know, where do I go next? What do I do?" Finebaum said.

ESPN's efficiency ratings rank Colorado's offense 94th nationally. The Football Power Index gives the Buffaloes a 14.1% chance of reaching six wins.

Dabo Swinney and Clemson after Miami

Clemson entered Saturday at 3-1 and left Memorial Stadium at 3-2 after a 41-13 loss to No. 4 Miami. The Hurricanes scored on their first offensive snap, a 61-yard pass from Darian Mensah to Cooper Barkate. The Tigers finished with 90 rushing yards on 25 carries, and freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds was sacked six times.

Clemson's two losses, to LSU and Miami, have come by a combined 69 points. ESPN's efficiency ratings rank the Clemson offense 109th nationally.

"But he's another guy that, if he wants to die on that hill, he will die on that hill. He needs to be looking for another destination at some point," Finebaum said.

ESPN host Matt Barrie pushed back on the legacy question while agreeing with the larger point.

"Two national championships. He's earned the right to die on any hill he wants," Barrie said. "But it just goes to show that in this day and age in college football, a program that's been so successful under a head coach, that if you don't adapt, how many times have we heard this cliché over the last month? If you don't adapt, you die."

Swinney sounded a different note after the game when asked whether Clemson could still contend in the ACC.

"Absolutely. Absolutely. We were 3-1 coming in, we've lost to two really good teams, but we're still progressing," Swinney said.

What's next for Beamer, Sanders and Swinney?

South Carolina visits Florida next. Finebaum floated a decision on Beamer coming around the Gamecocks' bye week.

Colorado plays again next week without a settled answer at quarterback.

Clemson has a bye before hosting Charleston Southern on Oct. 17. The Football Power Index still projects the Tigers to finish 6.9-5.1 with an 86.4% chance at six wins, the strongest outlook of the three programs.

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