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College Football

Preseason 2026 Coaches' Hot Seat® Rankings

Jun 23, 2026

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12 min read

Preseason 2026 Coaches' Hot Seat® Rankings

Ten coaches, ranked by the heat they feel right now, not by who gets fired in a month where nobody gets fired. Fair warning: a few of these are going to make you mad.

Mark Haines

Big Ten

Maryland fired Mike Locksley in November, except they didn't.

Jun 26, 2026

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14 min read

Maryland fired Mike Locksley in November, except they didn't.

The fake report still pulled two million views, because the seat is that hot

Mark Haines

College Football

Florida State Graded Its Own Coach as Failing, in Writing, and Kept Him

Jun 30, 2026

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14 min read

Florida State Graded Its Own Coach as Failing, in Writing, and Kept Him

Mike Norvell went 0-4 in one-score games and 0-5 on the road, so he took back the one job that was never the problem: the play sheet.

Mark Haines

Articles

Deion Sanders

Aug 28, 2026

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13 min read

Deion Sanders and Mike Norvell Are Closer Than Anybody in Boulder Wants to Admit

Over the same 3 seasons, Norvell went 20-18 and Sanders went 16-21, and both peaked on borrowed talent before the floor gave out. Plus the 3 days that closed the door between the NFL and college football, and the Baton Rouge hearing Monday that could kick it back open.

Mark Haines

College Football

Wisconsin Fans Stopped Chanting and Canceled 7,193 Season Tickets. That Is How You Measure a Hot Seat in 2026

Aug 25, 2026

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10 min read

Wisconsin Fans Stopped Chanting and Canceled 7,193 Season Tickets. That Is How You Measure a Hot Seat in 2026

Our Week Zero board ranks all 10, from Mike Norvell at No. 1 to the 4 coaches whose own presidents put a defense of them in writing last fall. Plus a military college that sold its jersey to a gun store. Headline

Mark Haines

Odom

Purdue Committed $48 Million to 2 Coaching Decisions. Indiana Put $11 Million a Year Into Its Staff and Won a National Title

Aug 21, 2026

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16 min read

Purdue Committed $48 Million to 2 Coaching Decisions. Indiana Put $11 Million a Year Into Its Staff and Won a National Title

Barry Odom loses all 38 shaded rows in the workbook against Curt Cignetti and Marcus Freeman, and almost none of it is his fault.Sub Headline

Mark Haines

College Football

Lane Kiffin Has The Same 117 Wins As Kirby Smart. He Also Has 32 More Losses And A $91 Million Contract.

Aug 18, 2026

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12 min read

Lane Kiffin Has The Same 117 Wins As Kirby Smart. He Also Has 32 More Losses And A $91 Million Contract.

We ran Kiffin's full 17-year career against Smart and Steve Sarkisian across 42 metrics. His offenses score as often as Georgia's do. His record against ranked opponents is 13-25, and LSU's 2026 schedule has 5 of them on it.

Mark Haines

College Football

Chris Creighton Took Over a Program That Had Gone 39-125 and Turned It Around. He Is Still 10-45 Against Winning Teams.

Aug 14, 2026

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14 min read

Chris Creighton Took Over a Program That Had Gone 39-125 and Turned It Around. He Is Still 10-45 Against Winning Teams.

His defense finished 136th out of 136 against the run, and the 2026 schedule is the easiest he has ever been handed. The market still has Eastern Michigan half a win short of a bowl.

Mark Haines

College Football

Lincoln Riley Is 0-5 Against Top-10 Teams. Here Are The 8 Signs That Tell You Whether 2026 Is Different.

Aug 11, 2026

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22 min read

Lincoln Riley Is 0-5 Against Top-10 Teams. Here Are The 8 Signs That Tell You Whether 2026 Is Different.

We measured Riley against Dan Lanning and against the three men who built USC. Then we pulled out the signs worth watching, starting with Oregon in the Coliseum on September 26.

Mark Haines

Coaches Hot Seat®insider news

Featured

Preseason 2026 Coaches' Hot Seat® Rankings

Maryland fired Mike Locksley in November, except they didn't.

Florida State Graded Its Own Coach as Failing, in Writing, and Kept Him

Articles

Deion Sanders and Mike Norvell Are Closer Than Anybody in Boulder Wants to Admit

Wisconsin Fans Stopped Chanting and Canceled 7,193 Season Tickets. That Is How You Measure a Hot Seat in 2026

Purdue Committed $48 Million to 2 Coaching Decisions. Indiana Put $11 Million a Year Into Its Staff and Won a National Title

Lane Kiffin Has The Same 117 Wins As Kirby Smart. He Also Has 32 More Losses And A $91 Million Contract.

Chris Creighton Took Over a Program That Had Gone 39-125 and Turned It Around. He Is Still 10-45 Against Winning Teams.

Lincoln Riley Is 0-5 Against Top-10 Teams. Here Are The 8 Signs That Tell You Whether 2026 Is Different.

Coaches Hot Seat®
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