Saturday night could mark the end of the Hugh Freeze era on the Plains, at least according to Auburn Tigers On SI's Gunner Norene. Whether or not AU survives Mizzou, Freeze isn't being given much of a chance to last in East Central Alabama.
If Missouri beats Auburn under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium, though, Norene predicts Freeze being dismissed from his job by Sunday morning.
"Looking forward to Missouri on Saturday, it feels like this could potentially be Freeze’s last chance to prove that he can compete at this level," Norene wrote.
"Thus far, the Tigers have shown an inability to win important games, and they constantly seem to fold when adversity hits. If Auburn finds a way to defeat Missouri, and the offense somehow looks miraculously better than it did in the three outings, Freeze could buy himself another couple of weeks on the Plains.
"But if Auburn finds yet another way to lose, and Arnold and company wither in the face of adversity, there’s a solid chance Freeze finds himself out of a job come Sunday morning."
Wildly enough, some AU boosters may disagree that a loss to Mizzou necessitates change. John Cohen doesn't sound ready to move on, either. Bad officiating from a 24-17 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners and last week's 20-10 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs have some of the program's donors believing the team should be 5-1 instead of 3-3. That means Freeze could get a two-game cushion to avoid being fired relative to his preseason expectations.
Freeze set expectations for his team to make a bowl game, which is essentially promising six wins. Fans, meanwhile, wanted nothing less than eight wins in Freeze's third season to prove there's been tangible progress after an 11-14 record in 2023 and 2024.
Six wins probably help Freeze survive 2025. He should definitely get one against the Mercer Bears, then it comes down to finding another two against the Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, Vanderbilt Commodores, and Alabama Crimson Tide.