Hot Seat Rankings: The Schiano-Locksley Hot Seat Super Bowl

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I'm in the middle of some family business this week (all good things) so I have to make this week's rankings a bit briefer than they usually are.

THE RANKINGS

1. Tim Albin - Charlotte (0-6) (Last week: 1)

You know the first thing I'd do if the team I coached was 0-6 and outscored by a 253-96 margin? Fire my strength and conditioning coach:

Not many people outside of Charlotte will remember the Tim Albin era after it ends at some point over the next month. Those who will can say they witnessed some of the worst football we've seen at the FBS level in at least the past decade.

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2. Mike Norvell - Florida State (3-3) (Last week: 6)

Remember last week when I stupidly moved Norvell from first to sixth because of Florida State's blowout win over Virginia and said I couldn't ignore the smoke of FSU's administration reportedly wanting to keep him around? Well, you can imagine how smart I felt when I turned my TV on Friday night and FSU was two yards away from going up 21-0 on Louisville:

Everything following that unsuccessful 4th down conversion sums up the last two years for Norvell perfectly. Louisville ripped a 97-yard touchdown the next play, forced a three-and-out defensively, then tied the game less than four minutes later. They ultimately outscored the Noles 44-6 (!) from the 9:28 mark of the second quarter onward. The sad part is that this isn't even the first time this exact scenario has played out for FSU this season:

My prediction all offseason was that Norvell would get fired after the Miami game on October 17. With that date finally here tomorrow, I have to stick to my original guns - Norvell's massive buyout be damned. Florida State's 3-3, hasn't won a road game since November 2023 (13-game streak), and are now 21-point road underdogs to their hated rival. An embarrassing loss on national TV should mean that Norvell is out on Sunday.

3. Dave Doeren - NC State (3-3) (Last week: 9)

Florida State fans have been so vocal about Norvell on a national level that I think it's muted how sick NC State fans are of Doeren:

It's hard to blame them after the Wolfpack got outscored 21-0 in the third quarter of a 38-14 home drubbing from Wake Forest. In his postgame presser, Doeren mentioned not having a healthy offensive line (didn't go over well), played dumb in response to a question about Wake Forest Head Coach Jake Dickert making the most of the limited resources he has (went over worse), and capped it all off by saying NC State isn't getting out-adjusted in the second half of games:

For the record, All five of NC State's FBS opponents have outscored them in the second half - by a whopping 115-53 margin. Doeren and the Wolfpack are on a much-needed bye, before visiting Stanford next Friday. It just so happens I'll be at that game, sitting right behind NC State's bench. I think it's time to do some ground-level reporting and hear from Wolfpack fans directly, don't you think?

4. Bryant Vincent - Louisiana Monroe (0-5) (Last week: 3)

There isn't a single win that can save Bryant Vincent's job by itself. A win over Louisiana Tech tomorrow is about as close as it gets, though. These two played 43 times from 1953-2000, but haven't faced off in the 26 years since. Beating an in-state rival would at least give Warhawks fans something to be proud of in an otherwise disastrous season. Losing –likely by double-digits, given Tech's status as a 14.5-point road favorite– has to mean the end of Vincent's tenure, right?

5. Mike Locksley - Maryland (2-4) (Last week: 4) & 6. Greg Schiano - Rutgers (1-4) (Last week: T-5)

HOT SEAT GAME OF THE WEEK

Forget Hot Seat Game of the Week - This is Hot Seat Game of the Year. The loser of this one should absolutely have to pay for it with their job.