College Football Carousel Hits 3 Openings as Lincoln Riley, Deion Sanders Face Buyout Pressure
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 30
College Football Carousel Hits 3 Openings as Lincoln Riley, Deion Sanders Face Buyout Pressure
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 30
Summary
Maryland's firing of Mike Locksley pushed college football to three coaching openings—along with NC State and Baylor—raising the stakes for more moves before and after this weekend's games.
USC coach Lincoln Riley faces intensifying scrutiny after a loss to Wisconsin, with another defeat to Ohio State potentially accelerating talk about his future despite his stated desire to stay.
Riley's reported $70 million buyout could be reduced if he takes another college job, and industry chatter has linked him to possible Texas-based exits such as Baylor or even other Big 12 openings.
Colorado's Deion Sanders is under similar pressure after a 2-5 start following last year's 3-9 season, with questions growing over whether the school would pay roughly $25 million to move on.
Florida State also remains unsettled, with resistance to Mike Norvell's reported $50 million buyout underscoring how finances may shape a potentially chaotic November coaching market.
Will November losses push Florida State, USC, or Colorado into costly coaching changes, or will buyout fears force schools to rebuild around troubled coaches?
How far will Maryland, NC State, and Baylor reshape the coaching carousel—and which rising candidate benefits most if the next domino falls?
Is college football’s real crisis bad coaching, or are schools spending so much on buyouts that they cannot fix the roster problems first?