This might be the end of the line for Auburn coach Hugh Freeze.
With Sam Pittman out at Arkansas, Billy Napier finally ejected from Florida and Brian Kelly dismissed at LSU, Freeze becomes the next SEC coach facing an in-season dismissal as he winds toward the end of his third year with the Tigers.
This year has been a disaster defined by inept roster management and a punchless offense that has averaged just 4.4 yards per play in the SEC, leaving no arguments for giving Freeze a fourth season beyond his $15.4 million buyout as of Dec. 1 — and that’s chump change compared to what LSU, Penn State and others are shelling out in their coaching moves.
The only way Freeze buys more time is by taking at least three of four in November to secure the program’s first winning season since 2020. Given his flimsy job security, in fact, you can make the argument that one of those wins has to come against No. 4 Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
But this theory becomes moot if Auburn loses Saturday to Kentucky, which is unbeaten in two games against the MAC but winless in five SEC games, with three decided by 21 or more points. The Wildcats are in the conversation for the worst team in the Power Four.
With No. 11 Vanderbilt and the Crimson Tide still to come, a loss on Saturday would basically ensure that Freeze becomes the first Auburn coach since 1948-50 to oversee three losing seasons in a row. Not that he’d be around to see the year through to the finish — Auburn would likely pull the plug at some point on Sunday.
Freeze, Texas and Dabo Swinney lead the USA TODAY Sports preview of the team, game, coach and quarterback facing the most pressure in Week 10 of the regular season:
Team: No. 19 Texas
Arch Manning’s availability against Vanderbilt is in doubt after he suffered a concussion late in last week’s come-from-behind win against Mississippi State. Should he be unavailable, Texas will turn to backup Matthew Caldwell, a former Troy transfer who threw a touchdown in overtime to keep the Longhorns’ SEC and playoff hopes alive.
One-loss Vanderbilt has some wiggle room. After posting wins against LSU and Missouri, the Commodores could lose on Saturday and still earn an at-large bid by beating Auburn, Kentucky and No. 14 Tennessee.
But Texas doesn’t have that luxury. Texas will face three ranked teams this month with no room for error, needing a perfect finish to deliver on the expectations birthed from Manning’s ascension to the starting role and the first preseason No. 1 ranking in program history.
The Longhorns have not resembled that team at any point this season, starting with a 14-7 loss at No. 1 Ohio State in the opener. In the SEC, Texas lost to Florida, beat No. 18 Oklahoma and then narrowly escaped in overtime at Kentucky and Mississippi State.
There are no on-field results to suggest Texas can pull off a clean sweep against the Commodores, No. 6 Georgia, Arkansas and No. 3 Texas A&M. But there should be no questions about the team’s talent level; maybe this November gauntlet brings out the best in the Longhorns and draws a return trip to the playoff.
Game: No. 16 Cincinnati at No. 24 Utah
This is the first of several matchups that will determine the makeup of the Big 12 championship game and influence which team — or how many teams — represents the conference in the playoff.
While losses to No. 13 Texas Tech and No. 10 Brigham Young should end up blocking Utah’s path to AT&T Stadium, the Utes could upend the conference race by handing the Bearcats their first conference loss and first defeat overall since dropping the opener to Nebraska.
Cincinnati is fresh off wins against Oklahoma State and Baylor by a combined 63 points but will play on Saturday without running back Evan Pryor, a former Ohio State transfer who leads the team with 478 rushing yards on 7.2 yards per carry.
That will mean more work for quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who has thrown 20 touchdowns without an interception since the Nebraska game and joins Arkansas’ Taylen Green as the only Power Four quarterbacks with at least 1,700 passing yards and 425 rushing yards.
A loss would end Utah’s shot at the Big 12 crown but wouldn’t be fatal for the Bearcats, who could still reach the championship game with a clean finish and a Texas Tech win next weekend against BYU.
Coach: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Clemson’s priorities shifted in the wake of September losses to LSU, Syracuse and Georgia Tech. No longer an at-large contender for the playoff, Swinney and the Tigers refocused on capturing the ACC and earning an automatic bid for the second year in a row.
But a loss to SMU has moved the goalposts once again. Now, four-loss Clemson’s goal should be to simply reach the postseason, period, against a November slate that could leave the Tigers short of at least six wins for the first time since 1998.
You can pencil in a win against Furman. Clemson should beat Florida State, which has yet to win a game in the ACC. The Tigers also play No. 17 Louisville and South Carolina on the road.
This weekend’s matchup in Death Valley against Duke feels like a make-or-break moment for a directionless program. A win would pave the way for bowl eligibility and could provide a spark that rockets Clemson through the finish line of the regular season.
But a loss would raise the odds of a losing record, which would be a shocking turn for a preseason national championship favorite while forcing Swinney to make massive changes to get the program back on track — up to and including a reshuffling of his staff and a commitment to using the transfer portal to rebuild a shaky roster.
Quarterback: Jayden Maiava, Southern California
To say that Maiava has a shot at the Heisman Trophy might sound ridiculous — he’s barely made a blip on the national radar despite some crooked numbers — but it’s not that outlandish given the opportunities that await the Trojans in November.
The numbers are worthy of Heisman consideration. Maiava leads the FBS with 10.2 yards per pass attempt, ranks third with 311.4 yards per game and ranks fifth with a 173.5 efficiency rating. He has multiple touchdowns in six of seven games and has played well in four games against Power Four teams, completing 71.3% of his throws with seven touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Another factor in Maiava’s favor is a race that hasn’t had a clear leader at any point this season. While Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza holds a slight edge over Alabama’s Ty Simpson, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, this is as uncertain a Heisman picture heading into November as at any point in recent history.
Five conference games this month, starting Saturday night at Nebraska, will give Maiava a puncher’s chance at leapfrogging to the front of the line. USC then hosts Northwestern and Iowa, heads to No. 6 Oregon and comes back home for UCLA. A clean sweep could land the Trojans in the playoff and earn Maiava a trip to Manhattan as a Heisman finalist.
