Coaching Hot Seat Rankings, Week 6: Who's Actually Getting Fired?

Week 5 didn't just shake up the rankings. It lit a few coaching careers on fire.

Paul Finebaum already put three big names on notice after Saturday. But the hot seat isn't just about who lost — it's about who lost, how they lost, what it costs to fire them, and what's coming next. So let's rank them, hottest first. No glazing, no mercy.

1. Shane Beamer, South Carolina (2-3) — SCORCHING

Blowing a 17-0 second-quarter lead at home to Kentucky and losing 35-34 in overtime? That's a fireable offense all by itself. It's also their third straight loss, and they got boat-raced 49-18 by Alabama before that.

Finebaum said it plainly: "it's impossible for me to believe that Shane Beamer is going to survive."

Here's the twist, though — firing him costs roughly $50 million all-in when you count the staff and roster turnover. South Carolina doesn't have that kind of money sitting around. So Beamer might survive the season for the worst possible reason: they can't afford to fire him.

Next up: Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas A&M. Good luck with that.

Who goes first odds: 2/1 — the favorite, if the checkbook allows it.

2. Deion Sanders, Colorado (2-3) — SCORCHING

Lost 29-7 at home to Texas Tech. Led 7-3 at halftime, then turned it over on four straight possessions and never scored again. That's three straight losses, and they've been outscored 93-27 in the streak.

Finebaum: "it's over" in Boulder.

The quarterback situation is a mess — Julian Lewis got benched mid-loss at Baylor for Isaac Wilson, who threw three picks including a pick-six against Tech. Deion says the QB play is "handcuffing and disarming" the team. Coach, you're the one picking the quarterbacks.

Next: No. 13 Utah and No. 19 Oklahoma State. 2-5 is staring them dead in the face.

Who goes first odds: 3/1

3. Greg Schiano, Rutgers (1-4) — SCORCHING

1-4. With losses to UMass and Boston College. At a Big Ten school. That's usually the last straw all by itself — you don't get to lose to UMass and keep a Big Ten job.

Rutgers plays Maryland in two weeks. The loser might fire their coach. I'm not joking.

Who goes first odds: 4/1

4. Mike Locksley, Maryland — SCORCHING

Lost 54-3 at home to UCLA. Fans were gone by halftime. Maryland has lost 18 of its last 28 games and has THREE Power Four wins since the start of 2024.

Here's the thing — his buyout is under $10 million, which by hot seat standards is pocket change. This is the cheapest divorce on the list and the bleakest trend line.

And oh yeah — Ohio State comes to town Saturday. Turtle soup indeed.

Who goes first odds: 5/1

5. Dabo Swinney, Clemson (3-2) — WARMING

The noise is scorching, but the seat itself? Warming. Here's why: $57 million buyout and two national titles.

Clemson just got trucked 41-13 at home by Miami, and opened the season with a 51-10 loss at LSU — the worst defeat of Dabo's tenure. They're 9-7 since the start of last season with no playoff win since 2019.

But Clemson isn't firing the best coach in school history, and they probably can't afford to anyway. This is a "mutual parting" watch, not a firing watch.

Who goes first odds: 12/1

6. Sonny Dykes, TCU — WARMING

Two wins. Over Arkansas State and Grambling. Winless against real competition. Nobody's talking about him loudly yet, which at TCU just means the boosters are still drafting the statement.

Who goes first odds: 10/1

7. Mike Norvell, Florida State (3-2) — COOLING OFF

Went into the weekend as arguably the hottest seat in America. Then dropped a 38-7 hammer on Virginia — best win since 2023. Quarterback Ashton Daniels ran for five touchdowns, a school record. The defense had ten sacks.

One dominant Saturday doesn't erase two lost years, but the temperature dropped 30 degrees. At Louisville on Friday night is the next exam — pass it and he's got a real path to 7+ wins and survival.

Who goes first odds: 15/1

8. Dave Doeren, NC State (3-2) — LUKEWARM

Beat Louisville 31-28 to buy some time and wash off the Vanderbilt stink. The burner's down, but one more bad loss and it's right back to scorching.

Who goes first odds: 20/1

The verdict

Beamer's seat is the hottest, but the $50 million buyout is a fire extinguisher. If you're betting on who actually goes first, the smart money is on the cheap buyouts: Locksley at Maryland or Schiano at Rutgers. Those schools can afford the divorce.

Deion's the wild card. When Finebaum writes your obituary in October, the end is usually near.

And Dabo? He's not getting fired. But don't be shocked if "mutual parting" enters the group chat by December.

Who do you think goes first? Drop it in the comments. And if your team's coach made this list… I'm sorry. Actually no, I'm not. This is college football.