Matt Rhule, in all likelihood, is coming back to college football.

Fired as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, he will probably not be in contention for any other NFL job that might open. Put simply, Rhule was not successful in the pros.

However, he's a proven college coach who twice showed he can build a contender. Rhule notched a pair of 10-win seasons and an AAC crown at Temple and elevated Baylor after it was revealed the university had mishandled multiple sexual assault allegations against student-athletes. He capped that tenure with an 11-3 record and a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game, laying the foundation for the Bears' league title in 2021.

Now, yes, broadcaster Greg McElroy reported Rhule would take "very few" jobs in college football and that none of those are expected to become available anyway.

That, my friends, sounds like a leverage play.

It's entirely plausible that few big-name programs will need a new coach—the buyouts owed to coaches at Michigan State, Penn State and Texas A&M are worth $64-plus million, for example. But we've identified a handful of spots that are vacant or have the possibility of following suit.

Hey, maybe that report is accurate. At least Rhule can spend a year cashing buyout checks as the next of Nick Saban's hilariously overqualified analysts at Alabama.

5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Before we cannonball into Rhule's potential, we must acknowledge what interim Georgia Tech coach Brent Key has accomplished. Since the school fired Geoff Collins, the Yellow Jackets have upset No. 24 Pitt on the road and edged Duke.

Key isn't a lock for a promotion at his alma mater, but he's made a heck of a two-game case.

Strictly from a long-term perspective, Rhule would be a terrific match at Georgia Tech. As long as the program makes progress, there will be patience. Such development simply didn't happen under Collins, who went 10-28 and routinely lost to Top 25 competition by 30-plus points.

The largest obstacle—as it would be for Colorado—is the cost. The Yellow Jackets haven't showed a great desire to join the college football arms race. Rhule himself would be expensive, yet he'd also be looking for immense institutional support. That's not a shot at Georgia Tech, which has reason to avoid spending obscene amounts of money. But it, nevertheless, is reality.

While recruiting would be difficult—have fun competing with Georgia in the Peach State alone—the availability of talent is far greater for Tech than, for comparison, vacancies at Arizona State or Colorado.