Arkansas Fans Can Just Giggle at Auburn’s Palace Coup

Hogs have had one single clean-out in last 65 years while Tigers do it every five years

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Aug 27, 2022 1:46 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For whatever reason, Auburn just can't figure things out.

For an athletic program that functions on dysfunction for over 60 years, mainly because they can't get out of the shadow of the big elephant in Tuscaloosa.

Since Alabama brought a guy from Arkansas to clean up some chaos there in 1958, Auburn has had an eagle chasing the Tiger's tail.

Other SEC schools are just flat giggling at Auburn. Even the athletic directors.

Like Texas and Texas A&M, Auburn tends to have too many bosses and not enough workers. When that happens you have the current situation Bryan Harsin wandered into down on The Plains.

Harsin’s hire is not why athletics director Allen Greene no longer has his job, but it certainly didn’t help. Greene jumped off the gang plank that was about to be yanked out from under him.

Allen Greene-Auburn — Auburn athletics director Allen Greene finally threw up his hands over trying to hang on on The Plains last week. (Sports Illustrated Photo)

It became increasingly apparent Greene wasn’t getting a contract extension past the expiration in 2023. Greene also saw some of his power in the athletic department wane after the university’s chief operating officer, Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess, was brought in to help oversee athletics.

Here in Arkansas we don't have those problems.

Looking at Hunter Yurachek and how things have turned around in just a few short years, whoever runs that nuthouse in Auburn should come to Fayetteville and look around.

Hunter Yurchaek-CWS Ole Miss — Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek on the field in Omaha at the Razorbacks' game against Ole Miss in the College World Series. (Crant Osborne / allHOGS Images)

There are folks in Austin and some other places that could benefit from that, too, but it's doubtful they'll be flying in to see how it's done. Their ego won't let them.

Auburn really isn't interested in winning. It's more about who has the power and control down there. Texas operates the same way quite often.

With the Hogs, everybody that works in the athletics department better have the same concern. Winning — at everything — is the primary concern.

It also drives up the money ... in everything. Enrollment is up all across the university and studies have shown there is a direct effect from the success in athletics to that.

Nothing markets a university like winning programs in athletics.

Yurachek knows it.

Auburn doesn't. They just keep going back to the donor well.

And probably not winning a lot.