There is no hiding the fact that Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze is on the thinnest of ice this season after struggling to find his footing with the program over the last two and a half seasons.
With a 14-17 overall record, going 3-3 so far this year, Freeze is easily just a loss or two away from losing his job with the Tigers.
This Saturday, as Auburn tries to turn its season back around following three straight losses to SEC opponents, Freeze faces the No. 16 Missouri Tigers, who pose a massive (and somewhat surprising) threat beyond their top-25 ranking.
Over the last decade and a half (since joining the SEC in 2012), the Missouri Tigers have produced one of the most interesting stats in all of college football: five conference head coaches have been fired immediately following a loss to Mizzou.
SEC coaches fired after lossing to Missouri
- Derek Dooley - Tennessee, 2010-12
- Bret Bielema - Arkansas, 2013-17
- Butch Jones - Tennessee, 2013-17
- Derek Mason - Vanderbilt, 2014-20
- Dan Mullen - Florida, 2018-21
The Tennessee Volunteers fired both Derek Dooley and Butch Jones after their teams lost to the Tigers just five years apart, and the Arkansas Razorbacks parted ways with (current Illinois HC) Bret Bielema after an embarrassing loss to Missouri in 2017.
The Vanderbilt Commodores fired Derek Mason after he lost to Mizzou (pushing to 'Dores to 0-8 on the year), and the Florida Gators fired Dan Mullen in 2021 after he lost to Missouri.
Since joining the SEC 5 SEC coaches have been fired immediately after losing to Mizzou. Does Hugh Freeze join that list this weekend? 🐯 pic.twitter.com/yJXa0ALoct
— Sidelines Mizzou (@SSN_Mizzou) October 13, 2025
If the Tigers (of the Auburn variety) lose to the Tigers (of the Missouri variety) on Saturday, Freeze could easily become the sixth coach on the list of SEC leaders fired after committing a seemingly unforgivable sin
On Saturday, Oct. 18, unranked Auburn and No. 16 Missouri are scheduled to kick off at 6:45 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.