Week 1 is fully in the books, and some coaches are already starting to sweat after their team’s performances. At Clemson, the jokes are already writing themselves about Dabo Swinney’s buyout and whether the school can afford it.
He’s not the only one who might want to look for a realtor. After a series of Week 1 showings ranging from shaky to abysmal, these coaches have a lot of reasons to worry over the rest of the campaign.
Dave Doeren, NC State
There were so many reasons for optimism in Raleigh. The Wolfpack had a veteran quarterback in CJ Bailey. They closed out last season with four wins in five games, including an upset of Georgia Tech. They had a very favorable schedule, with only two of their final nine games played outside the Triangle.
And none of it mattered when they stepped on the field against Virginia.
Bailey completed just 12 of 23 passes with an interception, good for just 84 yards. He did lead NC State in rushing, but that only meant 33 yards on 10 carries. State was never in the game as Virginia dominated from start to finish. Making matters worse, new Virginia quarterback Beau Pribula outgained State’s entire ground game by himself, 110 yards to 76.
In the conference championship game era, NC State is one of just four Power 4 programs with zero appearances in either a conference title game or a BCS/NY6/Playoff game. In that time, both Duke and Wake Forest have managed to win the ACC. Dave Doeren is on his 14th season in Raleigh, yet his only 10-win seasons in his career remain his two years at Northern Illinois. It might be time for a fresh direction.
Greg Schiano, Rutgers
Rutgers has an incredible amount of patience. The Scarlet Knights have never been great at football, save for one stretch under Schiano in the 2000s. Schiano parlayed that into a quick stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and neither he nor Rutgers football have ever been the same since.
Schiano 2.0 had a much tougher ask with the school now in the Big Ten. Everyone understood that. But losing to Massachusetts (actually getting crushed by Massachusetts) wasn’t part of those meager expectations. And yet, that’s how Rutgers opened the 2026 campaign. The Minutemen joined the MAC last year, and after a 37-21 win over Rutgers, they now have more Big Ten victories (one) than they do MAC victories (zero).
Unlike Doeren, who still has a soft schedule, Schiano can’t point to any easy victories. UMass was 0-12 last year and still overwhelmed Rutgers. Except for FCS program Howard, Rutgers might not be favored again this season. If Schiano goes 1-11, Rutgers may decide seven seasons is long enough.
Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Swinney seems to be like Ned Flanders’ parents at this point: he’s tried nothing and he’s out of ideas. His offense remains stuck in the previous decade, which he proved by hiring Chad Morris to run things. Morris’ last job as a coordinator was during COVID, and he’s made no real innovations in six years.
Neither has Swinney, who seems convinced that because things worked once, they’ll always work. Mike Gundy thought the same way at Oklahoma State, and he’s not on any sidelines this year. Eventually, coaches either have to adapt or take a job in the studio or FCS. Swinney’s system can still work at a place like Wofford or Furman, but it doesn’t work in the Power 4 anymore.
Over the past four years, Clemson has been outscored 130-30 in its season opener. The Tigers have covered that up with the ACC’s overall weakness, but that’s quickly changing. Clemson went just 7-6 last year, and Clemson is not Rutgers. The Tigers expect to be in the College Football Playoff each year. Swinney doesn’t seem to have any way to get them there.
Bronco Mendenhall, Utah State
Losing to Idaho State was a major setback for the Aggies. Utah State isn’t a place with huge expectations, but when the Bengals make the 91-mile trip to Logan, the Aggies expect to win comfortably.
Instead, Idaho State pushed Utah State around, and that exposes that Utah State might not be ready for life as a Pac-12 team. The conference isn’t that much stronger than the Mountain West, but the fact remains that Utah State has a coach in his 60s with just two seasons above .500 in his past eight.
Mendenhall’s name carries a lot of weight in Utah after his success at BYU, but the game has changed since then. He appears to be unable to take Utah State where it wants to go.
Mike Norvell, Florida State
His mention here is almost obligatory. It’s earned, given how Florida State missed another winnable opportunity at home against SMU. The Mustangs played poorly in Tallahassee, yet the Seminoles couldn’t close the deal.
That’s a familiar story in Tallahassee. Norvell is 1-8 in one-score games over the past two seasons. That’s the same thing that doomed Scott Frost at Nebraska a few years back. Close losses are still losses, and Florida State is not paying for a team that gets close. The Seminoles expect to win, and it isn’t happening.
The next four FBS games (if the Seminoles lose to Central Arkansas, Norvell will likely be fired on the spot) will tell a lot about his future. Alabama, Virginia, Louisville and Miami are next on the slate for the Seminoles. Norvell probably needs two of them to feel good about his job prospects. If the Seminoles drop all four, his tenure is probably over no matter how much it costs Florida State.
The Clock Is Already Ticking
It’s only Week 1, so all five coaches have plenty of time to change the conversation. One big win can quickly quiet the criticism, and a strong season can make an ugly opener feel like a distant memory. But for coaches who entered the season already facing questions about the direction of their programs, a bad opening week only turns up the heat.
The situations aren’t all the same. Some of these coaches have built up years of goodwill, while others may already be running out of patience from their fan bases and administrations. Expectations are different at Clemson than they are at Rutgers or Utah State, but ultimately every program has a point where disappointing results become impossible to ignore.
Week 1 alone isn’t going to determine anyone’s future. But it can certainly change the trajectory of a season and make every loss that follows feel a little more significant.
There’s still plenty of football left to play. For these five coaches, there may be a lot more riding on it than wins and losses.
