Preseason football usually brings a familiar hierarchy, but this year looks different. The top six teams could be shuffled in almost any order and still make sense, while seven experienced programs — Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame, Georgia, Texas, Indiana and Miami — give the sport a much less predictable feel than usual.
That uncertainty also reaches the coaching ranks. According to Phil Steele, Mike Norvell enters the year with the hottest seat after Florida State finished 5-7 last season. It is a reminder that even in a sport where patience is often preached in public, results can still create pressure quickly.
Why Norvell is under the microscope
Florida State's 5-7 record is the clearest reason Norvell is the coach drawing the most heat. The Seminoles did not just miss expectations; they spent last season searching for consistency and never found it. That matters because a program with Florida State's profile is rarely judged on close calls or process alone.
The early schedule only adds to the pressure. Florida State could face embarrassing losses to SMU and Alabama in Weeks 2 and 3, which means this is not a situation with much time to settle in. If the Seminoles stumble early, the conversation around Norvell could move even faster.
Last season showed how quickly things can change across the sport. Virginia Tech's Brent Pry, UCLA's Deshaun Foster and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy were all fired after just three games. That is the kind of recent example that keeps preseason coaching pressure from being treated as a long-term issue.
Who appears safest?
If Norvell is the coach with the hottest seat, Wisconsin's situation looks very different. Even after a six-game losing streak last season, the program is still viewed as one where the coach should survive the year. That does not mean the pressure disappears, but it does suggest a clearer path to staying in place through the season.
There is also a broader backdrop to all of this. Barney G. captured the unusual nature of this preseason by asking whether another year could produce a top six that might be shuffled in any order, with every version still easy to justify. That kind of openness at the top makes the coaching stories stand out even more.
For now, Florida State is the team most likely to turn preseason football into an in-season coaching storyline. Norvell has the most to prove, and the schedule gives him little room to ease into the year.
