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Is Florida State Seminoles' head coach Mike Norvell’s reign at the top of college football's hot-seat list finally coming
to an end?

After
back-to-back disappointing seasons that produced only seven combined wins,
Norvell entered this year on the hottest seats in college football. A 2-2 start
has only increased the heat under his seat.

But while
the season hasn’t gone how anyone in the athletic department wants, Norvell’s
stock seems to be dropping on the hot-seat scale. After Week 4, Norvell’s name
is not on USA Today’s list of college coaches who could lose their jobs first.
And as the coaching carousel starts rolling, don’t be surprised if Norvell
doesn’t get on for the ride.

Norvell deserves credit for remaining focused and being committed
to improving despite the negative noise surrounding his program. The passing
game could be taking a step forward after putting up 377 yards through the air
against Alabama and 238 against Central Arkansas.

Texas transfer running back Quintrevion Wisner, after not getting a carry
against SMU and receiving just one against Alabama, had his most productive
game in Week 4. As his confidence grows, he could prove Norvell was right to
use resources to bring him in.

And now,
with Saturday’s game against Virginia appearing more winnable than a few weeks
ago, oddsmakers listing Florida State as a 2.5-to-3.5-point underdog, a
7-or-8-win season could very well be possible. Seven is reportedly the number
Florida State needs to retain Norvell for another season.

Norvell’s
name is no longer atop the hot-seat list. The struggles of a few other coaches
have overshadowed Norvell’s situation to the point that one program is even
considering paying an approximate $70 million buyout to move on.

Riley Looks to Take Norvell’s Top Spot

USC’s
Lincoln Riley is sitting on one of, if not the hottest seats in America. Even
the one thing Riley could once hang his hat on, an explosive offense, is
something they “don’t even want to hear about anymore,” as Urban Meyer put it.

The reason
for the frustration is simple: Riley hasn’t beaten Notre Dame since his first
season in Los Angeles, holds a 5-15 record against top-25 teams, and is 2-6
against ranked Big Ten teams. Norvell’s last two seasons have been a
disappointment, but at least he gave Seminole fans a conference championship.
What has Riley given USC fans besides false hope and failed expectations?

The answer:
nothing, and that’s certainly not what USC pays Riley roughly $11.8 million a
year for. Now, after his latest failure, a 41-27 loss to Oregon, the Trojans
may be considering paying him to stay home.

“Despite a
buyout believed to be around $70 million,” Matt Zenitz wrote. “Industry sources
have told CBS Sports that the Trojans could part ways with Riley depending on
how the rest of the season unfolds.”

Beamer Passes Norvell After Brutal SEC Start

Winning is
not easy, and South Carolina’s Shane Beamer is proving it. South Carolina sits
2-2 on the year, coming off a loss to Alabama where it was seemingly over by
halftime, with the Gamecocks trailing 34-10. The game would end 49-18, and
while a loss is a loss, at least Mike Norvell’s team made it competitive in
Tuscaloosa.

The
embarrassing loss to the Crimson Tide came a week after a 41-34 loss to
Mississippi State. It’s the first time in 28 years the Bulldogs defeated the
Gamecocks. Unlike the Alabama game, Beamer’s team held a 23-14 halftime lead
before being outscored 27-11 in the second half.

Entering
the season sitting on one of, if not the hottest seats in the SEC, losing their
first two SEC games in the fashion South Carolina did is not the kind of result
Beamer can afford.

Following
the loss to Mississippi State and Alabama, the Gamecocks are 9-15 in SEC play since the start of the
2023 season and 20-21 overall. Of those 21 losses, 57.1 percent came by 10 or
more points, and nearly a quarter, 23.8 percent, came by 20 or more.

They are
also 3-14 against top-25 teams in that same time. Their last win came on Nov.
30, 2024, against No. 12 Clemson, 17-14.

The
question is becoming less about whether South Carolina will fire him and more
about whether the school will pay $27.9 million to do it before the end of the
year or wait until Jan. 1 and pay $22.1 million.

Norvell’s
seat isn’t getting any cooler, and he still is under pressure to win. For now,
though, the spotlight has shifted toward Riley and Beamer and their mounting
problems.

At least
for the moment, college football’s hottest seat appears to belong somewhere
other than Tallahassee. However, a disappointing performance against Virginia
could quickly put the spotlight back squarely on Norvell.

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