SEC head coach facing 'caliente' hot seat entering Week 8

The surprise SEC hot seat

That a college football analyst says that an SEC head coach has a "caliente" hot seat entering Week 8 is not necessarily shocking, but that it's not Billy Napier might raise a few eyebrows. The Florida coach seemingly spends more time on hot seat lists than sidelines, but it's another SEC head honco who draws the notice of The Athletic's Bruce Feldman: Auburn's Hugh Freeze.

In a column on various hot-seat coaches, Feldman termed Freeze's hot seat "caliente" and noted that the Tigers' Week 8 matchup with Missouri could be pivotal for the tenor of Auburn's season and for Freeze's coaching future.

Auburn and Freeze

Freeze brought some success, but ultimate NCAA trouble to Ole Miss during a tenure that saw the Rebels win 39 games between 2012 and 2016, but 27 of the wins ultimately vacated by the NCAA. Freeze then rebounded with four seasons and a 34-15 mark at Liberty leading him back to Auburn.

The Tigers have not topped six wins in a season since 2019 with Gus Malzahn. Malzahn was fired after a 6-5 mark in 2020. Two diastrous seasons under Bryan Harsin led to 6-7 and 5-7 marks and the hiring of Freeze.

In his third year, Freeze is just 14-17 at Auburn and 5-14 in SEC play. He has managed just a 1-11 record in matchups with ranked teams, and Auburn has been particularly miserable in close games. Feldman noted that a favorable schedule means that a 4-2 finish to a 3-3 season is "plausible" but "still might not be good enough" to salvage Freeze's job.

Week 8 matchup

Auburn's Week 8 battle with Missouri could be epic. The No. 16 Missouri Tigers are a very slight road favorite after a start that has seen them roll of a 5-1 record with a three-point loss to Alabama, but also be set for their road debut on October 18th. The Tigers have lost their three SEC games by a combined 23 points, despite facing a trio of ranked foes, but a close loss would probably not do Freeze any favors in his battle to stay at AU.