The most remarkable aspect of this small-town, competitive environment is that Auburn truly lives up to its nickname as The Loveliest Village on the Plains.

However, beneath that picturesque community, reminiscent of American small-town charm, lies a strong current of envy.

This envy is relentless and insatiable.

“You can sense it every single day,” former Auburn coach Terry Bowden once shared with me.

Hugh Freeze is currently feeling that pressure, much like his predecessors—Bryan Harsin, Gus Malzahn, Gene Chizik, and Tommy Tuberville. Do I need to mention more?

There’s a reason envy is regarded as one of the seven deadly sins.

Auburn’s mindset is that whatever Alabama accomplishes, they can and should surpass it. No amount of money or personal humiliation is off-limits in this pursuit.

It wasn’t too long ago that Auburn dismissed Harsin after a critical play, where tailback Tank Bigsby failed to stay inbounds during an upset against their rivals. This occurred in Harsin’s first year.

Following that painful loss—a result of their own mistakes—Harsin was deemed “not a fit,” and ugly rumors regarding off-field issues circulated well before Year 2 began, especially on social media.

It’s also worth noting that Auburn dismissed the coach who had the most victories against Alabama’s Nick Saban. Now, Malzahn enjoys a successful career at UCF, humorously noting he’s “living where you vacation.”

Chizik was let go just two years after clinching a national championship.

Tuberville faced dismissal a year after his remarkable six consecutive victories over Alabama—the heart of Auburn’s unending and damaging envy.

If you believe that Auburn won’t make a change with Freeze after two seasons—or even mid-way through Year 2—you clearly haven’t been paying attention.

If you think that the influential decision-makers at Auburn (i.e., the wealthy donors who have controlled the program for years) care about public sentiment or the backlash from swift decisions, you are mistaken.

If you believe the cost of a buyout would deter them, let me lead you through a field of lucrative opportunities more appealing than the farmlands surrounding The Loveliest Village.

Auburn handed Tuberville $5.08 million to step down after the 2008 season.

Auburn gave Chizik $7.5 million to refrain from coaching after the 2012 season.

Auburn settled with Malzahn for $21.45 million to part ways after the 2020 season.

Auburn paid Bryan Harsin $22.25 million to not coach following the 2022 season.

If you think Auburn would hesitate to pay another $21.125 million to let Freeze go—according to YSL News coaching contract expert Steve Berkowitz—you’re clearly not keeping up with events.

This is Auburn, where it’s likely that anything imaginable could indeed happen.

It’s not just that Freeze has struggled with the quarterback situation (he has), or that he hasn’t delivered the innovative offense Auburn anticipated (he hasn’t). It also involves his tendency to place blame on players, which isn’t inherently bad in today’s era of player compensation and transfers.

Once wealthy boosters perceive that Alabama is out of reach, it triggers a demand for change. The expenses don’t matter.

After a modest six-win inaugural season under Freeze, marred by the unforgivable fourth-and-31 mess against Alabama, Year 2 kicked off with hopes after Nick Saban’s exit from Alabama.

Good riddance to a formidable opponent!

However, Auburn’s quarterbacks continued to struggle, with interceptions plaguing the season. They suffered losses against California with Payton Thorne throwing four interceptions, then to Arkansas after both Thorne and Hank Brown added four more, and another defeat to Oklahoma where Thorne threw a game-winning pick-six with just four minutes to go while leading by three points.

All these games, resulting in a total of nine interceptions, played out in the Loveliest Village before dedicated fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium, who reluctantly accept the existing booster influences as they hold out hope for glory against Aladamnbama.

In this way, Auburn resembles many other top college football programs. The specifics of their tailgate experience may be kept under wraps, but they’ll gladly celebrate when everything falls into place.

They can also see the harsh reality of Alabama’s resurgence as new coach Kalen DeBoer leads the team to once again play like the top group in college football.

Auburn’s cycle of turmoil rotates endlessly, with the only constant being a dreaded phone call every few years to super-agent Jimmy Sexton—who at this stage, deserves a retainer.

The beast of envy thrives in The Loveliest Village on the Plains.

Always consuming, never satisfied.