Six college football programs under the most pressure in Week 4

Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) scrambles against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

So ... things didn't go very well for the teams on this list last week -- five of the six lost and two fired their head coaches.

So take heed of the warning here!

These are the six college football programs under the most pressure entering Week 4.

1. Clemson Tigers

The Tigers are 1-2 and unranked after losing to Georgia Tech last week, and head coach Dabo Swinney is sniping back at fans who are understandably frustrated after Clemson opened the season ranked No. 4.

Can’t stop watching Dabo Swinney crashing out

pic.twitter.com/beCp6Vgcwg

— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) September 16, 2025

Pressure is mounting in Clemson for the Tigers to start looking like the Tigers everyone expected, with a veteran returning quarterback in Cade Klubnik and one of the most talented wide receiver corps in the country.

Clemson hosts a 2-1 Syracuse team on Saturday that is plenty capable of filling up the scoreboard. The Tigers are a 17-point favorite despite losses to LSU, Georgia Tech and an uninspiring 27-16 win over Troy in which they were losing 16-0 late in the first half.

Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) passes against the Florida Gators during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

2. Florida Gators

Florida is going to remain a weekly fixture on this list until it wins a game or moves on from embattled coach Billy Napier.

The 1-2 Gators went from No. 13 in the AP poll to unranked after losses to South Florida and LSU, and with one of the toughest schedules in the country, there's no telling when they might win again as they visit No. 4 Miami on Saturday.

While the 20-10 loss to No. 3 LSU on the road isn't damning in its own right, it certainly was ugly as quarterback DJ Lagway tossed five interceptions and running backs coach Jabbar Juluke was suspended three games for a pregame altercation.

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders looks on from the sideline during the first half against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

3. Colorado Buffaloes

The questions were already hovering before the season about what Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffs would look like without QB Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy-winning two-way stud Travis Hunter.

Well, the Buffs are 1-2 with losses to TCU and a humbling 36-20 loss to a Houston team that was projected to finish in the bottom half of the Big 12. Colorado's only win so far is against Delaware, and somehow it took all of three weeks for the Buffs to bench starting quarterback Kaidon Salter and bypass five-star freshman QB Julian Lewis to start expected third-stringer Ryan Staub last week.

ESPN reports that Salter is expected to start this week, but clearly the Buffs are a team in chaos -- as many thought they might be this fall.

Colorado hosts 2-1 Wyoming on Saturday night, and another loss for the Buffs would only amplify the questions around the program.

Texas football player, Arch Manning, stands on the field during warm up before a game against UTEP at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. | Gaby Velasquez / El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

4. Texas Longhorns

Pressure comes in different forms. Texas remains ranked No. 8 in the AP poll and has all of its goals ahead of it and a coach with firm job security.

But after another dud of a performance last week from expected star quarterback Arch Manning, the questions are mounting momentously. If Manning isn't going to be what he was expected to be -- a Heisman-caliber QB -- or worse, if he isn't even going to be competent, then the Longhorns have a tough road ahead.

Manning was just 11-of-25 passing for 114 yards, one touchdown and one interception (plus two rushing TDs) in a 27-10 win over UTEP last week.

Texas should win easily Saturday, regardless, as it hosts a bad 0-3 Sam Houston team that has been blown out by Western Kentucky, UNLV and Hawaii already. The Longhorns are 39.5-point favorites. The pressure isn't to win Saturday -- it's to assuage the escalating fears that Manning is a five-star bust.

SMU Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee reacts to a call during the second half against the Baylor Bears at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

5. SMU Mustangs

SMU went 11-3 and reached the College Football Playoff last season and then opened this season ranked No. 16 in the AP poll.

The Mustangs (2-1) lost their only Power Four matchup so far, 48-45 to Baylor in double-overtime, and are presently unranked heading into an absolutely pivotal clash on the road at 2-0 TCU on Saturday.

This is either a game that resets SMU's course for the season or one that firmly puts matching its 2024 feats out of reach.

South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer directs his team against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

6. South Carolina Gamecocks

It's not losing last week to Vanderbilt that has South Carolina on this list -- it's how the Gamecocks lost while getting run over in a 31-7 defeat.

That dropped the Gamecocks (2-1) all the way from No. 11 in the rankings to all the way out of the AP poll (and from No. 10 to No. 24 in the Coaches poll).

This week, South Carolina goes on the road to No. 23 Missouri (3-0) in a big SEC showdown and a game the Gamecocks probably need to win if they want to be in the playoff hunt later this season.