Hot seat rating for Gus Malzahn? Expert grades Auburn coach, rest of FBS

One point of contention between many Auburn football fans is Gus Malzahn and where he falls on the proverbial hot seat.

Say the name Gus Malzahn to 10 Auburn fans and you’ll likely get a wide range of responses.

That’s the life of a college football coach these days and even more for the coach who resides in the same state as Nick Saban.

Hot seat talk has become a year-round discussion. Who’s on it, who isn’t, who could be on it if he does this or doesn’t do that. Gus Malzahn falls squarely in that grouping.

CBSSports.com’s Dennis Dodd rated all 129 FBS head coach’s hot seat level. He rated them from 0 (untouchable) to 5 (win or be fired). He gave Malzahn a 2, defined as “all good … for now.” He also spotlighted the five on the hottest seats (spoiler: no SEC coaches here).

That sounds about right. Malzahn signed a 7-year, $49 million contract extension in January that takes him through 2024. In five seasons at Auburn head coach, he’s 45-22 and 25-15 in the SEC. He’s won an SEC title and lost in the SEC Championship Game last season.

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After beating No. 1 Georgia last season then handing No. 1 Alabama (and eventual national champion) its only loss last season, it looked like Auburn fans finally were united on the Gus Bus. But then the Tigers lost ugly in Atlanta in the rematch against Georgia and fell flat in the Peach Bowl against UCF. Back-to-back losses to cap off an 11-win season left a bad taste.

But unless Auburn unexpectedly has a horrible season, Malzahn should be safe. By comparison, here’s how the coaches prior to Malzahn fared in their first five seasons:

Gene Chizik (2009-12): 33-19, 15-17 in SEC, lasted four seasons before being fired after 3-9 record in 2012.

Tommy Tuberville (1999-2003): 38-24, 23-17, fired after 10 seasons.

Terry Bowden (1993-97): 46-12-1, 29-7-1, left after six games (1-5 record) in sixth season.

Pat Dye (1981-85): 42-16. 19-11, stepped down after 12 seasons from NCAA investigation fallout.

Just like any coach, winning is the best job security. Auburn beat its two biggest rivals and played for the SEC championship and if it had won that game, would have made the College Football Playoff. At the level Auburn is now, that’s what you want — an opportunity to get into the four-team playoff.

As long as the Tigers stay in contention and reach the Iron Bowl with a trip to Atlanta for the conference title still in play, there should be zero discussion about Malzahn on the hot seat. Stumble early and fall out of contention, that makes things tricky and will rile up the fan base.

Malzahn is 2-3 vs. Nick Saban and Alabama, sandwiching wins in his first season and last season around three consecutive losses. He’s 2-4 against Georgia after splitting the two 2017 meetings.

But Dodd is spot on with his assessment. Malzahn should feel secure. More wins always help.