What happened in this Sports story?

Multiple college football programs have hit the highest 'panic meter' score entering Week 6, with South Carolina, Maryland, and Colorado rated 'unfixable' as preseason hopes collapse across the sport.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**South Carolina** earned the highest panic score of 5 with eight straight SEC losses and no Power Four win in 373 days, leaving the source to declare Shane Beamer's tenure has 'run its course' and that 'the eject lever will soon be pulled in Columbia.'

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Maryland** also reached panic meter 5 after a 48-23 loss at Nebraska, with the source saying Mike Locksley's 'days are numbered' and noting Ohio State looms next for a program that invested heavily in roster retention this offseason.

📎 SkimNews has covered Michigan 27+ times · see the file →

College football teams in panic mode: Colorado is unfixable, Michigan running low on time for turnaround — SkimNews

By CBS Sports · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-10-05

Get the Sports newsletter

Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.

South Carolina earned the highest panic score of 5 with eight straight SEC losses and no Power Four win in 373 days, leaving the source to declare Shane Beamer's tenure has 'run its course' and that 'the eject lever will soon be pulled in Columbia.'
Maryland also reached panic meter 5 after a 48-23 loss at Nebraska, with the source saying Mike Locksley's 'days are numbered' and noting Ohio State looms next for a program that invested heavily in roster retention this offseason.
Colorado is averaging just 10.3 points per game against Power Four opponents, has already benched Julian Lewis for Isaac Wilson (three first-start INTs), leads the Big 12 in penalties, and faces a third potential losing season under Deion Sanders in Year 4.
USC dropped Lincoln Riley to 5-15 against top-25 opponents after a 41-27 home loss to Oregon's backup quarterback, who led four touchdown drives in the second half of a game the Trojans were favored to win.
Michigan's Kyle Whittingham is already 'running out of steam' in early October after a loss at Minnesota, with the source flagging that the program pays its quarterback north of $4 million to be 'average' despite the massive investment used to lure Whittingham from Utah.
Penn State dropped from 14th to unranked in two weeks under Matt Campbell after being out-rushed 413-38 by Northwestern, a loss the source calls 'an indictment of this team being soft' that torpedoed the Week 6 White Out's national spotlight.
Clemson ranks last in the ACC in total offense (321.2 YPG) and passing offense (183.6 YPG) after a 41-13 home blowout by Miami, with Dabo Swinney's offseason hire of Chad Morris failing to fix an offense that has committed nine turnovers.

Why it matters: Three coaches (Beamer, Locksley, Sanders) sit at the highest panic level with the source saying 'the eject lever will soon be pulled' on Beamer, while Michigan's Kyle Whittingham — lured from Utah with massive resources — is already 'running out of steam' five weeks into his tenure, pointing to an active offseason coaching carousel across college football's biggest stages.