AUBURN, AL - NOVEMBER 08: Head coach Kevin Sumlin of the Texas A&M Aggies shakes hands with head coach Gus Malzahn of the Auburn Tigers after their 41-38 win at Jordan Hare Stadium on November 8, 2014 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

ESPN thinks one coach will leave his school before they can fire him

Could this come true?

Kevin Sumlin is locked up under a lucrative contract at Texas A&M, but there have been plenty of rumors that the head coach could be on the way out if things don't go well in 2017. That comes on the heels of three consecutive 8-5 seasons and, while he has managed to avoid full-fledged disaster, Sumlin's early success in College Station probably works against him when it comes to avoiding the hot seat.

With that said, Mark Schlabach of ESPN predicts that Sumlin won't be fired at Texas A&M, but that he will still flee his current position in favor of greener pastures.

The Aggies will start 3-3, turning up the heat on Kevin Sumlin, but then they'll win five of their last six games to finish 8-4 and save his job. With signature victories over Florida and Auburn, Texas A&M will decide to keep Sumlin around for a seventh season. But Sumlin will get out of College Station while he can, landing another Power 5 job before AD Scott Woodward can fire him in 2018.

Finishing with eight wins (again) wouldn't keep anyone terribly happy at Texas A&M, but under this scenario it would be Sumlin jumping to another job instead of being let go. This certainly seems conceivable based on the attention that Sumlin has received for other jobs in the past, but a lot will come down to how he and his team perform in 2017, making the situation quite intriguing over the next few months.