September exposed a handful of college football’s highest-paid coaches, and not in the flattering way. By the time October arrives, six staffs are carrying more questions than momentum, with big-money expectations colliding with flat offenses, leaky defenses and results that have already started to turn the heat up.
Some of these programs came into the season with playoff hopes. Others knew the pressure was baked in from the start.
Either way, the margin for patience is shrinking fast. The next few weeks will tell the story: whether these were just ugly September stumbles or the start of something much worse.
Mike Elko is finding out that the standard changes quickly when you win big early. After Texas A&M reached the CFP in Year 2 last fall, Elko signed up for a tougher reality in 2026 with a salary of $10.75 million.
Regression was always part of the equation, but losing at home to Kentucky and then getting blown out 35-6 by LSU is a different kind of problem. That LSU loss laid bare the offensive issues that have hung around since last season, and it also put a spotlight on Elko’s offseason choices: sticking with Marcel Reed at quarterback and promoting Holmon Wiggins to offensive assistant instead of going outside the program.
The numbers from A&M’s recent stretch against Power Four opponents tell the story pretty clearly. The Aggies have had enough yards in some games to look competitive, but the results have been mostly losses, and Reed’s production has swung wildly from week to week:
at Texas (2025): 337 total yards, L, 27-17
vs.
Miami (2025): 326 total yards, L, 10-3
vs.
Arizona State (2026): 255 total yards, W, 48-20
vs.
Kentucky (2026): 423 total yards, L, 31-21
vs.
LSU (2026): 197 total yards, L, 35-6
Brent Venables is in a similarly uncomfortable spot at Oklahoma, where the Sooners are 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the SEC. He’s making $10.5 million in 2026 after signing a new six-year deal coming off last year’s CFP appearance, and right now that contract is not looking like a bargain.
The offense was already a problem last season, and it has somehow gotten worse with a quarterback who has regressed more than any other player at the Power Four level. The loss at Michigan in Week 2 was a warning sign.
The showing against Georgia was worse, especially after John Mateer’s mistake-filled day.
Venables now has major staff and roster decisions ahead of him with six games left against ranked opponents. Texas is next in Red River in Dallas, along with the SEC’s top-ranked scoring defense, and a lopsided result there could force his hand.
Lincoln Riley’s situation at USC is no cleaner. His latest setback came in a 41-27 loss to Oregon, his 15th loss in 20 games against ranked teams since arriving in Los Angeles. USC has been one of the sport’s highest-paid jobs under a coach who still hasn’t delivered enough, even after offseason staff changes were supposed to spark the defense.
The Trojans’ 4-0 start looks a lot less impressive now. Louisiana scored 30 on them, Rutgers scored 35, and Oregon used a backup quarterback to bury USC with a 28-point second half. Riley still has a long list of defining games ahead - Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA - but the clock is clearly ticking.
Mike Locksley is another coach who has done little to quiet the noise. Maryland is paying him $6.4 million in 2026, but the Terrapins are coming off a 51-point loss to UCLA and look worse, not better, after the school doubled down on him last November.
The NIL support was supposed to help keep quarterback Malik Washington and other key players in place, with the expectation that Locksley would turn that backing into progress. So far, that hasn’t happened.
Shane Beamer’s seat has also gotten hotter at South Carolina. He was already entering Saturday’s home game against 24th-ranked Kentucky having gone a calendar year without an SEC win, and the pressure around the program is no longer subtle.
The Week 3 loss to Mississippi State looked like a test he had to pass, but the Gamecocks blew a 16-point lead in that one and then followed it with another rough night in Tuscaloosa. After the latest collapse, Beamer indefinitely suspended his best defensive player, and South Carolina is now on an eight-game losing streak against Power Four opponents.
The Gamecocks’ recent slide has been brutal:
at LSU (Oct. 11, 2025): 20-10, LOSS
vs. Oklahoma (Oct.
18, 2025): 26-7, LOSS
vs.
Alabama (Oct. 25, 2025): 29-22, LOSS
at Ole Miss (Nov. 1, 2025): 30-14, LOSS
at Texas A&M (Nov. 15, 2025): 31-30, LOSS
vs. Clemson (Nov.
29, 2025): 28-14, LOSS
vs.
Miss. St.
(Sept. 19, 2026): 41-34, LOSS
at Alabama (Sept. 26): 49-18, LOSS
Deion Sanders rounds out the list at Colorado, where the pressure is different but just as real. After a 3-9 collapse, Sanders talked boldly about a transfer-heavy roster, but four weeks into 2026 the Buffs are 2-2 and 0-1 in the Big 12, and the offense has not taken off with Julian Lewis at quarterback. Colorado also embarrassed itself at Northwestern after players mocked the Wildcats’ temporary “quiet as a library” stadium.
The opener in Atlanta briefly suggested something better might be coming, but that win is looking less meaningful by the week. Georgia Tech has been sliding without Haynes King at quarterback and without Buster Faulkner calling plays, and Saturday’s loss to Stanford dropped the Yellow Jackets to 1-3.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Suddenly Has A Receiver Problem At The Worst Time
Texas A&Ms receiving room is getting thin at exactly the wrong moment. Mario Craver is listed as questionable for the upcoming game against Arkansas after hurting his left ankle in the previous game, and the Aggies are already trying to navigate the rest of the season without Terry Bussey and Madden Williams.
Ashton Bethel-Roman is back off the injury report, but he has not made much of a mark this season, which leaves the Aggies with very little proven depth if Craver cannot go. For an offense that has already had to adjust around injuries, the timing only adds more uncertainty heading into a key SEC matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Faces A Defining Test That Could Shift Everything
Texas A&M is heading into a stretch that should say plenty about where the program stands right now, starting with Arkansas and followed by Missouri. Those are the kinds of games that can either steady a season or make the margins feel a lot tighter, especially for a team still looking to shape its identity as the schedule toughens.
Missouri, in particular, looms as the one that could carry the biggest ripple effect for the Aggies if they get there with momentum. The discussion around that matchup is already about what a win or loss might mean for the rest of the season and even how the program is viewed, which is why the next two weeks feel bigger than a typical run through the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Marcel Reed Gets A Crucial Chance To Quiet Texas A&Ms Biggest Concern
Texas A&M has spent the opening stretch of the season trying to find some stability on offense, and the biggest question has centered on Marcel Reed. The Aggies are 2-2, Reed has battled accuracy issues, and his passing numbers have landed near the bottom nationally in several categories, leaving the quarterback situation as the clearest reason the unit has not yet clicked.
Arkansas, though, gives Reed a chance to change the conversation. The Razorbacks have struggled on the back end, allowing a high completion percentage and plenty of yards per pass, which could make this matchup a useful measuring stick for Texas A&Ms passing game. For Reed and the Aggies, the point is not just moving the ball better, but showing enough rhythm and confidence to suggest the offense can still find its way. [Read more 🡒]