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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

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

Big Ten

Rutgers Brought Greg Schiano Back For His Defense. It Just Finished 136th Out Of 136 FBS Teams.

Aug 7, 2026

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16 min read

Rutgers Brought Greg Schiano Back For His Defense. It Just Finished 136th Out Of 136 FBS Teams.

7.6 yards a play, the worst mark in big-time football since 2000. Plus Purdue picks a fight with the champs, and the Mountain West settles for 47 cents on the dollar.

Mark Haines

College Football

North Carolina Needs $29 Million To Fire Bill Belichick. He Needs $1 Million To Walk Away From Them.

Aug 4, 2026

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18 min read

North Carolina Needs $29 Million To Fire Bill Belichick. He Needs $1 Million To Walk Away From Them.

31 NFL teams refused to give him this arrangement and said why out loud. A board of trustees in Chapel Hill went around its own athletic director to write it anyway, and 1 year later, the general manager is on leave, and university counsel is investigating.

Mark Haines

Nebraska

Jul 31, 2026

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13 min read

Matt Rhule Has Beaten 2 Ranked Teams in 10 Seasons. Nebraska Just Guaranteed Him Through 2032.

Every Rhule rebuild jumped in year 3, which is why Nebraska hired him. Inside: what year 3 delivered, and the 43-row matrix that sets him against Bo Pelini and Curt Cignetti.

Mark Haines

College Football

Curt Cignetti Went 16-0 In Year 2 At Indiana. Here Are The 7 Head Coaches Who Could Do It Next

Jul 28, 2026

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10 min read

Curt Cignetti Went 16-0 In Year 2 At Indiana. Here Are The 7 Head Coaches Who Could Do It Next

Seven names we're betting are already on every athletic director's short list.

Mark Haines

College Football

Baylor's Boosters Wrote the Checks. Now Aranda Says the Money Is the Problem.

Jul 24, 2026

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16 min read

Baylor's Boosters Wrote the Checks. Now Aranda Says the Money Is the Problem.

Six years, 36-37, and one elite defense from a defensive genius. Plus the adjunct keeping your five-star eligible for $3,498 a course, and the cap that turns out to be a floor.

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

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

Rutgers Brought Greg Schiano Back For His Defense. It Just Finished 136th Out Of 136 FBS Teams.

North Carolina Needs $29 Million To Fire Bill Belichick. He Needs $1 Million To Walk Away From Them.

Matt Rhule Has Beaten 2 Ranked Teams in 10 Seasons. Nebraska Just Guaranteed Him Through 2032.

Curt Cignetti Went 16-0 In Year 2 At Indiana. Here Are The 7 Head Coaches Who Could Do It Next

Baylor's Boosters Wrote the Checks. Now Aranda Says the Money Is the Problem.

Coaches Hot Seat®
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