The pressure is on for a handful of Power Four coaches heading into 2026, and for some of them, the margin for error is basically gone.
After a 2025 season that saw nearly 20 Power Four programs move on from their previous head coaches at different points during the year, the coaching carousel figures to slow down in the 2027 offseason. But that doesn’t mean the hot-seat conversation is over. A few coaches cannot afford another step backward in 2026 if they want to keep their jobs secure.
Bill O'Brien is one of them at Boston College. A seven-win debut quickly gave way to a two-win follow-up, and that kind of drop-off has put him in a vulnerable spot.
The frustration around him has only grown because of testy press conference interactions, and Eagles fans are openly wondering whether he is the right fit. Boston College also faces a roster with major turnover beyond the defensive backfield, and the likely quarterback is Mason McKenzie, a Division II transfer from Saginaw Valley State.
The schedule does him no favors, either, with three Power Four non-conference games and a slate that includes several upper-echelon ACC opponents.
Luke Fickell is in a similar bind at Wisconsin, where steady decline across his first three seasons has pushed him onto the hot seat. The Badgers spent 2024 and 2025 trying an air raid offense, a move that never really matched Wisconsin’s identity or Fickell’s background, and the results never followed.
Wisconsin is now hoping Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph can stabilize the quarterback position after a long run of turnover there. The stakes are obvious: the Badgers are trying to avoid a third straight losing season for the first time since the early 1990s.
At USC, Lincoln Riley’s seat is hot for a different reason - expectations. The Trojans bring back 15 starters from a 2025 team that won nine games, and Riley has said this is the best shape his roster has been in to make a College Football Playoff run during his time in Los Angeles.
But the path is brutal. USC has to face all three of the Big Ten’s 2025 College Football Playoff teams, plus Washington and Penn State, two programs trying to break into the playoff picture.
If the Trojans again finish one or two losses short of a playoff berth, the questions around Riley’s long-term future at USC will only get louder.
North Carolina made a bold move in the 2025 offseason by replacing Mack Brown with Bill Belichick, but the switch from one older coach to another hasn’t produced the kind of stability the Tar Heels wanted. Brown never missed a bowl game in his later run, while Belichick’s first season was enjoyable for about one possession before things unraveled against TCU and then continued to slide through ACC play. The Tar Heels are turning to new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who has a reputation as a strong play caller, though he also has the unfortunate distinction of being unable to save the last two coaches he worked under from getting fired.
Mike Norvell enters 2026 with the least goodwill of the group at Florida State. The shine from his perfect regular season is long gone after the Seminoles followed it with a 2-10 collapse in 2024, and fans never really got over it.
Florida State opened 2025 with a win over Alabama, but the follow-up against Power Four competition was a disappointing 2-7. Even reaching bowl eligibility in 2026 would not be enough to satisfy Seminoles fans.
In Other News...
Four Boston College Eagles Earn Major NFL Watch List Recognition
Boston Colleges 2025 season left enough of a footprint to get four players onto a major NFL watch list, a sign that the Eagles have more than a few names worth tracking as the program keeps building. Defensive end E'Lla Boykin, running back Evan Dickens, safety KP Price and cornerback Max Tucker were all included on the 2026 Shriners Childrens East-West Bowl 1000 Watch List, which puts them in the mix for one of college footballs notable postseason all-star events.
For Boston College, the recognition is another reminder that production across the roster is starting to draw outside attention, from the back end of the defense to the skill spots on offense. The East-West Bowl is set for Feb. 4, 2027, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and while the watch list is only one step in a longer process, it gives these Eagles a national stage to keep in view as the next year unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Lacrosse Keeps Setting The Standard On And Off The Field
Boston College womens lacrosse keeps adding to a reputation that reaches well beyond the scoreboard. Shea Baker, Casey Colbert and Marissa White were all named to the IWLCA Division I Academic Honor Roll, giving the Eagles another reminder of how consistently the program pairs high-level play with classroom success. Bakers resume this spring already included ACC All-Academic Team recognition, and her latest nod comes alongside the kind of broader acclaim that has made her one of the sports most decorated players.
The teams academic standard has become almost routine at this point, with Boston College earning Academic Honor Squad status for the 22nd consecutive season. For Colbert and White, the honor marks the first IWLCA recognition of their careers, another sign that the program keeps developing contributors who fit the culture as well as the system. The only real question now is how far that balance can carry the Eagles the next time the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]