Big Ten Coaches Facing the Most Pressure in 2026

When the dust officially settles in what was a crazed 2025 college football season, the fallout of what was a whirlwind of change has yet to be fully determined. With all the unanswered questions about how the game continues to evolve, one thing is certain: the coaching market is perhaps just as wild as the transfer portal, with any job opening at the drop of a hat. 

The Big Ten is no different, with powerhouses Michigan and Penn State helmed by first-year coaches Matt Campbell and Kyle Whittingham, respectively or UCLA led by rising coaching star Bob Chesney. These fresh faces serve as reminders that, next season, anything can happen in a few short months, and for a particular set of bosses, that notion remains vital, as they could see their job security called into question for their own reasons. 

What Big Ten Coaches Could Be On The Hot Seat? 

Greg Schiano

Tabbing Rutgers as a bottom-feeder in the conference is the tamest nomenclature that could be associated with the Scarlet Knights as they enter 2026 as one of two teams in the Big Ten to never have received a CFP Ranking in the playoff era. 

For the birthplace of college football, no one is expecting that to change for Schiano’s Rutgers at the moment, but it’s clear the boss has been unable in his second stint with the Scarlet Knights to replicate his previous success. The expectations are low, but if his squad fails to have any remote bit of optimism, or something that resembles it, then Schiano may be on the chopping block. 

Lincoln Riley

What was one of the most up-and-coming names in the coaching world is now one who seems to be in the midst of a staggered descent. For Riley, the switch to the Big Ten hasn’t been kind; his USC Trojans have seen a small bump, but they risk being overlooked in a conference where their recent results are rather mild. Riley needs to dispel doubts about his abilities and get the Trojans in position to make their first CFP appearance in program history.

It doesn’t look like they’ll be able to accomplish it this season, but posting another 9-win season and making that goal look feasible is essential to proving that the flash of Riley can carve out a spot in the Big Ten instead of just treading water as it has so far. 

Luke Fickell

There have been three seasons this century where the Badgers failed to post a season of .500 or better, and Fickell has just had two of them in back-to-back years. The Badgers looked like a program with an upward trajectory after five straight bowl wins from 2014 to 2019, but that looks like ancient history compared to the current product on the gridiron. Fickell needs to guide Wisconsin to a season around .500 and make his first bowl appearance since 2023; if he doesn’t, it’s hard to justify beginning the tough conversation around his job security. 

Mike Locksley

Similar to Rutgers, the expectations for Maryland are subdued, but that doesn’t change the fact that Locksley has had rough times with the Terrapins. After back-to-back bowl game absences and 4-8 seasons, the question needs to be asked if he can cut it in the Big Ten, because a pair of 8-5 seasons is all he has so far that prove he can. To avoid the very real doubt, Locksley needs a year in which, at the very least, Maryland can point to the field of work and feel confident in the direction the program is headed, because it’s hard to make that case currently.

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