Which college football coach will be fired next? The Power Four's hottest seats by tier

Key Points:

• Mike Locksley became the first FBS coach fired this season as Maryland decided to move on, contrasting with last year's early wave of seven firings by October, including high-profile names like James Franklin and Brian Kelly.
• The high financial costs of buyouts and roster investments are leading programs to be more cautious about firing coaches midseason, with some schools adopting NFL-style structures by hiring general managers to manage rosters independently of coaching changes.
• Coaches like Shane Beamer, Mike Norvell, and Greg Schiano are unlikely to be fired soon due to prohibitively expensive buyouts, with Norvell's buyout approaching $50 million, making midseason firings financially unrealistic.
• High-profile coaches such as Dabo Swinney, Deion Sanders, and Lincoln Riley have complicated contracts and strong personal brands, making any potential separation more likely to be mutual or voluntary rather than a straightforward firing.
• Coaches like Dave Aranda, Dave Doeren, and Bill O'Brien remain on the hot seat and could face termination if their teams underperform, while others like Bill Belichick, Jeff Lebby, and Luke Fickell have improved their standing by leveraging increased program investments and better results.