After a 3-4 start, including two embarrassing losses, the final stretch of the season will define Bryan Harsin’s legacy at Auburn and set the course for the future of the program.
The season is at a crossroads, with the a 3-4 record heading into the last 5 games of the season. Every possibility is on the table, from 4-8 to 7-5, with some winnable games against teams who have also underperformed this year. That starts this weekend with a home matchup against Arkansas. They are 1 of 3 SEC West teams who have significant enough deficiencies that an improved Auburn could take advantage and take them down.
Key word? Improved.
Questions about improved play of the offensive line can’t really be answered until this weekend when Auburn faces a team that doesn’t use a run-friendly 3-2-6 alignment. Questions about the defense should be answered after a bye week to reflect and improve, then face another quality rushing offense. But what improvement is necessary to close the season respectfully? And what does it mean for Bryan Harsin’s tenure at Auburn?
I don’t think he’s done a great job going from year 1 to year 2. (…) The performance on the field is not acceptable. The conditions weren’t ideal. (…) it may be best for him and Auburn to separate. (…) I don’t think you know if somebody can do the job until you give them the resources and leave them alone, and that has never been the case for him.
– B Wil on The Auburn Express Podcast
As we press further into year 2, the picture of Bryan Harsin’s job performance is becoming more complete and it isn’t pretty. There’s been a certain contingent of fans who never liked the hire, and they are feeling more justified with each passing week. There are others who are frustrated that the conditions he’s been forced to work under doomed him from the start. Is Bryan Harsin’s tenure at Auburn all but over? Would a winning streak earn him a 3rd year? Does Bryan Harsin even want to come back to Auburn after this season?
You can catch more conversations like these from The War Rapport on The Auburn Express Podcast, updated every weekday.
