Almost nobody deserves to get run out of town over one brutal Saturday, and the people who actually cost you these games usually aren't the ones fans want fired.
Start with the loudest example. Arch Manning has the most famous name in the sport, and right now he's playing like the panic is justified. He threw two fourth-quarter interceptions in Texas's loss to Oklahoma, back when the Longhorns were ranked No. 1. Then Texas collapsed against Florida, and the national reaction was that he isn't playing like a Manning. Mel Kiper has already dropped his NFL draft stock. Firing a coordinator doesn't fix that. The quarterback made the wrong read when the game was his to win.
Coaches didn't forget how to coach between August and October. Turnovers, missed tackles, penalties, and a quarterback who's a beat slow when the pocket collapses are what's breaking these teams. Rosters with real talent are handing games away, and the quarterbacks are a big reason why.
You can't fire your way out of October, and most fans don't actually want to. Look at Nebraska. Matt Rhule agreed to an extension that runs through 2032, and this was already framed as a make-or-break year before the season started. You don't hand a man a deal into the next decade and then shove him out the door in the middle of autumn because one Saturday went sideways. That's a tantrum with a buyout attached.
The quarterback carousel solved nothing, and fast. Oregon gave Brock Thomas his first career start against Nebraska and pulled him after he struggled. Changing the name on the depth chart didn't fix the offense. It rarely does. The problem was never just the one guy, which is why benching him mid-game felt like a reflex instead of a plan.
The real tell is the fan base that demanded patience in August and started drafting firing letters by the second bad loss. You cannot ask for a rebuild in the spring and a head on a spike in October. Pick one. The programs that win the long game don't torch their own building every time a crowd gets loud.
The case for panic is simple: these are gutting losses, the talent is there, and it feels like someone has to pay. Someone does. It's the quarterback who keeps throwing the game away in the fourth quarter, and the fix is coaching him better. If Arch Manning keeps handing opponents the ball when it matters most, no firing changes that. The kid has to stop doing it.
