‘It’s clear’ Auburn’s nightmare QB scenario will play out in national spotlight

The worst thing that could have ever happened to the Auburn football program in the aftermath of Bryan Harsin’s first season on the Plains is currently happening: former AU legacy QB Bo Nix is dominating at Oregon and is now a favorite to win the Heisman.

Even though Auburn has managed to be respectable this season, 5-4 through nine games and riding a two-game winning streak, Nix is putting all of the attention on who isn’t in uniform for the Tigers.

Who knows? If Nix doesn’t leave, maybe AU will have gotten rid of Harsin sooner. Maybe getting rid of Harsin could’ve made him stay. We’ll never know for sure.

But Oregon has significantly benefited from landing Nix from the transfer portal. Possibly to the point where a Pac-12 championship and College Football Playoff berth — and a potential fruitful trip to New York for Nix for the Heisman Trophy Ceremony — are all within reach.

Analyst: Former Auburn football QB Bo Nix a ‘heavy favorite’ to win Heisman

Those watching Nix’s Ducks from up close have the Pinson native tabbed as a “heavy” favorite to win the Heisman, including Ducks Wire’s Zachary Neel.

“With a 6 TD performance against California on Saturday, one in which he completed 76% of his passes and had just under 400 yards passing, it’s clear that Bo is one of the heavy favorites to win the award,” Neel prefaced before saying, “Some betting sites even have him as the outright favorite heading into Week 11.”

Auburn hasn’t had a player sniff the award in over a decade, and that includes three years of Nix as QB1 before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. That fact could be highly consequential as to why Nix wasn’t a Heisman candidate at Auburn.

But the world doesn’t stop so certain QB-program arrangements work. Nix was miserable in Auburn, and he’s a winner and possible award-winner now in Eugene.