During Tennessee Hate Week for Alabama football fans, distractions caused by Auburn and Hugh Freeze are not welcome. All attention should be on the Vols, but the situation in Auburn, though entirely predictable, is too important to ignore. Another word to describe the mess on The Plains is bizarre. As in, how did Auburn not see this coming before Hugh Freeze was hired?
Auburn didn't because of one glaring failing in perspective. When a program consistently measures itself against a rival and makes key decisions based on improving chances of beating that rival, other important things are ignored.
Auburn and Alabama Football Tunnel-Vision
Auburn's plan for hiring head coaches and, more recently, for hiring a starting quarterback, has required candidates to have a single career milestone. That milestone is a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Hugh Freeze and Jackson Arnold were hired based on that one resume bullet point. Little else mattered.
The next day that John Cohen, the Auburn Athletic Director's car doesn't start, the Tigers will do it again. This week, Cohen said he is not expecting to fire Freeze. He oddly added that the situation is similar to not knowing in advance when your car will not start.
Saturday Down South's Conor O'Gara wrote that as soon as Sunday, both Freeze and Florida's Billy Napier could be fired. More specifically, O'Gara's opinion is that if either coach loses on Saturday, they will be quickly fired.
At some point soon, Auburn will have to cut Freeze loose or risk losing its roster. Freeze made the problem worse recently by dismissing a team captain and well-liked running back, Damari Alston. As Erica Brockish wrote for Fly War Eagle, "The Auburn locker room clearly feels that Alson should not have been dismissed from the team. Based on the social media posts, the guys feel it was wrong that he was dismissed and are standing with their teammate."
Going back to the 2007 Alabama football season, 25 college football coaches have won against Nick Saban or Kalen DeBoer. That is not Auburn's short list, but take away the ones who will never coach again, plus the ones that would never consider Auburn, and Cohen's short list to replace Freeze is clear.
Many Alabama football fans prefer that Auburn retain Freeze. While that would be the best result for Alabama, there is no need to worry about the coach the Tigers will hire. Auburn will screw it up again.