Alabama Football: Gus Bus finally runs out of gas at Auburn

Alabama football’s bitter rival finally fires Gus Malzahn.

For nearly a decade, Gus Malzahn has been in charge of the Auburn Tigers. The Gus Bus has seen its fair share of highs and lows, but it finally ran out of gas. Alabama football fans no longer have to think about what Malzahn will do against the Crimson Tide.

Malzahn’s tenure with the Tigers has stuttered in recent years. However, three things have kept him in Auburn. For starters, his original success gave him the benefit of the doubt. Malzahn led the Tigers to a national championship, and that gives you a lot of slack. He also has a strong record against Alabama football. Winning the Iron Bowl covers a lot of issues over the course of the season.

Malzahn has also had a massive buyout for the majority of his tenure with the Auburn Tigers. Auburn finally decided to bite the bullet and pay his multi-million dollar buyout. During a pandemic, that will make it even harder to find money for your next coach. However, the Tigers obviously believe that they can find a better option to be their head coach.

Auburn ended their year with a win against Mississippi State, but they struggled all of 2020. They failed to beat any of their true rivals, which was inevitably the nail in the coffin for Gus Malzahn’s career with the Tigers.

Malzahn has a few options now. He will likely receive offers to coach midlevel teams in the Power 5. However, he might prefer to be a coordinator for a title contender. Heck, he’ll probably be a candidate for a Nick Saban internship. However, fans aren’t concerned with what Malzahn will do.

All Alabama football fans want to know is who will replace Malzahn. Steve Sarkisian will certainly be considered, but he might be waiting for a better job. If Auburn wants to take a Saban assistant, Mario Cristobal will likely be considered. Oregon has struggled this year, but he is a great recruiter and developer of talent.

It will be interesting to see what Auburn does, but Alabama football will be ready.