College football coaches are getting fired left and right in 2026, and the hot seat list is growing by the week. Three head coaches stand out as the next to be shown the door: TCU’s Sonny Dykes, Rutgers’ Greg Schiano, and Colorado’s Deion Sanders.

Each situation is different. One coach has a buyout that makes a firing affordable. Another runs a program that may not want to keep paying for mediocrity. The third has a massive buyout that could keep him around regardless of results. Here’s why all three could be in trouble when the season wraps up.

Sonny Dykes’ cheap buyout makes TCU a candidate for change

Dykes delivered one of the most unexpected runs in recent college football history, leading TCU to a national championship appearance in his first season. Since then, the Horned Frogs have been stagnant.

To be fair, TCU went 9-4 last season, which doesn’t scream a coach who’s about to get fired. However, two factors are working against Dykes. The first is how mediocre this team has looked in 2026. The second is his contract.

The trouble started in Week 0 with a loss to North Carolina in Ireland, and it hasn’t gotten much better. TCU sits at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Big 12. With games against Arizona, Utah, and Texas Tech still on the schedule, the Horned Frogs could finish 5-7.

Dykes’ buyout is only $13.1 million. For a program with national championship expectations after that first season, that’s a low price to pay to move on. If TCU misses a bowl game, the decision becomes much easier for the administration.

Greg Schiano and Rutgers have hit a ceiling

Schiano’s second stint at Rutgers has been slowly declining over the past couple of years. At one point, it felt like the Scarlet Knights could become a competitive, middle-of-the-pack team in the Big Ten. That hasn’t come to fruition.

Rutgers went 5-7 in 2025 and is 2-5 so far this year. The schedule offers little relief, either. Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Penn State are all still ahead, which sets up a realistic path to a 3-9 finish.

Schiano’s buyout sits at $18.5 million. For a brand like Rutgers, that’s a hefty number. Still, back-to-back losing seasons with a downward trend is tough to justify, and the program has to decide whether the money outweighs another year of stagnation.

Deion Sanders isn’t giving Colorado the return it paid for

Sanders is the biggest name on this list, and his contract may be the only thing protecting him. His buyout is a massive $26.1 million, which certainly could get in the way of any decision.

Colorado is spending a lot of money to keep Sanders as head coach, and it’s starting to feel like the Buffaloes won’t get the return they expected when they gave him a big extension. Last season, Colorado went 3-9. This year, the Buffaloes are 2-5 overall, 0-4 in the Big 12, and pacing to finish 4-8.

The remaining schedule includes matchups against Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF, and all three look like losses right now. Two straight losing seasons after a costly extension is a bad situation for any athletic department, regardless of how famous the coach is.

Which coach is most likely to go?

Of the three, Dykes feels like the most realistic firing because of the price tag. A $13.1 million buyout is manageable for a program that has tasted the championship stage, and a 5-7 finish would make the case for change.

Schiano and Sanders are tougher calls. Both programs are trending in the wrong direction, but both buyouts are significant enough to make administrators think twice. With that being said, the closing stretch for all three teams will go a long way toward determining whether these coaches are still on the sideline in 2027.