College football’s hot-seat conversation has started to move, and Mike Norvell is no longer the only name drawing the kind of attention that makes an athletic department sweat.
Norvell opened the season with his job status under a microscope after Florida State’s back-to-back disappointing years produced just seven combined wins. A 2-2 start didn’t exactly quiet things down, but his situation appears to have cooled relative to where it stood before the year began. After Week 4, his name was not on USA Today’s list of college coaches who could lose their jobs first, and with the carousel beginning to spin, it would not be a shock if he stays off it.
There are at least some signs that help his case. Norvell has stayed locked in despite the noise, and the offense has shown flashes of progress.
Florida State threw for 377 yards against Alabama and 238 against Central Arkansas, and Texas transfer running back Quintrevion Wisner had his most productive game in Week 4 after not getting a carry against SMU and receiving just one against Alabama. With his confidence building, he could end up validating the resources Florida State used to bring him in.
The Seminoles also have a Saturday matchup against Virginia that looks more manageable than it did a few weeks ago. Oddsmakers have Florida State as a 2.5-to-3.5-point underdog, and a 7- or 8-win season is still on the table. Seven is reportedly the number Florida State needs to keep Norvell for another year.
While Norvell’s situation has eased some, USC’s Lincoln Riley has moved into a far more dangerous spot. Riley is sitting on one of, if not the hottest seat in the country, and even the explosive offense that once covered for a lot of issues is no longer enough to calm the frustration. As Urban Meyer put it, they “don’t even want to hear about anymore.”
The complaints are easy to see. Riley has not beaten Notre Dame since his first season in Los Angeles, he is 5-15 against top-25 teams, and he is 2-6 against ranked Big Ten teams. The latest hit came in a 41-27 loss to Oregon, and USC may now be thinking about whether it is worth paying him to stay home.
“Despite a buyout believed to be around $70 million,” Matt Zenitz wrote. “Industry sources have told CBS Sports that the Trojans could part ways with Riley depending on how the rest of the season unfolds.”
South Carolina’s Shane Beamer has also moved ahead of Norvell in the heat check, and the start to the SEC schedule has been brutal. The Gamecocks are 2-2 after a loss to Alabama in which the game was essentially over by halftime, with South Carolina trailing 34-10 before falling 49-18. It was still a more competitive showing than Florida State’s trip to Tuscaloosa, but not nearly enough to ease the pressure.
That defeat followed a 41-34 loss to Mississippi State, the Bulldogs’ first win over South Carolina in 28 years. In that one, the Gamecocks actually led 23-14 at halftime before getting outscored 27-11 after the break.
Beamer entered the season sitting on one of the hottest seats in the SEC, and dropping the first two conference games in that fashion is exactly the kind of start he could not afford. South Carolina is now 9-15 in SEC play since the start of the 2023 season and 20-21 overall. Of those 21 losses, 57.1 percent have come by 10 or more points, and 23.8 percent have come by 20 or more.
The Gamecocks are also 3-14 against top-25 teams over that stretch, and their last win over one came on Nov. 30, 2024, against No. 12 Clemson, 17-14.
The question around South Carolina is no longer just whether Beamer is in trouble. It is whether the school would be willing to pay $27.9 million to move on before the end of the year, or wait until Jan. 1 and drop that figure to $22.1 million.
Norvell still has pressure on him, no question. But right now, the brightest spotlight has swung toward Riley and Beamer, where the problems are bigger and the margin for error looks a lot smaller.
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