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The college football coaching carousel is moving at warp speed, and the timeline for things to settle feels impossible to predict. Every week brings another rumor, another firing, and another wild card job opening thrown into the mix.

I'm not here to debate the merits of all of these coach firings. Though it does feel ludicrous (even as a diehard college football fan of many years) to see men get paid tens of millions of dollars not to work.

But I am here to question whether this amount of turnover and this fast-moving game of musical chairs is actually going to make these college football programs notably better.

Are we certain that whoever LSU hires to replace Brian Kelly will ensure the Tigers finally make it back into the national title conversation? What about Penn State? Can the Happy Valley brass find the right man to get that program over the hump? Speaking of finding the right man, it feels like Florida's been searching for the right guy since Urban Meyer left town. Is it a slam dunk that the Gators find their next Spurrier or Meyer? The list goes on and on.

Coaches get hired to later get fired. That's the nature of the business. But with a carousel that's gone full tilt, I can't help but wonder how many of these programs are going to be either: a) a fifth option or b) disappointed with the result.

To that end, it makes me wonder whether programs like Florida State or Wisconsin, two programs that should arguably make a change, might just wait it out another year because of how crazy this cycle has already gotten.

The carousel keeps spinning, the music keeps playing—but there aren't enough chairs for everyone. At some point, the music cuts. And when it does, at least a few programs are going to be circling the room, wondering where it all went so wrong. 

For years, Texas A&M's midnight yells were followed by the same old 8-4 jokes. Not anymore.

Now? Mike Elko has morphed the Aggies into a Top 5 power built on speed, swagger, and a take-no-shit attitude—and the rest of the country is finally noticing.

Last Saturday night, Texas A&M did something that's rarely been done—the Aggies not only won in Death Valley, but they made a statement. That second-half surge was something to behold. The defensive line made life hell for Garrett Nussmeier. Quarterback Marcel Reed showed off his lightning-quick speed with Lamar Jackson-like elusiveness. And KC Concepcion returned a punt that was so preposterous, so unbelievably cold, it left 100,000 screaming Tiger fans stunned.

It wasn't just another win. It was the type of showing that lifts you from good to great, from potent to lethal. The potential has always been there for A&M, and it finally feels like Elko is getting the most out of a good situation.

If I were to pick nits about this team, I think there are still a few question marks about this defense. And Marcel Reed, for as good as he's been, can be up-and-down drive to drive. But everything else...this team has it.

Texas A&M checks a lot of boxes for a national title-caliber team. Does that mean the Aggies will win it? Not necessarily. But outside of Ohio State (and maybe Indiana), there doesn't appear to be any Death Star-level teams right now.

I think Texas A&M is national title-contending good. Let's see if the Aggies can keep it up the rest of the season.

Navy's been sailing smooth seas so far, but a bevy of high-profile, American Conference tests awaits the Midshipmen in the coming weeks.

Thus far, Navy has found creative ways to go 7-0 (5-0). Most weeks, it's the offense, led by star quarterback Blake Horvath, that's kept this team afloat. In other games, the defense has gotten some timely stops and picked up the slack when the offense came up short.

The Midshipmen's 2025 story has been a good one, but are they conference title good? I'm not so sure.

I think Horvath is an excellent player, one who can carry a team against equal or subpar teams. But I'm not convinced this team, despite its tricky offense, will hold up the rest of the way.

We'll find out a lot about this team in the coming weeks. The Midshipmen have games at North Texas, at Notre Dame, against South Florida, at Memphis, and against Army to close out the season. That's an insane run of high-quality teams. It's as backloaded a schedule as I can remember for this league.

Navy, in all likelihood, will lose to Notre Dame as heavy underdogs. And I'm willing to bet the Midshipmen drop at least one of the three big tests against North Texas, South Florida, and Memphis.

Perhaps Navy can defy the odds and be a one-loss team that makes the conference title game. But I'd temper any expectations for this team beyond that. Sorry, Navy fans!

UVA has been, without a doubt, one of the feel-good stories of the college football season.

If you perused the ACC preseason polls, many predicted UVA would flounder in the basement. Some went so far as to suggest head coach Tony Elliott could be on his way out.

Fast forward to Week 10 and the Hoos are living a charmed existence at 7-1 (4-0). The only blemish was a four-point, non-conference loss (yes, non-conference) to NC State. It's been a banger of a year thus far, and everyone involved with that program should be ecstatic.

So what's with the doom and gloom outlook, Tyler?

For starters, UVA has been getting away with it for the last month. Some might call it winning close games. Others might call it winning your clunkers. And, to be fair, there is something to be said about that. But forgive me for being sliiiightly skeptical about a team that in consecutive weeks has one double overtime win, two overtime wins (one of which was a win by literal inches against UNC), and a two-point win over Washington State.

Simply put, I'm not buying that UVA can continue this hot run of form.

To push back against myself and this argument, quarterback Chandler Morris has been good. He's thrown for over 1,800 yards and 12 touchdowns. J'Mari Taylor has emerged as a nice running back piece with nine touchdowns. And the defense, by hook or by crook, has gotten timely stops in big spots.

But for all the goodwill this team has generated (and there's been a lot, to be fair), I'm not buying that this team can sustain this level of success. Maybe I'm wrong, and the Hoos will keep this up and make a legitimate push for an ACC title berth. But with remaining games at Cal, against Wake Forest, at home against Duke and against arch-rival Virginia Tech, I'm simply not buying what this team is selling.

Tony Elliott should be commended for turning this team into a winner. And it's fun to see a non-traditional ACC power make a push up the Top 25 rankings. But I'd urge everyone to temper expectations the rest of the way.

More than anything, it feels like Virginia's Cinderella story is at risk of turning into a pumpkin as we close out the season.  

In case you missed it, San Diego State is on an incredible heater, even by G5 standards.

The Aztecs are currently riding a five-game win streak (three of which came in conference play) and are getting the job done with their defense. In those five wins, San Diego State has allowed 0, 3, 24, 10, and 0 points. And this isn't against a totally lackluster schedule, either. The Aztecs blanked Cal (a team with a supremely talented quarterback) and Fresno State (a team that was/is vying for an outside run at the Mountain West title).

The question remains: Can San Diego State ride the wave to a Mountain West title opportunity?

The answer is probably not, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.

The Aztecs' defense is playing at an extremely high level, despite head coach Sean Lewis's offensive pedigree. But the offense is... worrying. San Diego State quarterback Jayden Denegal has thrown just seven touchdowns this season. That's an alarming number.

If you like old-school, defensive football, San Diego State just might be your kind of team. The Aztecs still have tricky games at Hawaii and a home tilt against Boise State on the docket. But if the Aztecs can find a way to limit those offenses, they'll give themselves a fighting chance.

Given the pedigree, Boise State should still be considered the Mountain West favorite, in my opinion. But Sean Lewis and company deserve a lot of credit for even getting this team in this position, even if they do come up short because of some offensive deficiencies. 

We're on the verge of November and college football is absolutely humming. Week 10 brings us a slate loaded with meaty point spreads, flawed contenders, and opportunities for chaos.

We dive into every major matchup, starting with the uncertainty surrounding Arch Manning's status for Texas-Vanderbilt. We debate whether Kansas State is back on track in time for a showdown with Texas Tech, if Oklahoma's offense can score 30 points, whether USC can finally win as a road favorite, and if Cincinnati is good enough to break down Utah's defense.

Plus, we discuss Miami's trip to SMU, wonder how Florida's offense might look with a new playcaller, chortle with excitement over Navy vs North Texas, and marvel at the fact that both Penn State-Ohio State and Arizona State-Iowa State are weird afterthoughts entering November.

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