Comparing himself to Nick Saban is not a wise move by Hugh Freeze

Another college football season is soon to start and Auburn coach Hugh Freeze is still in pain from last season. On with Marty and McGee Freeze was asked to respond to last season's Iron Bowl outcome.

Hugh's response was one he had given several times before, answering that "not winning that game sucked, it stunk, it was disappointing, hard ..." It was an honest answer and Freeze can't be faulted for adding some positive spin that the game showed Auburn could go "toe to toe" with Alabama.

When Freeze was asked why, at Ole Miss and Auburn, he was often able to cause Nick Saban problems, the answer revealed Freeze believes himself a coaching equal to Nick Saban.

"Nick is incredible but I should have four wins against him"

- Hugh Freeze

The reality is Freeze has two wins, against four losses. And the two could have been zero more easily than four. Instead of the record being 2-4, it would have been 1-5, except for a bizarre play in the 2015 Ole Miss win. Alabama made five turnovers in that game, but it was one play that should have been an Ole Miss turnover that became an Ole Miss touchdown that determined the outcome.

After bumbling a high snap, a back-pedaling Chad Kelly threw a desperation floater into Alabama's double coverage. The pass bounced off a Crimson Tide helmet and incredibly went directly into the arms of an Ole Miss receiver several yards down the field. The play ended as an Ole Miss 66-yard touchdown. It was nothing but luck, good and bad.

Take that play away and Hugh Freeze is 1-5 against Nick Saban. Somehow, and somewhere in the mind of Hugh Freeze, he has convinced himself that he is a coach equal to Nick Saban. Such vanity is nothing but delusion.

Hugh Freeze is no Nick Saban

In six seasons as an SEC Head Coach, Freeze is 45-32. There is no college football world parallel universe where a coach winning 58.4% of his games can be compared to college football's GOAT.

Freeze has good reason to regret his statement but he has a bigger problem. Auburn's 2024 defensive backfield is not built to contend with a Kalen DeBoer offense. It could and should get ugly on Nick Saban Field in November. After the 2024 Iron Bowl, Freeze, then 0-2 against Alabama as the Auburn head coach will likely face a 'win or be fired' game in the 2025 season. Auburn hired Freeze to be the Alabama slayer, Auburn losing five straight to the Tide, and two post-Saban, would elicit an epic Auburn meltdown.