College football coaches on hot seat: Bill Belichick, Mike Norvell and others facing make-or-break 2026

In case you weren’t paying attention to the chaos that transpired during the 2025 season, schools are no longer hesitating when it comes to pulling the trigger on what could be a very expensive decision to restart their football programs with a new coach.Right now, the stakes couldn’t get any higher from a financial standpoint.The insane amount of money being spent on rosters through revenue-sharing, NIL payouts and these third-party deals with athletes are at an all-time high.UNC WANTED THE DEION SANDERS EFFECT WITH BILL BELICHICK, ALONG WITH WINS.

SO FAR, IT'S GOTTEN SOMETHING MUCH DIFFERENTSo, that obviously means athletic departments across the country are looking for a return on investment not only for their financial future, but also staying relevant in the ever changing world of college athletics.There are teams spending upwards of $50 million on their rosters this season, while others are hovering around the $30 million area depending on the buy-in from each athletic department.No, not every school can afford a roster like LSU, Texas Tech, Ohio State or Oregon, but that's no longer an excuse that can be used by those programs that are outside the spectrum.Since we are living in a different era, this has become a further cut-throat sport where athletic departments can no longer give coaches four to five years to rebuild a program.'HOT SEAT RANKINGS' FOR ALL 16 SEC COACHES AS BEGINNING OF 2026 COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON DRAWS NEARERIf the 2025 season was any indication, schools are no longer waiting until December to make a move on firing their head coach.

Now, with the transfer portal and insane spending on rosters, the clock is ticking for a number of coaches in 2026.INSIDE CFP EXPANSION BATTLE AS SEC, BIG TEN AND TV NETWORKS FIGHT FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S NEXT BIG MOVEComing off the Seminoles' fourth losing season in Norvell's six years as head coach at Florida State, the pressure is on for this once powerful ACC program to make some noise in 2026.No, I...