Eight saddest college football fanbases after Week 10

Ryan Young | Nov 3, 2025

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal looks on form the sideline against the Stanford Cardinal during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The college football coaching carousel is spinning so fast now that the calendar has hit November that it's sucking in new casualties by the week.

Auburn's Hugh Freeze was the latest high-profile coach to get ousted, making a fourth coaching vacancy in the SEC alone. But that means Tigers fans can now look forward to a fresh start and reset, so they don't actually make our list of the saddest college football fan bases after Week 10.

But there were plenty of others to pick from -- fan bases that watched their teams throw away prime opportunities over the weekend or those that are still left coming to grips with the reality of what this season has become without the distraction of a new coaching search to avert the focus.

These are the eight saddest college football fan bases after Week 10.

1. Miami

It wasn't actually that long ago that Miami was the No. 2-ranked team in the country, quarterback Carson Beck was a Heisman Trophy favorite, and the big question being generated was whether "The U" was truly back.

Now?

After a 26-20 overtime loss at unranked SMU and another painful Beck interception (in OT), Miami (6-2, 2-2 ACC) tumbled eight spots to No. 18 in the AP rankings, no longer controls its fate with regard to the College Football Playoff and an entirely different question has resurfaced.

Will coach Mario Cristobal ever get over the hump in November?

He is now 4-9 in November regular-season games at Miami -- with those losses too often coming as double-digit-point favorites like the Hurricanes were Saturday. Cristobal had similar issues with late-season letdowns at Oregon as well.

Aside from Beck's crippling overtime interception, Miami had 12 penalties for 96 yards. That included a late hit penalty as SMU faced fourth-and-9 near midfield, down 3 points with just over a minute remaining. Cristobal called a timeout just before the snap, but a Miami player pummeled SMU QB Kevin Jennings anyway -- flag, first down and soon a game-tying field goal.

The Athletic's CFP projections indicate that Miami's probability of making the 12-team field dropped from 84 percent to 15 percent with this loss.

2. Colorado

Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders looks on during a time out in the game against the Utah Utes during the second quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

There figured to be some adjustment for Colorado with Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders heading off to the NFL, but Buffaloes fans weren't expecting a total regression back to where things were in coach Deion Sanders' first season.

The Buffs are 3-6 overall and just 1-5 in the Big 12 after a 52-17 loss to Arizona a week after taking a 53-7 loss at Utah.

Two of Colorado's three wins this season came against Delaware and Wyoming.

"I don't doubt me. Let's get that straight: I. Don't. Doubt. Me," Sanders said postgame while not making any of his players available to the media.

He may not, but how do Buffs fans feel about the future of the program now?

I think it’s time to admit that I was very wrong about Deion Sanders.

I legitimately can’t believe how bad this has gone.

— Tyler Ziskin (@TZiskBuffs) November 2, 2025

3. South Carolina

South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer looks on during the second quarter against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

South Carolina was a top-10 team in the rankings a week into this season. Think about that.

The Gamecocks are now 3-6 overall and just 1-6 in the SEC, while experiencing a total collapse in coach Shane Beamer's fifth season after giving him a contract extension in January. The mounting losses have put Beamer's overall record at 32-28 and 16-23 in SEC games.

On Sunday, South Carolina fired offensive coordinator Mike Shula after ranking 119th out of 136 FBS teams in scoring at 19.7 points per game through 10 weeks. They were held under 15 points for the fourth time in seven SEC games in a 30-14 loss at Ole Miss on Saturday.

Beamer made it clear he's not giving up on this season, but do the fans feel the same way about him?

"F yea bowl games matter. We're trying to get to a bowl game... We're sick and tired of this feeling."#Gamecock HC Shane Beamer following a fourth-straight loss in SEC play.

South Carolina is 3-6, 1-6 in the SEC. They need to win out to make a bowl game. @abc_columbia pic.twitter.com/IS7SZ2ZAA9

— Chaz R Frazier (@Chazf_tv) November 2, 2025

4. Nebraska

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Cornhuskers lost on the field Saturday -- 21-17 at home to USC -- and also lost quarterback Dylan Raiola for the season with a broken fibula.

This was supposed to be a breakthrough season for Nebraska in Rhule's third season after going 5-7 and 7-6 the last two years. The Huskers are 6-3 overall but just 3-3 in the Big Ten and now have to close out the schedule without the former five-star QB prospect who fans were counting on to elevate the program back to its past heights.

And then there's this ...

Matt Rhule falls to 0-8 vs. @AP_Top25 teams at Nebraska & 2-24 vs. ranked teams in his 10-year coaching career

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 2, 2025

5. Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent key during the first quarter at Carter-Finley Stadium. Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images / Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

There are levels to despair. Make no mistake, Georgia Tech is having a phenomenal season -- Saturday didn't change that.

But ... the Yellow Jackets had a chance to finish off an unbeaten season in ACC play with three final games against unranked teams (unless Pittsburgh ends up in the top 25 by the time the teams meet). Georgia Tech could have potentially been 11-0 heading into its regular-season finale against non-conference rival Georgia, not even necessarily needing to win that game.

The Yellow Jackets best start since 1966 hit its first stumble Saturday in a 48-36 loss at NC State as the defense just could not find any way to stop a Wolfpack team that was 1-3 in conference play.

Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1 ACC) dropped eight spots in the AP rankings to No. 16 and now either has to win the ACC championship game or win out and upset the Bulldogs to ensure its spot in the College Football Playoff.

6. Clemson

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney talks to an official Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Duke Blue Devils at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. / Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

We really don't mean to keep beating this drum most every week, but then Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says things like this ...

Dabo Swinney joked that maybe he'll get fired with Clemson AD Graham Neff in the room after Saturday's loss to Duke.

It was an arrogant move in front of his boss that might've been funny in the past, but falls flat when ineptitude continues to mount: https://t.co/v4YaaBTkvJ pic.twitter.com/EHtuOiwXp8

— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) November 2, 2025

With a 46-45 loss at home to Duke on Saturday, Clemson dropped to 3-5 overall and 2-4 in the ACC. It's the Tigers' first five-loss season since 2010.

7. Michigan State

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith leaves the field after the Spartans loss to Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan State fans appear to be over the Jonathan Smith experience as the Spartans dropped to 0-6 in Big Ten play with a 23-20 overtime loss at Minnesota.

The Spartans' only wins this season are over Western Michigan, Boston College (which might be the worst Power Four team in the country) and Youngstown State.

Smith is now 8-13 overall and 3-12 in the Big Ten during his time at Michigan State.

8. Tulane

Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall looks on during a game earlier this season. Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Tulane fans already have to hear every day how their coach Jon Sumrall is a prime candidate for every job opening in college football, but at least the Green Wave controlled their path to an AAC championship and CFP berth ... until Saturday.

In one of the more surprising outcomes of the weekend, Tulane lost 48-26 to a UTSA team that came into the weekend with a losing record.

The Green Wave (6-2, 3-1 AAC) had a chance to emerge from the weekend as the only team still unbeaten in the highly competitive ACC race. Instead, it is now tied for first with five other teams, all vying to secure a spot in the conference championship game.

There is one CFP berth reserved for the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion, and it's likely to be the winner of the AAC.

Tulane now has no margin for error heading into a must-win showdown at No. 22 Memphis this week.

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