Hot Seat Rankings: What is each hot seat coach scared of this Halloween?

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I always try to make the hot seat rankings fun for Halloween week, and this year is no exception. Let's try and figure out what scares each hot seat coach the most right now!

GHOSTS AMONG US

Mike Locksley

It's easy to take shots at Locksley's Maryland tenure, but I think he has pretty good overall perspective on how it went:

Dave Aranda

Honestly, Aranda did a great job in fending off the inevitable from the time Baylor gave up that Hail Mary to Colorado in 2024 until this week. There was no way he was surviving a blown 21-10 fourth quarter lead against Kansas that ended on a blocked kicked - 4-3 record be damned. I will say: whatever SEC defense he's coordinating a year from now will be nasty.

Dave Doeren

Doeren's fate was sealed the moment NC State botched that final sequence against Vanderbilt in September. He can complain about NIL funding or the transition into the portal age all he wants - There were too many similar goof-ups the past few years for him to subtly keep pressing the, "I'm the all-time winningest coach here!" button and thinking it's a free pass to stay forever.

Phil Longo

One play can't accurately explain a head coach's tenure at a school - except this one for Phil Longo at Sam Houston:

THE SCARIEST HOT SEAT GAME OF THE WEEK

This haunted house is for mature audiences ONLY.

THE RANKINGS

1. Tim Albin - Charlotte (1-6) (Last rankings: 1)

What Albin is most scared of this Halloween: How his team responds from the win/bye week combination.

Charlotte pulled off a quiet stunner a couple of weeks ago, beating Temple on the road for their first win since September 2025. The 49ers were so down bad heading into the game that Owls coach KC Keeler –a man with 278 career wins and two FCS National Titles– called it the most embarrassing game of his football career:

With nearly two full weeks to not let the win get to their heads, which Charlotte team shows up tomorrow against Tulane? The one who's lost 15 of the 19 games in the Albin era by double digits? Or the one last week who broke the 30-point barrier against an FBS opponent for the first time since November 2024?

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2. Mike Norvell - Florida State (3-4) (Last rankings: 2)

What Norvell is most scared of this Halloween: The Florida State fanbase committing a full-scale mutiny after FSU's President just put out a word salad statement about the program.

On Monday, FSU President Richard McCullough released this statement on Twitter:

The TLDR version is that Florida State's brass claims to share their fanbase's frustration with the football program, is (allegedly) committed to changing things, and asks that fans support FSU's players as they work through it. Most importantly, McCullough snuck in the little nugget that FSU has yet to start their search for a new athletic director, despite firing Michael Alford 40 days ago. Doesn't a slow-moving AD search bode well for Norvell, though? Yes, and no.

FSU is obviously trying to slow-play this as much as they can, which gives credence to the reports over the past month that they prefer keeping Norvell. Maybe my simple mind just can't comprehend FSU's strategy here, but it really does feel like they're just saying, "Ha! Can't fire the head coach if we don't have an athletic director until the cycle's finished!"

I'm not sure that's going to fly as an excuse if the Noles lose at home to a Clemson program in equal disarray right now.

3. Bryant Vincent - Louisiana Monroe (1-6) (Last rankings: 4)

What Vincent is most scared of this Halloween: The Twitter app on his phone.

You know damn well that thing has been calling his name all week after ULM snapped their 14-game losing streak with a comeback win over Troy. Why would it be calling him, you ask? So he can double back on this guy from last month:

4. Lincoln Riley - USC (6-2) (Last rankings: NR)

What Riley is most scared of this Halloween: Shutting up.

Lincoln Riley has been college football's reigning bad quote heavyweight champion among coaches for at least three seasons now. In 2024, he said how much better USC would look if you changed a handful of plays after a loss that dropped them to 4-5. Last year, he proclaimed the Trojans championship window was finally "open" after losing the Alamo Bowl. This year, it feels like he says something outrageous every time he's at the mic. He's dropped some true gems after USC's 24-7 loss at Wisconsin:

He also referenced a game from two weeks ago to try and earn some brownie points:

As speculation about his job status continues to rise, he made sure to throw in a remark that's somehow insulting to both the place he left, and the one he's currently at:

Riley's been given a gift from the football gods this week: An Ohio State team traveling to LA, playing a quarterback –whoever Ryan Day chooses– making his first career start. The Trojans are still underdogs playing a strong Buckeyes team, but you can't ask for a better scenario to finally stack a quality win if you're Riley. If USC loses? Their already slim playoff hopes are over, and it'll likely be time for Riley to at least start thinking about what quotables he wants to drop in the introductory presser at whatever school he's at next.

5. Greg Schiano - Rutgers (2-5) (Last rankings: 6)

What Schiano is most scared of this Halloween: Playing without star receiver KJ Duff.

KJ Duff has been a shining light in an otherwise dim season for Rutgers. His 744 receiving yards account for 45% of their output through the air, and he's scored over half (9) of the team's 16 offensive touchdowns. If you're not familiar with him yet, you will be as next year's NFL Draft gets closer:

Unfortunately, Duff is listed as doubtful for tomorrow's game against Michigan - as is starting QB Dylan Lonergan. The Wolverines are averaging 14.2 points in Big Ten play this season. They might not need to even hit that mark to win and send Schiano packing.

6. Deion Sanders - Colorado (2-5) (Last rankings: 7)

What Sanders is most scared of this Halloween: Running a normal program.

Look, I can handle my teams losing - especially if it's Colorado. That's all they've done for the better part of the past two decades anyway. I was unfazed as I watched the Buffs surrender 34 unanswered points to Oklahoma State after leading 24-23 at halftime. Another five-game losing streak? That means nothing to me. I've eaten nine of those since 2010. Colorado is a bad football team, and I've made my peace with that. What I can't make peace with is the clown show accompanying all the losses.

In a week that should've been full of self-reflection and honesty about where the program is right now, Sanders and his inner circle instead turned the volume on the circus up to 11 during his weekly presser. He joked about how easy it was "fixing" their special teams, despite still being one of the nation's worst units in that regard. He continued to passive-aggressively address the situation with former starting QB Julian Lewis. He also squabbled with longtime Colorado reporter Brian Howell. Why? Because Howell wrote a book about him. This all happened because of comments a Prime "associate" who's somehow still associated with the program made days earlier about a $50,000 "offer" to reporters to stop mentioning Sanders.

I've had enough. I loved the hire when Colorado made it, and I still think it was a great swing for them to take. The 2024 season, plus Travis Hunter's Heisman and the awareness it brought to the program made this experiment worth the try. It's over, though. If they beat a Kansas State team potentially running out their fourth-string QB tomorrow? Great! One win won't change the overwhelming evidence that the Prime era isn't different than most of the last 20 years - it's just louder:

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7. Scotty Walden - UTEP (1-6)

What Walden is most scared of this Halloween: An FBS opponent.

Scotty Walden is 6-25 (.194) at UTEP. His already ghastly .194 winning percentage in El Paso drops to .142 if you take away the three FCS teams they've played in his tenure (2-1 record). The Miners are currently on a five-game losing streak where they've been outscored by an average of 44-11. They desperately need an easy opponent on the schedule as a pick-me-up. The good news is that they get exactly that when they play at FCS North Dakota State tomor- Ah. That's right. Nevermind. (They'd lose to NDSU if they were still in FCS, anyway.)

8. Bill Belichick - North Carolina (4-3) (Last rankings: 10)

What Belichick is most scared of this Halloween: Winning three consecutive games.

By my rough count, there were 58 times in Bill Belichick's 29 years as an NFL head coach where his teams won three games or more consecutively. We're still waiting for his first trifecta at North Carolina:

It's fair to say we're not getting the start of a potential streak tomorrow against Miami. There's no way to cut it, either: losing at home to Syracuse in overtime is rough - especially when you account for UNC blowing a 20-10 lead heading into the fourth, and having the ball in Orange territory in the final minute. Belichick's done a legitimately good job this season. He'll need to find two more wins over the next five games to be back for 2027.

9. Joe Moorhead - Akron (1-7) (Last rankings: NR)

What Moorhead is most scared of this Halloween: Putting his kickoff return unit on the field:

10. Bill O'Brien - Boston College (4-3) (Last rankings: 9)

What O'Brien is most scared of this Halloween: BC's upcoming schedule.

I wouldn't blame Boston College if they're feeling themselves right now. For the first time all season, the Eagles' offense looks dynamic. QB Mason McKenzie (170, 2 TD) and RB Bo MacCormack III (155, 3 TD) combined for 325 rushing yards and 5 scores in BC's 49-27 win at Georgia Tech. They have more ACC wins the past two weeks (2) than they had all of last year (1). As fun as the past few weeks have been, danger awaits O'Brien. Here's what they have left:

I feel like they have to win one of Duke/Florida State for O'Brien to stick around. Losing both won't get him fired right away, but Notre Dame isn't a game I'm even willing to consider them winning. A three-game losing streak makes Syracuse must-win. Even if they do, is a 5-7 season capped by a likely trouncing at Miami enough for a fourth year of BOB?

SHANE BEAMER IS THE GREEN GOBLIN

Shane Beamer - South Carolina (4-3) (Last rankings: 2)

Nobody does it like Shane Beamer. In three weeks, he's gone from one of the hottest seats in the country, to a full cooldown after consecutive wins over ranked opponents in Florida and Tennessee. South Carolina is can't-miss viewing every week, simply because you never know which version of them you're getting. Beamer either has them whipping Green Goblin's glider around like they're prime Richard Petty, or falling victim to their own pumpkin bombs in cartoonish fashion. It'll be one or the other tomorrow against Oklahoma.

CLEMSON'S OFFENSE IS A NIGHTMARE

Dabo Swinney - Clemson (4-3)

Some Clemson offensive stats for you:

• Their two passing touchdowns rank dead last in FBS. Yes, even behind Air Force (4) and Army (3).
• They're 130th (out of 138) in yards per play.
• They've scored one first half touchdown against five power four opponents.
• Their defense/special teams is outscoring them:

Their QB's aren't good, but this isn't a QB problem. Re-hiring Chad Morris was bad, but this isn't an offensive coordinator problem. Clemson has a Dabo Swinney problem. He's the one who decided the Tigers already had what they needed at QB instead of hitting the portal. He's the one who brought Morris back. He's the one ultimately responsible for why this offense is such a horror show.

Other spooky situations to monitor

Fran Brown - Syracuse (3-4)

This is witchcraft:

Sonny Dykes - TCU (3-4)

I feel like I'm going to regret not having Dykes in the top ten. TCU better beat Kansas, because wins look sparse in November:

Tosh Lupoi - Cal (3-5)

I feel the same way about Lupoi. He can't follow up being outscored 42-0 in the second half at SMU by losing to NC State after they just fired their coach.

Kyle Whittingham - Michigan (4-3)

It's time to at least start floating it out there, no?

Clay Helton - Georgia Southern (3-4)

Ryan Silverfield - Arkansas (3-4)

Derek Mason - Middle Tennessee (4-4)

Jedd Fisch - Washington (4-3)

Jeff Choate - Nevada (3-4)

Scott Abell - Rice (1-7)

Dell McGee - Georgia State (4-3)