His run at South Carolina is essentially over after a 35-34 overtime loss to Kentucky that ended with the Wildcats converting a two-point try in the first extra frame. After blowout losses to Mississippi State and the Crimson Tide, the Gamecocks had to reboot against Kentucky before taking on Florida and Tennessee on the road. The way things are in the Power Four now, Beamer was already on the hot seat after going 4-8 last year despite being the SEC Coach of the Year in 2024. With almost no hope for a bowl game, things are not looking good.
Washington
Ranked No. 19 in the preseason, Washington has been one of the biggest flops in the Power Four. After ugly wins against Washington State and Utah State in non-conference play, the Huskies lost 25-21 to No. 18 Southern California to fall to 0-2 in the Big Ten and out of the conference race. UW led 21-10 early in the third quarter but crumbled from there, giving up a defensive touchdown after a Demond Williams Jr. fumble and failing to protect Williams when driving for the go-ahead score with under a minute to play.
Navy
After basically running away with the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy last season and finishing in the Top 25, Navy’s huge step back continued with an ugly 14-9 loss to rival Air Force. Now 1-3 and in danger of digging too deep a hole to even gain bowl eligibility, the Midshipmen clearly miss record-setting quarterback Blake Horvath and All-America defensive tackle Landon Robinson.
Kamario Taylor’s Heisman campaign
After a brilliant September put him on the national map, Taylor’s Heisman Trophy campaign may not recover from a two-interception performance against the Crimson Tide. One of those was huge: Taylor tossed a pick-six to give Alabama a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter. While Taylor did throw for three scores and 258 yards overall, the fact that he was so outplayed by Russell will be difficult for him to overcome.
