Auburn fired coach Hugh Freeze on Sunday, moving on after the Tigers lost for the 12th time in their last 15 Southeastern Conference games. This means the Crimson Tide will soon face two teams led by interim coaches after the LSU Tigers also fired Chip Kelly for a similar disappointing performance on the field.
The 56-year-old Hugh Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls. Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin will serve as interim coach for the team's remaining four games.
“Coach Freeze is a man of integrity, and we are appreciative of his investment in Auburn and his relentless work over the last three years in bolstering our roster," athletic director John Cohen said in a statement. "Our expectations for Auburn football are to annually compete for championships, and the search for the next leader of Auburn football begins immediately.”
Freeze became the eighth Power Four coach fired this season, following moves at Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma State, Penn State, UCLA and Virginia Tech. Stanford also has a vacancy after firing Troy Taylor in March. Freeze's finale was a 10-3 home loss to unranked Kentucky on Saturday night in which Jackson Arnold and Ashton Daniels were sacked a combined seven times. It was the third consecutive loss for Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Another upcoming Alabama opponent appears in the hunt for the playoffs after defeating the Tennessee Vols. The Tide plays Oklahoma for its homecoming game in Tuscaloosa. The Sooners held off a fourth-quarter comeback by the Vols, securing a Tennessee-attempted onside kick and promptly responding with a touchdown to pull ahead 33-24. Oklahoma’s defense held a Tennessee offense averaging over 40 points a game to 27 points and picked off quarterback Joey Aguilar twice. The Sooners improved to No. 11, their highest ranking since Week 6. The Vols dropped to their lowest ranking since the preseason, coming in at No. 23.
All in all, the latest AP Top 25 rankings put two Big 12 teams in the top 10 for the first time in two years and Notre Dame returned to No. 10, reclaiming a playoff-worthy slot. The Fighting Irish have won six straight, and this weekend’s victory over Boston College boosted them two spots in the poll. They had fallen out of the top 10 after a home loss to Texas A&M.
Losses by Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Miami made room for BYU at No. 8 and Texas Tech at No. 9. Texas and No. 11 Oklahoma were the biggest climbers in the poll, jumping seven spots. The Sooners beat Tennessee on the road, while the Longhorns knocked off Vanderbilt at home.
No. 1 Ohio State is on top for the 10th straight week, again followed by Indiana, Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and Ole Miss.
