What a loss at Ole Miss could mean for Bryan Harsin

Auburn Football rarely loses in Oxford. But, when they do, it usually has not meant great things for the head coach.

Despite being members of the SEC since 1932, Auburn and Ole Miss do not have a strong history with one another.

Auburn and Ole Miss have played every season since 1990 but only played 14 times between 1928 and 1990, which brings the grand total of total meetings to 46, with Auburn holding a 35-11 all-time series lead.

In true road games in Oxford, Mississippi, Auburn is 13-3 all-time against Ole Miss. Those three losses, however,  provide a strange coincidence involving the leader of Auburn Football during that particular season.

In the seasons that Ole Miss defeated Auburn in Oxford, Auburn’s head coach that year was either fired or resigned at the season’s end. This season’s matchup could provide foreshadowing to [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag]’s future, as the No. 6 Rebels open as a 15.5-point favorite.

Ole Miss’ first win over Auburn in Oxford took place in 1992. The Rebels dismantled Auburn, 45-21 in the season-opener. Auburn would go on to finish with a 5-5-1 record and finish 5th in the SEC West. Before the 1992 Iron Bowl, head coach Pat Dye announced that he would resign from the program. His resignation was in regard to an NCAA investigation involving an Auburn player receiving improper benefits.

The investigation resulted in probation for Auburn, which included a reduction in scholarships for three seasons, and a television blackout for the 1993 season. The 1993 season, however, resulted in an 11-0 season for Auburn under first-year head coach [autotag]Terry Bowdon[/autotag].

Auburn lost in Oxford again during the 2008 season. The 17-7 loss to Ole Miss was the final game of a four-game losing streak for Auburn. The Tigers ended with a 5-7 record, which resulted in the firing of head coach [autotag]Tommy Tuberville[/autotag].

The last Ole Miss win at Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium came in 2012, a season that Auburn fans would like to forget. In the season that Auburn failed to win an SEC game, Ole Miss posted 451 total yards in a 41-20 win. Later that season, [autotag]Gene Chizik[/autotag], the head coach that led Auburn to BCS National Championship just two years earlier, was fired.

No matter the result on Saturday, the fate of head coach Bryan Harsin will be purely coincidental. However, if Auburn pulls off the upset and earns the win at Ole Miss this Saturday, it usually means good things for Auburn’s leading man.

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