A quiet September didn’t mean the heat was off.
No college football head coaches were fired during the first month of the 2026 regular season, even after a year in which dismissals stretched across all three months of the season. But the opening month still sharpened the spotlight on a few names that were already hovering in the hot-seat conversation, while also dragging others into the mix after ugly starts.
At the top of the list sits Lincoln Riley at USC. The Trojans entered 2026 with College Football Playoff hopes, but those have started to fade fast.
Wins over Louisiana and Rutgers in mid-September didn’t exactly calm the nerves, and a 41-27 home loss to Oregon brought the same old concern back into focus: Riley’s trouble beating elite opponents. USC can still only afford one more slip if it wants a shot at the playoff, and that means beating either Ohio State or Indiana.
There’s also UCLA, which surged in September, and a loss to the Bruins alongside a missed playoff chance could become the final layer on an underwhelming tenure.
Mike Norvell’s situation at Florida State looks even more bleak. The Seminoles’ miserable 2024 season and late collapse in 2025 already left the program in a fog of apathy heading into this year, and the university made leadership changes above Norvell in September.
On the field, Florida State still hasn’t beaten a Power Four opponent and hasn’t shown much to suggest better days are right around the corner. The schedule doesn’t offer much relief either, with Virginia coming to town, followed by trips to Louisville and Miami.
If a mediocre Clemson team wins in Doak Campbell Stadium on Halloween, it’ll be difficult to justify keeping Norvell any longer.
Shane Beamer is fighting his own battle at South Carolina. A 4-8 finish in 2025 already made his seat the hottest in the SEC, and two league games haven’t changed that.
South Carolina blew a third-quarter lead and lost 41-34 at home to Mississippi State in its SEC opener, then got rolled 49-18 at Alabama in a game that never felt close. This week brings what feels like a must-win opportunity against No.
24 Kentucky at home. If Beamer survives that one, Florida is next, and the Gators are bringing momentum in SEC play.
In Other News...
USCs Receiver Shuffle Just Put More Pressure On Trent Mosley
USCs receiving room keeps taking hits, and the latest twist only adds more importance to the players left standing. Freshman Trent Mosley, who has been working into the mix early, underwent a minor knee procedure after getting hurt in the Trojans week 2 game against Louisiana, and he is expected back after the teams first bye week.
Until then, USC has to keep sorting through a reshuffled receiver rotation while finding enough reliability on the perimeter for the upcoming games. Mosleys absence comes at a time when the Trojans are already dealing with other receiver injuries and lineup changes, which makes the early part of the schedule even more about survival than style. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces One More Problem Before A Must Win Washington Game
The No. 18 USC Trojans are heading into a pivotal weekend at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after the loss to No. 15 Oregon left Lincoln Riley stressing the importance of bouncing back quickly. With Washington next on the schedule, the focus is no longer just on the defeat itself, but on making sure USC does not let one setback spill into a second one in a hurry.
Ahead of a must-win feel to the matchup, the Trojans are also sorting through injury updates while trying to get a clean read on what Washington brings with quarterback Demond Williams Jr. USC still has plenty to play for, but with the margin getting thinner, the pressure around this one is hard to miss. [Read more 🡒]
USC Defense Faces A Bigger Concern Entering Must-Win Washington Game
USCs defense spent part of the week trying to steady itself the old-fashioned way, with practice and a round of media availability featuring Jahkeem Stewart, Prophet Brown and Jontez Williams. The conversation coming out of the session centered on the basics that tend to decide November games: whether the defensive line is working together, whether the communication is clean and whether the tackling has tightened up enough to travel.
There is also the matter of availability, and that only adds another layer to a trip to Washington that already carries real weight for the Trojans. USCs injury report listed tight end Mark Bowman among several players as questionable, leaving the staff to sort through health concerns while the defense tries to show it can handle a tougher challenge on the road. [Read more 🡒]