It’s hard to believe we’re already five weeks into the CFB season. It feels like just yesterday that we were patiently waiting for the regular season to start, and now we’re nearly halfway through it.

Five weeks into the season, we’re starting to get a good idea of how everyone looks. Some teams have underperformed, putting their coaches on the hot seat, but some have come out of nowhere and inserted themselves into the College Football Playoff conversation. College football never disappoints, and it certainly hasn’t this year.

As we enter Week 6, here are some coaches who are sitting on the hot seat, some of my key takeaways, and my latest College Football Playoff prediction.

Coaching hot seat

We’re just five weeks into the college football season, but we already have a slew of head coaches sitting on the hot seat. There are a lot of programs around the country that are not happy with the way their season has started, so here are a few names that could start to feel overwhelming pressure if things don’t change soon.

Dabo Swinney: It’s tough because Dabo Swinney has taken Clemson to heights it has rarely ever seen before. Before Swinney took over as head coach in 2008, Clemson had won a single national championship in 1981, but over the next 11 years, Swinney helped them win two more in 2016 and 2018. Since then, Clemson has made the playoffs thrice, with its last appearance coming in 2024. His refusal to use the transfer portal has tanked this program, and after a 3-2 start with blowout losses to LSU and Miami, Swinney’s tenure could be coming to an end.

Mike Locksley: Much like Swinney, Mike Locksley has been with his program for a long time. The Maryland head coach took over in 2019 and helped them become a respectable program, but they won eight total games in 2024 and 2025, and now they’ve lost three straight games to Virginia Tech, UCLA, and Nebraska by a combined 85 points. At some point, you have to set your feelings aside and make the decision that’s right for your program.

Shane Beamer: The son of legendary Virginia Tech Head Coach Frank Beamer thought he was going to walk into the SEC and build South Carolina into a powerhouse. I’ll give him credit, it looked like he might do just that for a few years there, but the Gamecocks seemed to always fall short in big games and still haven’t won double-digit games under Beamer.

They started 2025 ranked 13th, ended up winning four games, and after wins over Kent State and Townsend, the Gamecocks have dropped three straight to Mississippi State, Alabama and Kentucky. They should’ve beaten the Wildcats, but Beamer’s squad, which was up 17-0 at one point, lost 35-34 in overtime. It feels like his time in Colombia is coming to a close.

Sonny Dykes: Back in 2022, there was no hotter name in the sport than Sonny Dykes. After leaving SMU, Dykes took the coaching job at TCU, and in his first season with the team, he led them to the College Football Playoffs Championship game, where they were ultimately blown out by Georgia, but nonetheless, nobody expected TCU to even sniff the Big 12 championship, much less the CFP championship.

Since that game, though, it’s all gone downhill. TCU hasn’t won more than nine games in a season since 2022, and now, with losses to UNC, UCF, and BYU, it might be time for a change. One year can only get you so far.

Greg Schiano: Rutgers has rarely been a respectable football program in my lifetime, but when they have been, it’s been with Greg Schiano at the helm. He took Rutgers to five bowl games from 2005 to 2011, and in his second stint with the team, he’s added three more in 2021, 2023, and 2024.

But 2025 was a disappointment, and after a 1-4 start with losses to UMass, Boston College, USC, and Indiana, Schiano could be shown the door.

Takeaways from Week 5

Are Northwestern and UCLA legit?

The UCLA Bruins and Northwestern Wildcats are having their best seasons in a long time. UCLA is 4-0 with wins over Cal, SDSU, Purdue, and Maryland, while Northwestern is 3-1 with its only loss coming to Indiana by six. Are these teams really back, though?

UCLA’s offense has looked incredible. Nico Iamaleava isn’t the superstar many thought he’d be out of high school, but he’s running the offense efficiently, and their run game is averaging 7 yards per carry. They have to go to Oregon this week, though, so we’ll really find out what they’re made of this week.

As for Northwestern, they’ve been efficient on offense, but their defense has really impressed me. They should win their next three games before going to Oregon, hosting Iowa, and then traveling to Ohio State. They’re good, but unfortunately, they probably have 2-3 more losses on their schedule.

Who are the Big 12 Title Contenders?

Right now it feels like a four-horse race for the Big 12 between BYU, Texas Tech, Utah and Oklahoma State.

BYU is the No. 8 team in the country, and with their quarterback coming back from injury, their offense should only get better. They have an elite run game, an extremely talented quarterback, and a defense that hasn’t given up more than 23 points in a game. They’re a real contender this year.

So is Texas Tech, which, after losing Brendan Sorsby, fell off the national radar. The quarterback position has been a bit shaky, but they’ve still scored 28+ in every game and have been stout on defense. They do need their offense to step up if they want to be real contenders.

Utah is sitting just outside the CFP bubble at No. 12 in the AP Poll, but they’re 4-0, have an offense that’s scored 30+ in every game, and a defense that hasn’t allowed more than 17 all season. They also have a very, very friendly schedule with their toughest game coming against BYU in November. There’s a real chance Utah is 11-1 at the end of the regular season.

Finally, there’s Oklahoma State, which I think is the most fun team in the conference. They suffered a season-opening loss to Tulsa but have been lights-out since, knocking off Oregon, WVU, and Murray State. They have the best quarterback of these four teams, so they’re also in play.

Right now, my gut is telling me Oklahoma State and Utah square off in the Big 12 championship, and the Cowboys come out on top. I just believe in Drew Mestemaker to make big plays when they need it.

Which SEC Teams are in legit playoff contention?

The SEC is always one of the deepest conferences in the sport, and that’s no different this year. They have a ton of teams in CFP contention, but which ones are legit?

We can get Alabama and Georgia, who look like the two best SEC teams right now, out of the way. They are both going to make the CFP, and luckily for us, they go head-to-head this weekend.

Texas is also legit. They have some problems offensively with Arch Manning, but he made some big plays to bring them back against Ohio State, and the Longhorns’ defense is as good as they come. They’ll be a real national title threat, too.

Once you get beyond those three, I don’t know how many more are real threats to win it all. If LSU or Ole Miss gets hot down the stretch, they’re certainly capable of winning it all, but they both have their flaws. LSU’s offense can be a bit inconsistent, especially when Sam Leavitt is put under pressure, and Ole Miss’ defense has more holes than Swiss cheese. But again, if they get hot at the right time, they can be dangerous.

Florida has also shown its ability to put up a lot of points and win big games, but it was exposed on Saturday against Missouri. Do we really trust Florida to win multiple big games in a row in the CFP? Not really.

Then there’s the Mississippi State, Missouri, and Tennessee tier. All three could get into the CFP, but they don’t have a real shot at going all the way and winning it all.

The SEC is incredibly deep, but Alabama, Georgia, and Texas are their only realistic chances at winning the title this year.

Outside of Ohio State and Indiana, who is a real threat in the Big 10?

We all know Ohio State and Indiana are capable of winning it all, but are there any other teams in the Big 10 that could get the job done this year?

With Michigan and Penn State already out of the fight, Oregon feels like the only other school that can compete with Ohio State and Indiana. They lost to Oklahoma State, but they’re still undefeated in conference play and have one of the more talented rosters in the sport. I don’t feel great about it, but talent-wise, they could match up with those two Big 10 juggernauts.

Outside of Oregon, I don’t know if anyone else can do it. USC, Iowa, and UCLA are all good teams, but they’re nowhere near ready to compete towards the top of the Big 10. Northwestern and Nebraska are also formidable, but I’d give each of them less than a 10 percent chance to beat either of those teams.

The Big 10 isn’t nearly as deep as it has been the past few years. It’s up to OSU or Indiana to represent them this season.

College Football Playoff Projection

Five weeks into the season, we typically have an idea of which teams are good and which ones are bad. There’s a crop of about 20-25 teams that actually have a shot at making the CFP this season, but here’s who I think will end up making it by the end of the year.

1. Georgia Bulldogs

Has Georgia played the toughest schedule? No, but I still think they’ve looked like the most dominant team in the SEC, and we all know the SEC Champ is likely going to be the 1-seed.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes already have a loss on their record, but I don’t see them losing another game from here on out. They’ll win the Big 10 and grab the second seed.

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

After a not-so-convincing win over UNC, I have Notre Dame dropping a spot from last week. They’re still going to finish the season 12-0 or 11-1, but they haven’t looked like a juggernaut this year.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide

Keelon Russell has been the most impressive quarterback in college football this year. Alabama’s offense has looked unstoppable, but now they have to host Georgia in what should be a fantastic game.

5. Texas Longhorns

Texas is the No. 1 team in the country right now, but we’ve seen what home-field advantage can do this year in CFB, and Texas still has to go to Missouri, LSU, and Texas A&M. On top of that, they still host Florida, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss. They’re going to lose at least one game this year.

6. Miami Hurricanes

Miami is 5-0 with a lot of blowout victories, but their schedule is literally cake outside of a trip to Notre Dame. If they lose to the Fighting Irish, their SOS won’t be good enough to earn them a top-five seed.

7. LSU Tigers

LSU was always going to lose to Ole Miss in what was the Rebels’ Super Bowl, but outside of that game, they’ve looked great. Sam Leavitt seems to have settled in after his hamstring injury, and they’re the only team in the country to rank top-five in total offense and defense.

8. Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana is undefeated, but they haven’t impressed me this year. They’re underperforming, and in two weeks, when they host Ohio State, they’re going to get exposed. But their schedule is so easy, they’ll probably still go 11-1 or 10-2 at the worst.

9. BYU Cougars

BYU is 4-0 and ranked inside the top-10, and outside of games Notre Dame and Utah, their schedule is a walk in the park. All they have to do is win one of those games, and they’re probably in.

10. Texas Tech Red Raiders

The same goes for Texas Tech. They’re undefeated right now and only have one more ranked game on their schedule. They should be 11-1 by the end of the year.

11. Oregon Ducks

This 11th spot was really hard to pick out, because outside of those top-10 teams, the field weakens. Ole Miss would be a sensible pick, but with Alabama and Georgia on the schedule with a loss already on the record, they’re not going to get in, so I went with Oregon, which is 3-1 but will likely finish the year 10-2 with losses to ranked Oklahoma State and Ohio State. With a brand that big, they’d get in at 10-2.

12. Boise State Broncos

The Group of 6 champion looks like it’ll be Boise State. They’re the best of the rest in college football right now, so they fill in my 12 spot.