The Auburn Tigers lost 23-9 to a struggling Mississippi State team on Saturday night, prompting many Auburn fans to voice their displeasure with coach Gus Malzahn.

At 4-2, this is far from a lost season for the Tigers, but after a Week 1 win over Washington, expectations were sky high on The Plains.

Now, things look like they could get worse for the Tigers before they get better. Road games against Alabama and Georgia still loom large, and the offense looks like a mess. However, don’t expect Malzahn to be fired any time soon, even if the team sputters down the stretch.

That’s because, according to the USA TODAY database, Malzahn has the nation’s fifth-highest buyout. If the Tigers were to fire him before Dec. 1, they would owe him a cool $32,143,750.

That, obviously, is a hefty price tag for the school, so Malzahn will almost certainly get another year, at least.

However, if things keep going south for Auburn this season, expect his seat to get hot once again.