Locksley the first domino to fall; is anybody next?

· Yahoo Sports

Nov 30, 2019; East Lansing, MI, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley stands on the field during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports The 2026 football season was devoid of firings…until now

There’s a Yiddish expression about jinxes and evil eyes. Kenahora is meant to ward off bad things. Sort of like, don’t say it and it won’t happen.

Well, The Athletic said it, or wrote it, on October 16: Why haven’t any college football head coaches been fired yet this season? Boom! Mike Locksley is gone.

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We recently posted about a website we came across, Coaches Hotseat, that had Locksley as the hottest seat in the country. With his dismissal – or mutual separation – the top spot among hotseat coaches falls to No. 2, Greg Schiano. Although not everyone has GS as the heir apparent, at least from a betting perspective:

We are at the midpoint, more or less, of the season. And as the article in The Athletic points out, firing a coach, even for teams with the financial wherewithal, is not an easy call.

According to agents, administrators and coaches who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the market candidly, many schools have finally reached a spending ceiling, leading them to rethink when to make changes and whether a change is really the solution.

“It’s a combination of losing a roster and finding the budget to compete while also paying absurd buyouts,” one agent said.

Money talks, and it often says, “Wait a minute!”

The conversation seems to be about the cost-benefit aspect of firing a coach mid-season. Is it the coach? The roster? The money that was – or wasn’t – spent?

Wisconsin is a prime example, per The Athletic article. Luke Fickell was in trouble last year, certainly among the fan base. He spoke with his AD and said he wanted to finish the job. Rather than spend money on a new coach and all that entails (and costs), Wisconsin increased its roster budget and life is once again good in Madison. The article also pointed to how Virginia did that the year before and made a run to the ACC title game.

Locksley got fired during Maryland’s bye week, an opportune time to regroup under an interim. With Rutgers’ horrific start, there were some who thought that the same thing would happen: the bye week would be when the axe would fall. It didn’t, and it seems most now figure if Schiano is going to be fired, it would be at the end of the season. If….

Personally, I think it’s less and less likely that another coach gets fired during the season. Barring an egregious action or some horrific loss, it isn’t financially logical to dump a coach before the season ends.

So, what if Keli Zinn looks at the situation and considers what happened at Wisconsin or Virginia? What if she feels it’s not the coach, but the money? Keep Schiano, find him more roster funds. Or, does she decide it is the coach; last year Kentucky fired Bob Stoops post-season and it now has a 15th ranked 5-1 team.

What if we beat Northwestern?!?!

Either way, money likely dictates the decision.

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