College Football

3 college football coaches at risk of being fired before season’s end

October 12, 2026

With the college football season halfway through, three head coaches are facing mounting pressure to justify their positions. Bill O’Brien at Boston College has struggled to replicate his success elsewhere, leading the Eagles to a dismal 2-3 record this season.

After a 2-10 finish last year—including just one ACC win—the team’s only victories this year came against Rutgers (by seven points despite four interceptions) and FCS Maine, the latter a 22-16 road win where BC scored only six points in the final three quarters. Home losses to Virginia Tech and Cincinnati, including a 19-point blowout to the Bearcats, have further eroded confidence, with attendance dropping sharply after the Rutgers game.

Meanwhile, Maryland’s Mike Locksley has seen his program’s defensive collapse dominate headlines, as the Terps have allowed 35, 54, and 48 points in three straight games. A 54-3 home loss to UCLA stands as one of Locksley’s worst defeats, while Malik Washington’s 359-yard, three-TD performance against Virginia Tech proved futile.

Maryland’s only wins came against FCS Hampton and UConn, and a 45-16 loss at Ohio State dropped them to 2-4, 0-3 in the Big Ten. Florida State’s Mike Norvell, once a rising star after a 13-1, ACC-winning 2023 season, has seen his tenure decline into two straight losing campaigns.

Though the Seminoles sit 3-3 this year—including a 1-2 ACC record—their future hangs in the balance as athletic directors weigh whether midseason changes are necessary.