Ronald Evans of Bama Hammer called a spade a spade. Hugh Freeze’s exclusion from Big Game Boomer’s recent criteria-free ranking of the top 50 head coaches is an obvious slight to Auburn football supporters.
Evans said, “…the Top 50 list prompts an interesting point,” and then continued, “In the Top 50 are seven former members of Nick Saban’s Alabama coaching tree, in addition to current head coach Kalen DeBoer.” ‘Bama Guys’ in one form or another comprise the top five. The Top 50 list does not include Hugh Freeze. Gus Malzahn is ranked No. 30, and Rhett Lashlee, the former offensive coordinator at Auburn, is ranked No. 44.
“Six other SEC head coaches are ranked in the Top 50, in addition to the eight head coaches with ties to Alabama (nine if Dabo is included). There are currently ten head coaches in the SEC. Freeze’s ranking as the 11th-best in the SEC is a serious insult to Auburn supporters, even if that is the case. The fact that Auburn hired Liberty’s head coach only serves to worsen the blow. Although Freeze did not crack the Top 50, Liberty’s No. 24 pick Jamey Chadwell, Hugh’s replacement, did.”
It’s difficult to be calm when you don’t know what the criteria are; maybe BGB has a strong case of recency bias and is considering the three straight defeats to New Mexico State (by 21 points), Alabama, and Maryland (by 18 points), or he’s evaluating Freeze based on the fact that his and AU’s expectations weren’t fulfilled. At the end of the day, it’s just an opinionated spreadsheet.
However, it’s noteworthy how much disdain Freeze and Auburn are receiving ahead of the season.
According to the national media, Hugh Freeze will either come as a surprise or be a target for criticism.
Freeze is being positioned as either the next big personality to be fired by the national media or as one of the biggest surprises of the 2024 season. It doesn’t appear that a compromise will be reached.
Although Freeze’s troubled record made national talking heads reluctant to give him any credit, Auburn fans were always quick to point out that he single-handedly turned Liberty into a Group of 5 powerhouse and led Ole Miss to its most prosperous years in the modern era. They won’t be taken aback if and when the Tigers do better than anticipated.
On the other hand, should Freeze have another mediocre season, the majority of AU supporters won’t be in favor of his removal. If the Tigers don’t do well, the national media will be circling like sharks to put him under pressure.
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