Biggest risers in College Football after Week 9

Week 9 was “job-saving Saturday” in college football. After heads began to roll with some fired coaches this week, there were countless others who found their seats getting warmer as the season has rolled on.

In Week 9, these coaches led their teams to wins and kept their jobs for at least another week. Here are a few of those teams (and a few others) who should be climbing up the polls.

MORE: NC State & Baylor should make high-profile coaching hires

USC

Is this the turning point of the Lincoln Riley era? Through four seasons, defense had been the black sheep of Lincoln Riley’s USC teams. All of his teams have never reached the mountaintop, and it’s been because they just can’t get enough stops. To fix the problem, Gary Patterson was brought in as DC before this season.

Results have been mixed so far, but the defense was great against Ohio State. Patterson’s signature “bend, but don’t break” style surrendered yards to the Buckeyes, but always slammed the door in the red zone to force them to settle for field goals. This will cool the seat off for Lincoln for at least a little bit.

Texas Tech

The sky seemed to be falling in Lubbock after an upset loss to Cincinnati last week. With Arizona coming to town, there was a lot on the line this week for Head Coach Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders. McGuire made the gutsy call to switch QBs, giving Thomas Castellanos his first start as a Red Raider.

He rewarded his coach’s faith with 261 total yards, 3 total TDs, and most importantly, no turnovers. Giving more snaps to Thomas Castellanos has never been the answer for anyone before, but could it be for Tech?

Clemson

Dabo Swinney is another coach whose job status was very much a topic of conversation this week. He continues to be stuck in his old ways, opting for homegrown talent instead of portal additions. That strategy has reared its ugly head this season for the Tigers, as they lack an established, experienced quarterback.

True freshman Tait Reynolds grew up right in front of our eyes against Florida State, throwing for 189 and rushing for 85 yards. Maybe Dabo was right not to seek an additional portal arm. When you look at the remaining schedule, there’s a very real possibility that Dabo gets this team to 9-3.

South Carolina

Let’s keep it in the Palmetto State with our last riser, as Shane Beamer is another coach who seems to be perpetually on the hot seat. One of the more under-the-radar coaching hires this offseason was South Carolina hiring Kendal Briles as their OC, and he has worked wonders with LaNorris Sellers.

The dual-threat signal caller piled up 397 combined yards and 5 combined TDs against the vaunted Oklahoma Sooners defense, and the Gamecocks defense made John Mateer look even more incompetent than usual in a 42-25 rout.

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