re: O/U Years Freeze has left at Auburn??

He's one more losing season away from us challenging Texas A&M for the lead in severance payments.

“Coach Durkin? This is Mr. Rane’s administrative assistant. He’d like to schedule a private lunch…”

6 wins and bowl deserves firing

8 wins, especially with a signature win mixed in them, would certainly buy Hugh my silence and I think a lot of other doubters. I agree it wouldn't convince me we're back, but I'm just looking to see things like -

- Can Hugh show he can be relevant on offense in 2025
- Can Hugh get a serviceable SEC QB in place
- Can Hugh stop whining about having to recruit and coach at the same time and show his value apart from recruiting.

As for O/U, I think under but this year tells the story to some extent. If it's the 8 wins I mention above, I probably move to over at that point.

I suspect people saying Hugh has a long leash are partly right, although it's very aspirational and those same people have a tendency to change their mind quickly when AU is growing irrelevant or being embarrassed (and we're close to that as-is). I think a majority, including doubters like me, WANT Hugh to give us a reason to give him a long opportunity. I don't want more upheaval.

Deep down, I think in time Hugh would do ok, as in, he'd get AU back to winning 7-9 games. But on the other hand I don't really think there is any basis for the confidence some have - that in time he's destined to challenge for the conference or beyond. I see no real evidence to support that.

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.....once the stadium is looking empty and lethargic.

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This is what to watch for. AU Football can endure a few bad seasons, a bad hire, some booster meddling, a scandal or 2, etc... It has real institutional strength and can take some punches. But this 4-6 year run has taken a toll in a way that stands out to me from the past 4 decades. Harsin was devastating. Gus was Gus, but we had moments. We've now had entire graduating classes come through without a single memorable moment inside Jordan-Hare stadium, but many gut punches. My son's best home football moment at Auburn (I kid you not), was Caddy's win against Tex A&M!. I was at last year's Arkansas game, when the stadium emptied at the end of the 3rd quarter down less than 2 scores. Younger fans are quickly losing connection to what a winning program looks like without the history to fall back on. And recent graduates have never known a winning team.

I'm pulling hard for HF, but I'm not convinced he knows how to win. Still, give the man 2 more years to prove what he can do for better or worse.

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was at last year's Arkansas game, when the stadium emptied at the end of the 3rd quarter down less than 2 scores.

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I see you and I had the same experience last year. I wasn't really in favor of the Freeze hire, but was willing to give him a chance and hoped he would be a solid offensive coach whose excellent recruiting could carry us. But flying the wife, a kid and myself out from AZ to watch us look like complete garbage against a crappy Arky team at home with terrible head coaching pretty much used up any good will I had for him. And the lethargic and checked out feeling of the stadium that day reminded me of going to a game at the end of Tubs last season before he was fired, not the beginning of a new coaches second season.

Personally almost all of my fellow AU grad (late 90s grad) friends I still keep in touch with absolutely hate Freeze, so I think people might be a wee bit optimistic on how much support he's going to have unless he shows massive turnaround. I'm not at that point myself, I'm more just disinterested, which is almost worse as a guy who's been going to games since the early 80s when I was 5 or 6.

Freeze is going to be back for a fourth season unless he completely tanks this season, but he better have an outstanding season 4 or he's going to completely lose the fanbase. Hopefully he does, but like you I'm not convinced he has the chops to do it.

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I don't disagree but the '26 and '27 season schedules will be brutal.

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You got the schedules for the next two years? gotta link for that?

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I don't disagree but the '26 and '27 season schedules will be brutal.

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They have been brutal for 15 years. He should not get a pass because of a hard schedule.


He has had enough time. Coaches of other programs win way earlier. Its time for him to win games, not shite them away due to bad coaching. The goal on him keeps getting pushed out due to his ability to buy players. But he is losing us games from the sidelines.

I will say it again, it will not matter how much talent we buy up, if he cant coach them, we will continue to lose. All of our rivals can buy players as well.

We paid ove 50 million dollars to get off the 8 win season. Not we are somehow saying 8 wins is the goal? I remember when everyone was saying that the 2024-2025 season he was going to the playoffs. Now here we are a year later saying 8 wins is acceptable?


He needs to take Auburn to the playoffs.

I wasn’t saying he gets a pass just that this years schedule is favorable. The next 2 years most expect the conference schedule to be more difficult.

Plus some of our expected tougher games will have first year starters at QB. (Bama and UGA)

Mateer (OU) will be new to the program and conference.

Likewise we have a guy with 1 year conference experience but none in the Auburn program.

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I wasn’t saying he gets a pass just that this years schedule is favorable. The next 2 years most expect the conference schedule to be more difficult.

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Yea, I clicked on your post because it was the last one. Just a overall opinion that we need to be good with a 8 win season now