Can't Wait For Saturday Wisconsin's Fickell leads Big Ten's hot seat list for 2026
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Mar. 3—***
The college football season is sixth months away. Is it too early to ask what coaches' jobs are in jeopardy? Nah.
's Adam Rittenberg just came up with a list of coaches on the hot seat in 2026. No surprise, there are some current leaders in the Big Ten who made the cut.
Wisconsin's Luke Fickell isn't named first. That title belongs to Florida State's Mike Norvell, who seems to be a permanent hot seat resident.
Fickell comes next and as Rittenberg points out, the coach seems to have the full support of his athletic director, Chris McIntosh.
It might just work out for Fickell and the Badgers. Though they open the 2026 season against Notre Dame in Green Bay — a likely loss — the rest of schedule is favorable, ranked among the softest in the Big Ten. Wisconsin avoids most of the league toughies, including defending national champion Indiana.
A CWFS favorite, Maryland coach Mike Locksley, is also on Rittenberg's list. The former offensive coordinator at Illinois under Ron Zook has gone 4-8 the past two seasons with the Terrapins. Folks in Maryland are getting anxious. That includes the new athletic director.
Locksley does welcome back star quarterback Malik Washington and the schedule has plenty of chances for wins. My guess: Locksley is back in 2027.
In the "It's Going to Cost Us" tier of his hot seat, the author points to the potential ouster of Southern California's Lincoln Riley. who has not delivered what was expected.
The Trojans have a brutal schedule, which should make it harder for Riley to lead the team toward the top of the Big Ten. But he continues to bring in top-rated talent, so a run to the CFP wouldn't be a total shocker.
Iowa's Kirk Ferentz is in the Retirement Watch section. The Big Ten's career wins leader might be tempted to step aside if the Hawkeyes earn their first appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Iowa is coming off an impressive 9-4 season that was so close to so much more. Ferentz deserves to step aside whenever he wants.
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