Crimson Tikes Cartoon: Auburn, Where Football Coaches are Made ... to Leave

We're still a week away from the Iron Bowl, but even Alabama fans can't help but wonder what's going on down on the Plains. There's no head coach, nor any sign of that changing in the near future, and despite being able to take Vanderbilt to overtime on Nov. 8, Auburn is 1-6 in Southeastern Conference play and no one is even thinking about making bowl plans.

Over the past four seasons combined, the Tigers have been ranked for exactly two weeks, No. 24 on Sept. 7 this season, and No. 22 the subsequent week. They then lost to four ranked opponents over five weeks (Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Georgia and Missouri).

Consider the program's recent history with football coaches:

• Gene Chizik won a national championship and 33 games from 2009-12. It wasn't enough and he was fired after going 3-9 in 2012. Auburn bought out his contract for $11.09 million.

• Guz Malzahn won an SEC championship and 68 games from 2013-20. He was fired after his eighth winning season and reportedly got a $21.45 million buyout, half within 30 days and the rest in four annual payments.

• Has anyone seen Bryan Harsin lately? Oh right, he's back out on the West Coast as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Cal — which plays in the ACC — after Auburn fired him in 2022 . His negotiated buyout was for $15.3 million, the final payment of which is due to to made next year.

• Then there was Hugh Freeze, who was known for his offensive prowess during the previous decade back before he got in trouble at Ole Miss. He was fired last month after going 15-19. He's getting a $15.4 million, 75 percent of his contract, as part of his buyout, through January 2029.

D.J. Durkin is serving as the interim coach, and if you don't know his history at Maryland, where over two years at 10-15, you might want to look it up.

Crimson Tikes Cartoons: Auburn, Where Coaches are Made ... to Leave | Anthony Sisco

The Best of Crimson Tikes

"Crimson Tikes" is the brainchild of Anthony Sisco, who is passionate about all things Crimson Tide. Although his career paths have taken him in different directions, the cartoon centered around Alabama athletics has been a labor of love for the past few years.

He and his wife live in Hickory Flat, Ga., where they raised two kids and a multitude of pets. He attended Alabama through its distance learning program to study writing and literature. Although Sisco still loves to visit Tuscaloosa whenever possible (the self-described lifelong zealot of Alabama football considers the campus "hallowed ground."

Originally out of Huntsville, his background includes two years in the U.S. Army, stationed in Monterrey, Calif.; plus 30 years of full and lay ministry that stretched from Atlanta all the way up to New England. Mix in 20 years of various entrepreneurial pursuits and you’ll see hints of what he describes as spiritual insights and philosophical musings, all with a Peanuts-type approach to the Crimson Tide.”

Sisco's compilation books include: “Crimson Tikes - The Tradition Rolls On,” “Bouncing Back,” “Out of Order” and “The Best of Crimson Tikes.” His latest is "Bama Fans Only" and can be ordered at www.anthonysisco.com.

Crimson Tikes: Bama Fans Only cover | Anthony Sisco