Here’s a not-so-bold prediction: at least one of the head coaches in the Arkansas-Auburn game on Saturday won’t be back on their program’s sideline next year. Possibly both.
In recent years, Missouri has been the SEC team that gets other coaches fired: two Tennessee coaches, Bret Bielema, and Dan Mullen were all fired immediately after a loss to Mizzou. Mississippi State has had it even worse: both Jimbo Fisher in 2023 and Billy Napier this week were fired after a win over the Bulldogs.
But Arkansas has been a problem for Auburn coaches on the hot seat. Razorback wins contributed directly to the firing of an Auburn coach in 2008 (Tommy Tuberville), 2012 (Gene Chizik), and 2022 (Bryan Harsin, who was fired the day after the game). Now Hugh Freeze, whose seat is as hot as the “surface of Mercury”, to quote SI’s Pat Forde on Sunday, pays a visit to Fayetteville with a 3-4 team. Barring a five-game in streak to close the year, Freeze is likely gone after the season, but a loss Saturday probably means a move next Sunday.
An interim Arkansas coach has gotten a hot-seat Auburn coach fired before: that 24-7 win in 2012 featured John L. Smith getting his first SEC win and sealed the fate of Chizik.
Petrino’s double-dip opportunity
Bobby Petrino gets a double chance to help his cause: as we outlined in Sunday’s post, wins this week and next (against Mississippi State) are probably necessary for Petrino’s candidacy to remain viable. But Petrino can do more: by beating Auburn and ensuring Freeze’s fate, he’s forcing another SEC program into an already-crowded coaching carousel. Auburn may target James Franklin, and certainly could focus on Jon Sumrall (who has spent much of his coaching career in Alabama) or Rhett Lashlee (their former offensive coordinator under Gus Malzahn).
News
Connor Lew is out for Auburn. This is the second straight week that the Hogs’ opponent has lost an offensive starter. Texas A&M announced Le’Veon Moss was out last week, and now Auburn’s starting center is out for the year. That’s a pretty significant loss for the Tigers, as Lew’s PFF grades of 66 overall and 72 in pass blocking are both second-best among Auburn’s starting five offensive linemen.
Luke Fickell gets a vote of confidence. Wisconsin may not join the ranks of schools searching for a new coach after all. Fickell seemed like a home run hire when the Badgers hired him, but you really never know in this sport. He’s been pretty awful in Madison, and the 2-5 Badgers have been shut out in back-to-back games. But Wisconsin is known for its fiscal restraint, so Fickell gets more time.
Florida will make a run at Lane Kiffin. It’s not surprising, but the Gators are expected to target the Ole Miss coach. Some years ago, this would be a no-brainer move: after all Tuberville jumped from Ole Miss to Auburn. But in the modern era of college football, is Florida worth the jump? It’s still a better job with more money and better recruiting grounds, but the ground has closed given the all-in support Kiffin has in Oxford. I’m not sure he’ll do this.
- Box Score Breakdown: Arkansas 109, Southern 77
- The Day After: This is life as a doormat
- The Week Ahead: A desperate race for a good coach begins
Games of note
Saturday morning
Ole Miss at Oklahoma (11 am, ABC). A pair of 6-1 teams face off. The loser’s playoff hopes are in trouble, but the winner is in great position.
South Florida at Memphis (11 am, ESPN2). Memphis can still make the playoff after last week’s shocking 31-24 loss to UAB, but they’ll have to win out, which means beating South Florida, Tulane, and then winning the American conference title game. Bulls coach Alex Golesh is already a hot name, but a win here makes him an even hotter candidate.
SMU at Wake Forest (11 am, The CW). It’s mostly smooth sailing for the Mustangs now, and anything worse than a 10-2 regular season would be a disappointment.
Auburn at Arkansas (11:45 am, SEC Network). We’ll have an in-depth preview later this week, but here’s a primer: Arkansas has the nation’s best rushing attack by several metrics, while Auburn has the nation’s best rushing defense by the same measure.
Saturday afternoon
Missouri at Vanderbilt (2:30 pm, ESPN). A pair of top-15 teams face off, and the winner somehow has a good shot at making the playoff.
Texas at Mississippi State (3:15 pm, SEC Network). Two of Arkansas’ November opponents have a ton of questions. Texas’s offense has sputtered all year, while Mississippi State is much improved from last year’s 2-10 catastrophe but still lacking on both sides of the ball.
Saturday evening
Texas A&M at LSU (6:30 pm, ABC). Are the Aggies really the best SEC team? Probably not, but they are the highest-ranked, and that’s no fluke. Brian Kelly really needs this one. He’s not getting fired, but the Tigers could run him out of town if LSU goes 8-4 or worse, which is very possible.
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