The first third of the 2026 college football season has already separated the comfortable from the vulnerable, and a handful of coaches are feeling the heat hard as Week 5 approaches. A few rough Saturdays, a few ugly numbers, and now the pressure is real.
Mike Locksley might be staring at the sharpest edge of that pressure in College Park. Maryland’s 54-3 loss to UCLA last weekend only poured gasoline on an already tense situation.
Locksley has been in charge since 2019 and is 39-51 overall with the Terrapins. In Big Ten play, Maryland is 17-49 under his watch, and the program has gone 4-8 in each of the last two seasons.
If the school makes a move, Locksley would be due a $9.2 million buyout. But the schedule is not offering much relief, with Nebraska and No.
5 Ohio State up next.
Deion Sanders is in a different kind of spotlight, but the results have cooled fast. When Sanders arrived at Colorado in 2023, he was the center of the sport’s attention, bringing with him Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and a flood of national buzz.
The Buffaloes went just 4-8 that first year, but there was still optimism because of the portal activity and the star power in Boulder. Then came the breakthrough: a 9-4 season in 2024 and a Heisman Trophy for Hunter.
Since Sanders and Hunter moved on to the NFL Draft in 2025, though, Colorado has slipped badly. The Buffaloes are 5-11 since 2025 and just 1-9 in Big 12 play.
Their latest setback was a 41-7 loss to Northwestern, a game that also featured the benching of starting quarterback Julian Lewis. Next up are No.
12 Texas Tech and No. 13 Utah.
Rutgers is also in a rough spot, and Greg Schiano’s return has not produced the kind of stability the program hoped for. The Scarlet Knights opened the season with a stunning home loss to UMass, a team that was nearly a 30-point underdog.
That result fit into a broader slide: Rutgers has dropped 10 of its last 13 games, and since Schiano came back in 2020, the program has managed only two winning seasons. The Scarlet Knights did show some fight against USC a few weeks ago, but now they have the defending champion Indiana Hoosiers coming to town this weekend.
Lincoln Riley’s situation at USC comes with a different flavor, but the questions are just as loud. Since taking over in 2022, the offensive-minded coach has not produced much in the way of payoff.
USC opened the 2023 season 6-0, but since then the Trojans are 22-16. Riley still has not taken USC to the College Football Playoff, even with NFL-level talent on the roster, including 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
After a home loss to Oregon and player antics that have raised concerns about leadership and morale, the Trojans are heading into a brutal run with Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA all looming.
In Other News...
Rutgers 2027 Class Is Suddenly Chasing Program History
Rutgers 2027 recruiting class keeps gaining traction, and Brandon Woodard is the latest reason the Scarlet Knights have people paying attention. The four-star guard from Maryland committed after an official visit in September, giving Rutgers its third pledge in a class that already sits third nationally and first in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.
Woodards decision adds another high-end piece to a group that is suddenly putting Rutgers in position to chase some rare recruiting territory. The staff has built early momentum with multiple commits, and the class now has a chance to become one of the programs most talked-about hauls if the trend holds. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers 2027 Class Is Climbing Faster Than Fans Expected
Rutgers 2027 basketball recruiting class has surged into the national spotlight after the commitment of four-star power forward Brandon Woodard pushed the group up to No. 4 in the 247Sports team rankings. Its a strong early marker for a program that has made recruiting momentum a real talking point, especially with three four-star prospects now in the fold: Woodard, shooting guard RJ Moore and guard Korey Francis.
Steve Pikiells continued involvement only adds to the significance of the rise. Even while undergoing cancer treatment, the Rutgers coach has remained part of the recruiting effort, keeping the class moving forward at a pace that few around the program likely expected this soon. The early climb does not finish the conversation, but it does give Rutgers a much louder presence in a class that could keep attracting attention. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Offense Faces A Brutal Test Against Indiana's Front Seven
Indianas defense is the kind of unit that can make a game feel cramped from the opening series, and Greg Schiano isnt pretending otherwise. As Rutgers gets ready for the matchup, the Scarlet Knights are coming off a clean outing from quarterback Dylan Lonergan, with avoiding turnovers still at the center of the conversation as they try to keep their offense on schedule against a front that has drawn a lot of attention this season.
Schiano singled out edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi, the Kansas State transfer, as one of the players Rutgers has to account for, while also pointing to the overall work of defensive coordinator Bryant Haines and Indianas front seven. For Rutgers, the challenge is less about one matchup than surviving a defense that has built its reputation on pressure, discipline and making quarterbacks earn every clean snap. [Read more 🡒]