This is an opinion column.
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These are dysfunctional days for football in the state of Alabama. Emailers are asking if I miss Bryan Harsin. At Alabama, the mood suddenly feels even darker. The mailbag is erupting like a level 10 active volcano. We sally forth together.
Babu Mac in Mwanza, Tanzania, writes…
If “flopping” is the verb that applies to and describes Alabama and their coaching staff, what in the world of Roget’s Thesaurus could possibly be applied to Auburn and its coaching staff?
The complete mismanagement of the fourth quarter in the Oklahoma and Missouri games renders me speechless … almost.
I believe these numbers are correct. After 20 games. Bryan Harsin was 9-11 and 4-8 in the SEC. Hugh Freeze is 8-12 and 3-9 in the SEC. Harsin lost game 21 and was fired.
Let’s also admit that AU has better players than last year, and better players than Harsin had in his Year Two. Which brings me to … WHAT THE HECK???! And that also brings me to this question, or observation:
Why does the press seem so reluctant, even reticent, to openly criticize Freeze? From the “powers to be”, Freeze is on a longer “leash” than Harsin.
But wait, there’s more.
This issue was discussed on air during the game telecast, the offensive play calling.
Nix calls plays on 1st and 2nd down, Austin on 3rd and 4th, and Freeze is in the mix.
Play calling by committee? Is this the ruling Triumvirate or Troika, or the three stooges incarnate?
ANSWER: It’s always great to receive emails from Mac in Tanzania. He never misses and sometimes teaches us words in Swahili. “Babu” means grandpa. In his email, Mac also called himself a scary old man in Swahili — Mzee Mweope — but he can’t be any more horrifying than the state of college football in Alabama.
Sportswriters love to use stats to craft an opinion or build a narrative, but, to quote the great Booger McFarland, stats are like bikinis. They don’t show everything.
Comparing the records of Harsin and Freeze is fine, but it’s kinda like comparing a previously loved automobile to a used car that caused a 12-car pile up on I-20. Harsin is the worst coach in SEC history. He didn’t win those games in his first season. Quarterback Bo Nix won those games. Being the worst coach in SEC history, Harsin then ran Nix off.
I’ve been plenty critical of Freeze for his decision to save money on a quarterback this season. But after the Harsin-induced meltdown of Auburn football, Freeze and Auburn’s decision makers knew this was a two-year rebuild. Auburn has some pretty deep pockets, but there’s a limit to Freeze’s spending power. If he thought Auburn had a chance at a title this season, then maybe quarterbacks Diego Pavia (New Mexico state to Vanderbilt) or Cam Ward (Washington State to Miami) would be on the Plains.
Oregon is the new No.1-ranked team in college football and the reason for that is because Oregon is among the top three teams in the country in purchasing power for its roster. Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, wanted his Ducks to make a big splash in the Big Ten. Mission accomplished. As my friend in Oregon, columnist John Canzano, likes write, this season is all a big prestige play for Knight. But look at the top eight teams this week in the AP Poll. It’s a direct reflection of the biggest spenders in the game.
Auburn and Alabama are big spenders, too. Harsin openly said he wasn’t going to buy players. Now he’s not a coach anymore and instead tweets out conspiracy theories full time. NIL robbed Saban of his super powers as a recruiter so he retired and is doing just fine for himself. But talk is cheap, Nick. Any hack with a byline knows that. Is the future brighter for Alabama or Auburn? Remember, schools can’t fire coaches anymore at the first sign of trouble. Think about all the money that’s invested in these rosters. If Auburn were to fire Freeze tomorrow, then Auburn’s boosters would be on the hook for Freeze’s buyout, a massive contract for a new coach, money for a new coaching staff … AND about $15 million for a new roster.
The same goes for Alabama, which suddenly looks like it might lose three or more games this season for the first time since 2010.
Freeze’s 2025 recruiting class is ranked in the Top 5 after this past weekend. In order, here’s the top 10: Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Texas, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Oregon and Southern Cal. It’s a direct reflection of the spending power among college football’s top-tier programs. If Freeze at Auburn and coach Kalen DeBoer at Alabama begin losing recruits before December, then we’ll know real trouble is on the horizon. At this point, I expect Auburn to keep adding more players.
As for the best way to describe the two teams. Alabama is to flopping this season as Auburn is to tanking.
I’m beginning to think that Auburn is in a better position than Alabama for next season. DeBoer needs his own players on the roster. Freeze is almost two years into his rebuild.
Clark in Trussville writes …
The Flop Play sort of gives a whole new meaning to the term “Roll” Tide, doesn’t it?
Rick in Dover, N.J., writes …
Here we go again. Back to the Shula days. I had this buried at the back of my closet and it’s time to bring it out of retirement. Alabama is on a path that many of the younger generation of Tide fans haven’t yet experienced. Roll Tide!
Alabama’s players are younger than this T-shirt.Rick in Dover, N.J.
Darrell from Tuscaloosa writes …
Have to admit I’m ignorant when it comes to the NIL. How does the NIL build team unity?
Never mind, it doesn’t.
I thought that the NFL players had contracts. So, why can a college athlete “jump ship” because … oh, because he can. Okay, maybe I get it. Back in the day, Bama had the “Taj Mahal,” but the mighty NCAA limited athletic residency to 49 percent because it wasn’t fair to the non-athletic student. I guess “all is fair in love and war” applies to the NIL.
Let’s assume (hypothetically) that you’re a tight end with a $20,000 NIL portfolio. How enthusiastic are you about blocking for the quarterback sweep when the quarterback drove his Lamborghini to the stadium? Personally, I think college is a screwed up program with some major issues!
There’s no:
1. Loyalty
2. Commitment
3. Integrity
4. Devotion
I know, they all mean the same thing. Just saying.
ANSWER: College football in its current state is an unregulated version of the NFL. In a lot of ways, coaching in college is now even harder than coaching in the NFL. In the NFL, there are contracts and contracts keep people accountable. That’s how it works in the real world. In college — definitely not the real world — high school recruits are paid based on potential. When people don’t have to do anything to earn a paycheck, then the conditions are perfect for entitlement.
I’m not saying that all of the players in college have entitlement issues. I’m just saying that coaches now have to be counselors, psychologists, wizards and shamans, too.
The issue isn’t a tight end not blocking for his quarterback because of the discrepancies in their paychecks. In the NFL, quarterbacks get paid the most, too. The problem is Ohio State stealing Alabama’s freshman All-American safety and Ole Miss’ star running back.
Let’s be honest with ourselves. Most people in the real world would leave a job that pays $600K for a job that pays $1.2 million.
Thanks to the settlement of three lawsuits against the NCAA, athletic departments will be capped at $22 million for players beginning as early as next season. With schools having to directly pay players, hopefully a mechanism similar to multi-year contracts in the pros will be implemented to keep rosters intact from year to year.
Let’s also keep in mind that in the real world, ideas like loyalty and commitment go both ways. If a worker does a good job, then isn’t it on an employer to give that person a raise or risk losing its talent?
If I had to buy stock in Alabama or Auburn for the future, I’d invest my money in the witch doctor who can get players to sign up and stick around despite all the losing.
Don’t count Freeze out yet.
MAILBAG
Got a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything.
Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”
