When LSU hits the road for the first time this season to take on Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday, the Tigers from the plains will have a bit more to play for than extending their winning streak in the rivalry to three games.
Coach Bryan Harsin is only in his second season, but his 9-8 record leaves a lot to be desired. He was nearly fired this past offseason, and his seat seems to be engulfed in flames as things currently stand. Last week’s win over Missouri bought him another week, but a poor showing on Saturday could prove to be the final straw.
ESPN listed the LSU-Auburn contest as a hot-seat game to watch in October as a result of what a loss would do to Harsin’s already tenuous standing.
If Harsin is going to make a job-saving run, it must begin against LSU. A loss could seal his fate as Auburn’s coach, especially an ugly one. Auburn also must show tangible progress on offense. After LSU, Auburn faces three consecutive ranked opponents, beginning with No. 1 Georgia on Oct. 8 in Athens.
In the same piece, Adam Rittenberg elaborates on Harsin’s situation.
If Auburn had lost to Missouri, a game it led 14-0 after 12 minutes, Harsin might not have survived the weekend with his job. Thanks to Missouri’s overtime goal-line fumble, he gets at least another week on the Plains, but needs a strong showing Saturday against LSU. Industry sources continue to say interim athletic director Rich McGlynn is a strong candidate to land the permanent job, and could handle the Harsin firing and the initial part of a coaching search. Auburn’s defense played much better against Missouri than the week before against Penn State, but Harsin’s offense has scored more than 24 points just once in four games.
The results in this game over the last two seasons almost certainly helped expedite the end of the [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] era in Baton Rouge. Now, it seems the script is flipped heading into Week 5 as coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] looks to start SEC play 2-0.
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