Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano remains on the college football coaching hot seat entering Week 11, but Nebraska’s Matt Rhule joined the list after firing his offensive coordinator during a four-game losing streak.
Rhule is one of three Power Four head coaches to fire a coordinator in the past week, joining Oklahoma’s Brent Venables and Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham. Venables’ Sooners responded with a 23-7 win at Florida, which moves him from last week’s main list to the watch list.
Which coaching changes happened this week?
Oklahoma fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle on Nov. 2 and handed play-calling to tight ends coach Jason Witten. Nebraska fired Dana Holgorsen on Nov. 7, one day after a loss at Illinois, and gave the offense to co-coordinator Glenn Thomas.
Michigan followed Sunday by firing Jason Beck after a 15-6 home loss to Michigan State. Whittingham said he “felt that a change in leadership was required for our offense,” and offensive line coach Jim Harding will serve as interim coordinator.
The biggest hiring development came from Raleigh. NC State is moving forward with Philip Rivers as its next head coach. Rivers, the Wolfpack’s career passing leader, coaches St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala., where his son Gunner, an NC State commit, plays quarterback.
Greg Schiano, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers trailed Wisconsin 13-10 at halftime and was outscored 18-0 after the break in a 31-10 loss at Camp Randall Stadium. At 2-7 and 1-5 in the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights can no longer reach six wins with Nebraska, Penn State and Michigan State left.
The more important development came from his own athletic director. Asked by sports marketing firm Navigate how she measures success against resources, Keli Zinn described a program investing at a ninth-place level in the conference.
“But if all of those things put you ninth in the league and you’re performing 14th, there’s a problem there,” Zinn said. “Something is not working, and you’ve got to be able to get close to that point, show a trajectory to there or unfortunately that’s probably not going to end well.”
Zinn didn’t name Schiano. But Rutgers finished tied for 14th in the Big Ten last season, and Schiano’s $6.9 million salary ranks ninth in the conference. Estimates of Rutgers’ roster spending vary, so the comparison isn’t exact, but the message about expectations is clear.
Brent Key, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
One week after Key said his program needed a “total top-to-bottom look,” Louisville beat Georgia Tech 44-17 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Cardinals led 27-3 and outgained the Yellow Jackets 306-66 before Tech’s final possession of the first half.
The loss was Georgia Tech’s fourth straight, its longest skid since it dropped the last six games of 2021, the season before Key took over as interim coach. At 2-7, the Yellow Jackets will miss a bowl for the first time in Key’s four full seasons.
Georgia Tech has lost 11 of 14 since starting 8-0 last season. Louisville ran for 251 yards at 7.0 per carry, and Tech has rushed for fewer than 110 yards in all four losses. Key’s five-year contract and the lack of reporting about a move still matter, but his team isn’t competitive right now. Tech visits Clemson next.
Sonny Dykes, TCU Horned Frogs
TCU had a road win over a ranked team in its hands Friday night. The Horned Frogs led No. 24 Arizona 28-20 in the fourth quarter, then allowed a touchdown with 1:45 left, an onside pooch kick that Arizona recovered at the TCU 26 and a 37-yard field goal with 39 seconds remaining in a 29-28 loss.
“I’m disappointed for our players,” Dykes said. “It’s been a frustrating year. We’ve lost a lot of close games.”
It was TCU’s fifth one-score loss, and it came one week after the Horned Frogs finally won one against Kansas. Dykes’ April extension and back-to-back 9-4 seasons still protect him. But at 4-5 and 2-4 in the Big 12, TCU needs two wins in its last three games, starting with Kansas State at home, just to reach a bowl.
Deion Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado’s overtime win over Kansas State didn’t carry over to Tempe. The Buffaloes punted four times and failed on two fourth downs in a scoreless first half, trailed 17-0 at the break and lost 20-10 at Arizona State. Their best first-half play, a 74-yard touchdown from Isaac Wilson to Ernest Campbell, was wiped out by an ineligible receiver penalty.
The loss was Colorado’s ninth straight conference road defeat, and Coach Prime addressed his job security afterward.
“I don’t think about that. I am not here for my job. I am not built like that,” Sanders said. Asked about a bowl, he said, “It don’t look good. I am not crazy.”
At 3-6 and 1-5 in league play, Colorado must beat Houston, Cincinnati and UCF to finish 6-6. Sanders’ comments aren’t a university decision, and nothing from Colorado’s administration has signaled a change.
Bill O’Brien, Boston College Eagles
Last week’s index said a home loss to a Florida State team playing its first game under an interim coach would damage O’Brien’s case. Boston College led 10-0 after one quarter and 24-21 late in the third, then lost 31-24 to Rick Stockstill’s Seminoles.
Florida State tied the game on a field goal with 13:22 left, then put together a 14-play, 90-yard drive that took 8:16 off the clock before Amari Thomas scored with 2:29 remaining. It was the Seminoles’ first road win since 2023.
“We just didn’t make enough plays,” O’Brien said, before adding about the remaining schedule, “It’s going to be a really difficult row to hoe.”
At 4-5 and 2-4 in the ACC, Boston College needs two wins against Notre Dame, Syracuse and Miami. O’Brien’s place on this list is firmer than it was a week ago, though nothing suggests a decision has been made.
Matt Rhule, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska started 5-0 and is now 5-4 after a 24-13 loss at Illinois on Friday night. Anthony Colandrea threw for 284 yards and the Huskers gained 426 yards, but they scored only 13 points and turned the ball over on downs on their final two meaningful possessions.
The Huskers averaged 13.5 points during the four-game skid, and Rhule fired Holgorsen the next day. “Like so many of you, I am angry, I am disappointed and I am frustrated with our results this season,” Rhule said in a statement. “While there are many areas that need improvement, our offensive plan and execution is simply not working.”
Rhule also said he will “continue to evaluate our program through the season and certainly at its conclusion.” Firing a coordinator doesn’t mean Nebraska is moving on from Rhule, but it’s an admission that the season has gone wrong. Nebraska needs one more win to become bowl eligible.
Why did Brent Venables drop off?
Witten’s first game calling plays produced Oklahoma’s best performance in weeks. John Mateer threw two short touchdown passes, the second capping a 20-play, 89-yard drive, and Florida’s longest play from scrimmage went for 33 yards in a 23-7 Sooners win in Oklahoma’s first visit to The Swamp.
Venables described the Arbuckle move as less about one coach than the results. “It’s not necessarily an indictment of Ben as much as it is just the end product wasn’t what it needed to be, offensively speaking,” he said.
Oklahoma is 5-4 and 3-3 in the SEC and needs one win against Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Missouri to extend a bowl streak dating to 1999. One road win doesn’t erase a 42-25 home loss to South Carolina, so Venables stays on the watch list.
Who is on the watch list?
Kansas’ Lance Leipold is the strongest name outside the main group. The Jayhawks trailed UCF 26-7, scored 25 straight points to lead 32-26, then allowed a 73-yard drive and a touchdown with one second left in a 33-32 home loss. It came one week after Kansas blew a 13-0 halftime lead at TCU.
“This one stings a lot,” Leipold said. Kansas is 3-6 and 1-5 in the Big 12.
Texas A&M’s Mike Elko is also worth watching after a 17-9 loss at South Carolina for a team that opened the season ranked No. 8 in the AP poll.
Two coaches on this week’s list meet when Nebraska visits Rutgers on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 12:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
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