Maryland head coach Mike Locksley remains atop the college football coaching hot seat after Week 7, and his decision to fire defensive coordinator Ted Monachino on Sunday raised the stakes for the rest of the Terps’ season.
Rutgers rallied from a 23-13 halftime deficit to win 37-30 in College Park, dropping Maryland to 2-5 and 0-4 in the Big Ten. Florida State, NC State, Rutgers, South Carolina and Kansas round out the top six, while Colorado drops to the monitor section.
Mike Locksley, Maryland Terrapins
Maryland fired Monachino one day after the Scarlet Knights outscored the Terps 24-7 after halftime. Locksley said in a statement that he believes “this change is necessary”, and Aazaar Abdul-Rahim and Zac Spavital will run the defense for the rest of the season.
The defense explains the move. Big Ten opponents have averaged 46 points against Maryland, and all four have produced a 100-yard rusher. Saturday’s loss was the Terps’ fifth straight and their 12th in a row against conference opponents.
Replacing a coordinator at midseason gives the D.C. native a chance to salvage the year, but it doesn’t settle his own status. SI’s Bryan Fischer and Pat Forde wrote Friday that “all signs point to the Terps moving on” from Locksley at some point. Maryland is off this week before facing Purdue, and Locksley would be owed roughly $10 million if he’s fired before January, based on an Oct. 7 report.
Mike Norvell, Florida State Seminoles
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell’s team took No. 3 Miami to double overtime before losing 43-35 at Hard Rock Stadium, a much stronger showing than the 44-20 loss at Louisville a week earlier. Ashton Daniels threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns, and his 75-yard strike to Duce Robinson tied the game with 2:49 left in regulation.
Still, the problem that sank the Seminoles at Louisville returned. Florida State came up empty on two fourth-down tries inside the Miami 5, and a would-be tying touchdown on fourth-and-21 in the second overtime was wiped out by a holding call.
The seventh-year coach also lost leading rusher Ousmane Kromah, who had season-ending surgery on his left ankle. The sophomore ranked 20th nationally with 609 rushing yards. Florida State (3-4, 1-3 ACC) is off this week before hosting Clemson on Oct. 31, and Norvell’s buyout sits above $51 million.
Dave Doeren, NC State Wolfpack
NC State head coach Dave Doeren moves up a spot without playing. The Wolfpack (3-3, 1-2 ACC) were idle after a 38-14 home loss to Wake Forest, but the reporting around the 14th-year coach has sharpened.
Fischer and Forde wrote that “the tenor seems to have changed” around Doeren in recent weeks and that an amicable split after the season wouldn’t be a surprise. That’s more specific than fan frustration, and it’s why Doeren jumps Schiano this week.
NC State visits Stanford on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The back half of the schedule also includes road trips to Florida State and North Carolina.
Greg Schiano, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano won the game last week’s hot seat index circled. The Scarlet Knights erased a 10-point halftime deficit for their first Big Ten win of the season and third straight victory over Maryland.
“We’re down 10 at the half, on the road in the Big Ten. That’s hard stuff,” Schiano said. KJ Duff caught nine passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns, and Clay Thevenin ran for 109 yards.
Rutgers (2-4, 1-2 Big Ten) nearly let it slip, allowing Maryland to convert a fourth-and-4 from its own 11 and cut a 14-point lead to seven in the final minutes. One win doesn’t erase the 37-21 home loss to UMass in the opener, and Schiano would be owed nearly $19 million based on an Oct. 16 report. Rutgers visits Northwestern on Saturday.
Shane Beamer, South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer holds fifth after an open date. The Gamecocks’ 38-19 win at Florida on Oct. 10 looks stronger now that the Gators rallied from a 17-3 deficit to beat No. 7 Texas 27-24 in Austin, giving Florida two wins over top-10 opponents.
That context helps Beamer’s résumé, but it doesn’t change South Carolina’s record. The Gamecocks are 3-3 and 1-3 in SEC play, and they need three wins in their final six games to reach bowl eligibility. Parting ways with Beamer could cost nearly $23 million, according to an Oct. 16 report.
Tennessee (6-1) visits Columbia on Saturday after holding Alabama to 201 yards in a 26-10 win. A second straight upset of a ranked SEC opponent would give Beamer more cover than any result this season.
Lance Leipold, Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas head coach Lance Leipold enters the top six after a 35-24 loss at Kansas State extended the Wildcats’ Sunflower Showdown winning streak to 18 games. The Jayhawks led 17-7 in the first quarter, helped by Bryson Hayes’ 95-yard kickoff return, then scored seven points the rest of the way.
Kansas State took over on the ground. Joe Jackson ran for 159 yards, and quarterback Avery Johnson added 132 rushing yards, including a 39-yard run that set up the clinching field goal.
The loss dropped Kansas to 2-4 and 0-3 in the Big 12, and the sixth-year coach is now 0-6 against Kansas State after back-to-back 5-7 seasons. Kansas would owe Leipold about $17.9 million if he’s let go Dec. 1. Baylor visits Lawrence on Saturday in a matchup between two coaches on this week’s index.
Which coaches remain on the monitor?
Colorado’s Deion Sanders drops out of the top six after a competitive loss, while Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian enter at the bottom of the monitor. Their losses drew the loudest fan reaction of Week 7, but schools facing climbing roster costs have shown little interest in absorbing massive buyouts.
Deion Sanders, Colorado: Colorado trailed No. 11 Utah 13-0 at halftime, took a 17-13 lead in the third quarter and lost 27-24 when a final Hail Mary fell incomplete. Coach Prime’s Buffaloes gained 324 of their 394 yards after halftime, but 10 penalties for 93 yards extended the losing streak to four games. Fischer and Forde reported that Colorado doesn’t have the finances to cover Sanders’ $26 million buyout. The Buffaloes (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) visit Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Mike Elko, Texas A&M: The Aggies beat The Citadel 41-0 to reach 4-3, but they’ve lost three of their first four SEC games. Texas A&M visits Alabama on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin: Wisconsin fell 17-7 at No. 12 UCLA and was held to season lows of seven points and 214 yards. The Badgers are 4-2, and home against USC and at Iowa finish an October stretch that could shape whether new athletic director Shawn Eichorst brings Fickell back for a sixth season.
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: Is DeBoer really at risk? Not really. But Alabama committed four turnovers, converted 2 of 13 third downs and ran for 54 yards in a 26-10 loss at Tennessee, its second straight defeat after falling to Georgia.
“We’re going to have to find a way to get some explosives against a front like that, and we struggled to do that,” DeBoer said. Alabama gave the third-year coach a seven-year extension in April, so the scrutiny centers on preparation and offensive direction before Texas A&M visits Tuscaloosa.
Steve Sarkisian, Texas: Is Sarkisian at risk? Like DeBoer, I don't get that sense. But it depends on who you ask. Texas led Florida 17-3, then allowed 24 straight points and five sacks in a 27-24 home loss. The Longhorns went seven consecutive possessions without scoring, and it was their second straight loss after a defeat to Oklahoma.
“We’re going to evaluate everything,” Sarkisian said. Wins over Ohio State and Tennessee give the play-caller a stronger case than DeBoer, and reported estimates of his buyout range from $36.5 million to $50.9 million. Ole Miss visits Austin on Saturday.
Who cooled off after Week 7?
Tim Albin, Charlotte: Charlotte beat Temple 38-31 in Philadelphia to snap a 15-game losing streak and give Albin his first American Conference win. Conner Harrell accounted for four touchdowns as the 49ers improved to 1-6.
Add us as a preferred source on Google