What must be done eventually must be done immediately. 

It was apparent at the end of last season that Hugh Freeze was not the answer to Auburn’s problems. To be clear, Auburn’s problems were that it had made its second consecutive worst coaching hire in the modern era of the program, at a time of enough upheaval in the sport that fading into irrelevance still isn’t completely out of the question.

For football and especially non-football reasons, most sane observers saw from the beginning that hiring Hugh Freeze was meant to answer a question that college football is no longer asking. A guy who built his reputation on an innovative offensive scheme – which has gone stale without major updates in nearly a decade – and “recruiting” acumen – the forward-thinking practice of paying players, which everyone is openly allowed to do now – isn’t equipped to do either of those things at an elite level any more.

To be clear, this is the same mistake LSU made when hiring Brian Kelly. College football has changed, and coaches built for the last era are not guaranteed to be good in this one. Even Nick Saban saw the writing on the wall and opted to spend his Saturdays getting hearing damage from sitting next to Pat McAfee for four hours instead of figuring out NIL payment hierarchies.

To put a finer point on it, not only did Auburn opt to hire a coach whose best years came when the current recruiting class was in the second grade, but it hired Freeze specifically out of all the has-beens because he beat Saban twice while at Ole Miss. Never mind the losses to the Memphises and Vanderbilts of the world in those years, Auburn boosters needed someone who could beat Alabama. So, they fired a guy who had done that three times to get Hugh Freeze.

Going back to one year ago, the Tigers had a chance to realize their mistake after watching a self-described quarterback guru trot out Payton Thorne for a second year and enter a job market with no other SEC vacancies, or really other top-tier programs looking for a coach. Auburn could have had its pick of the up-and-coming schemers and recruiters, largely battling North Carolina (how did that work out?) for the top name on their list.

Instead, Auburn is now maybe the fourth-best job opening and competing against conference rivals with more money (albeit, in some cases, more direct government interference) for the same pool of candidates. It’s not that getting your fourth choice is always a bad thing – looking at you Texas A&M – but it certainly isn't a strategy anyone would endorse.

In an era where coaches and players are moving on faster than ever before, Auburn’s administration finds itself stuck in reverse at the worst possible time. Hey, at least basketball season starts tonight, surely they didn’t do anything weird with the recently-filled head coaching job there.

The Shutdown Fullcast NIL Collective ($) with a stellar emergency episode that pretty thoroughly outlines just why Freeze is such an unlikeable figure in a sport filled with unique personalities. Justin Ferguson from The Auburn Observer details why hiring a guy whose last truly good season came almost a decade ago might have been a bad idea. Matt Brown at Extra Points notes that Freeze’s $15 million buyout is more proof that money isn’t real for big programs. Just for fun, remember the time Noted Hugh Freeze Nemesis Steven Godfrey recorded a DVD commentary track of The Blind Side, which largely marked the rise of Freeze’s profile in the coaching ranks.

No. 9 Vanderbilt at No. 20 Texas (noon, ABC)

Mannings are now 9-0 against Vanderbilt, and this game might’ve been the clearest indication yet that Arch is indeed going to be very good. Steve Sarkisian drew up a gameplan that seemed to finally fit the strengths of his supposedly loaded roster, and the Longhorns look a lot like the team we thought they would be. Both teams leave this game firmly alive in the playoff race, but each needs to win out to have a chance.

No. 5 Georgia vs Florida (3:30 pm, ABC)

Look, if the Supreme Court no longer acknowledges Stare Decisis, why should college football replay officials have to? The Gators missed an opportunity to win or tie the game when a deep ball intended for J. Michael Sturdivant in the dying minutes was ruled incomplete on the field, and only upheld due to the nonsensical insufficient evidence to overturn crutch we’ve given referees. 

Georgia largely dominated the run of play, and deserved to win the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party going away, but that was definitely a catch and would have monumentally changed the closing stretch of the game. Not a great year all around for SEC officiating.

Mississippi State at Arkansas (4 pm, SEC Network)

Congratulations to Hunter Yurachek on successfully giving Bobby Petrino enough runway as interim to fall on his face and get the boosters off his back who wanted to give him the full-time job. 

No. 7 Ole Miss vs South Carolina (7 pm, ESPN)

Is Ole Miss kind of boring this year? It might be a compliment, given the Rebels’ generally find a way to be interesting when they don’t want to be, but it’s certainly a shift. We probably won't need to think much about Lane Kiffin’s team until they’re hosting a first-round playoff game.

No. 14 Tennessee vs No. 18 Oklahoma (7:30 pm, ABC)

Tate Sandell was perfect on field goals, flushing kicks from 40, 51 and 55 yards twice in what might be the most dominant college kicking performance of the year. In a game billed as a legitimate playoff eliminator, the Oklahoma defense came up with just enough magic to turn the tables in Knoxville. 

Kentucky at Auburn (7:30 pm, SEC Network)

Notable only for the after effects, this was a truly horrifying watch down to the final minutes. 

North Carolina 27, Syracuse 10

A suspiciously normal-looking score, given the trials and tribulations in Chapel Hill this year. The Tar Heels look infinitely better than their early-season struggles, and next week’s matchup against lowly Stanford should provide some runway to put together a conference winning streak.

NC State 48, No. 8 Georgia Tech 36

Quarterback CJ Bailey played through a visibly limiting injury, leading the Wolfpack to 579 yards of total offense on a stout Tech defense. Combined with the next result, the ACC might be looking at just one playoff bid now.

SMU 26, No. 10 Miami 20 (OT)

Miami declined to attempt to win the game, kneeling the ball out in the final minute with a timeout in hand and only needing a field goal to win, and then graciously gifted the Mustangs an easy OT win via (yet another) brutal Carson Beck interception.

FCS: Delaware State 27, Norfolk State 20

DeSean Jackson bested Mike Vick in an FCS matchup that drew enough attention to have a national ESPN broadcast and filled up Lincoln Financial Field with nearly 50,000 in attendance on a Thursday. Jackson’s Hornets are now 6-3 and firmly in the race for a MEAC title.

There’s shifting, and then there’s a disrespectful amount of shifting against a fellow service academy to unleash the long-range artillery.