I don't have a major issue with Collins saying that she's opposed to the hearings and voting no on those as long as she doesn't vote no on the nominee.
The polling that I've seen suggests that other than the progressive left, there is no groundswell of support for waiting for the next President to appoint. Collins has a difficult position in this election year and as much as I dislike her, she's better than the alternative. I'll cut her some slack if she does some political gamesmanship here.
Right, and I think this is the kind of thing at which McConnell excels. He needed her vote for Kavanaugh, so he applied the heat and got it. If he doesn't need her for this nominee, then that's the time you let her vote to preserve her seat. That's how he builds loyalty within his caucus for those really tight votes.