Week 1 of the 2026 college football season wasted no time putting a few head coaches under a harsh spotlight.
The first full Saturday delivered plenty of noise across the sport - Ohio State rolled over Ball State, Texas flashed, Boise State came close to shocking Oregon, and Michigan escaped Western Michigan by the skin of its teeth. But the bigger conversation coming out of the opening weekend is which coaches already find themselves on shaky ground.
Five names stand out after the first weekend, and the pressure comes in different forms. Deion Sanders got a win in Week 1, but Colorado had to sweat all the way through a close call against Georgia Tech.
The Buffaloes need a big season, and the early struggles were obvious. Coach Prime has to deliver a huge year if he wants to restore confidence.
Clemson’s situation looks even worse. Dabo Swinney’s team was flattened by LSU, 51-10, in a lopsided loss that sent the Tigers out of Death Valley with a thud. That kind of result doesn’t just raise eyebrows - it fuels the sense that Clemson may be ready to move on from Swinney, and sooner rather than later.
Greg Schiano is another coach already feeling the heat. He returned to Rutgers with the reputation of being the kind of hire that could steady the program, but the Scarlet Knights opened with a blowout loss to UMass. That kind of start puts Schiano firmly on the hot seat after a disappointing opener.
Michigan’s own win did little to ease concerns. The Wolverines beat Western Michigan, but the performance was ugly and controversial. Kirk Whittingham is only in his first season, and Michigan is just three years removed from a national title, but a shaky outing like that is the sort of thing that gets fans restless fast.
Florida State also came away with a victory, topping New Mexico State 34-17, but it was far from clean. Mike Norvell’s Seminoles have what looks like a make-or-break year ahead, and they likely need a strong season if Norvell is going to keep his job.
In Other News...
Rutgers Women's Soccer Enters Princeton Match With One Leadership Question
Rutgers womens soccer closes its nonconference slate at Yurcak Field against Princeton, with a familiar look and a fresh twist. Mike ONeill is in his 13th season guiding a roster built around 22 returners and nine newcomers, giving the Scarlet Knights a blend of continuity and new pieces as they head into one of the last tune-ups before the schedule shifts for good.
Olivia Bodmer and Gabriela Gil have already been named captains for the 2026 season, which gives the program a clear starting point on the leadership front. The more immediate question is how that leadership develops in real time as Rutgers tries to keep sharpening its identity against Princeton and carry momentum out of the nonconference portion of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Fans Are Already Debating A Greg Schiano Backup Plan
Brian Kelly is already back around the game in a different role, but he has not closed the door on another coaching run. The former Notre Dame and LSU head coach is part of CBS Sports coverage of the 2026 college football season, and he has said he wants to stay connected to football operations while even making plans to visit spring practices and keep tabs on how the sport is evolving.
That has been enough to get Rutgers fans talking about a hypothetical backup plan if Greg Schiano ever comes under real pressure. Kelly has not been linked to the job in any official sense, but the idea has taken hold because of his background and because Scarlet Knights supporters are always quick to game out what might come next. For now, it is only a fan conversation, but it is the kind that tends to linger when a veteran coach with New Jersey ties keeps his options open. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Fans Now Have One Big Reason To Judge Keli Zinn
Keli Zinn has spent much of her first year at Rutgers taking a hard look at what was working and what needed to change across the athletic department, and that evaluation has already produced a major decision in womens basketball. She moved on from Coquese Washington and brought in Gary Redus as the new head coach, a clear sign that the Scarlet Knights athletic director is willing to make an early call when she thinks the program needs a new direction.
Zinn has also pointed to progress in football under Greg Schiano, saying recruiting and the use of resources have improved since she arrived. For Rutgers fans, the larger question now is whether those moves are the start of a broader reset or just the first visible steps in a longer rebuild, with Zinns judgment on the departments biggest pieces set to be watched closely from here. [Read more 🡒]