Coaching Carousel (Auburn)

Auburn Tigers

To say that Gene Chizik's tenure at Auburn was a roller coaster is an understatement.  Fans were unhappy that Auburn hired Chizik (who had a 5-19 record at Iowa State) and felt there were better coaches out there.  Chizik answered a lot of critics with a National Championship season in his second year.  Lead by Heisman Trophy winning QB Cam Newton the Tigers went undefeated and beat Oregon in the National Championship Game.  So it's hard to imagine how a coach who won a National Championship two years ago can be fired two years later.

However it was what happened after the National Title season that caused Chizik to be fired.  In year three things started to slide.  Auburn only won 7 games during the regular season, but was dominated by the top teams in the conference.  Without Cam Newton the offense struggled and it was clear there wasn't a lot of talent.  Defensively it wasn't much better.  It was clear that Chizik wasn't brining in the top talent needed to compete in the SEC.
Chizik could have had another year to get things on track, but this year was just flat out awful.  Auburn finished the season with only 3 wins and didn't win a single game in conference.  You can't do that in the SEC and expect the administration to just stand by.  It was a time for a change.

Potential Candidates
Bobby Petrino (Former Arkansas Head Coach)
Remember when Petrino was at Louisville and Auburn tried to hire him before they fired Tommy Tubberville?  Well they wanted him then, they can sure get him now.  For all the crap that Petrino has caused he is a proven winner and would be a great hire for the Tigers.  But do they want to deal with all the headaches associated with that?

Kirby Smart (Alabama Defensive Coordinator)
Smart has been a hot head coaching candidate for the past couple of years.  And Auburn would be wise to kick the tires and see if he is interested.  Smart has coordinated the Crimson Tide defense which has been one of the top defenses in the nation.  But you have to wonder how much of that is him or is it Saban.  Plus you wonder if Smart would be willing to go to Alabama's big time rival and have to compete against Saban.  Doesn't seem to likely.

Charlie Strong (Louisville Head Coach)
Rumor is that Strong has already interviewed for this job.  Don't know if that is true because that usually doesn't take place till after the season.  But Strong would be a great choice.  He has built the Louisville program back up that they are returning to the BCS.  He is a good recruiter and has experience in the SEC.  It's only a matter of time before he gets a better job.

Gus Malzahn (Arkansas State Head Coach)
Another popular name in the coaching search is former Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.  It was Malzahn who guided the Tigers offense that won the National Title.  Without Malzhan the Tigers struggled this past season.  Auburn also has a history of hiring defensive minded coaches and may want to bring in an coach whose speciality is offense.  Malzahn also went to Arkansas State to get some head coaching experience which should help when he gets to a BCS job.

Larry Fedora (North Carolina Head Coach)
Fedora has only been at North Carolina for a year, but your sure to hear his name come up in coaching searches.  Mainly because the NCAA is going to be laying down some punishment on the Tar Heels and Fedora may not want to deal with all those sanctions.  He is a very good coach and a proven winner at Southern Miss.  His first year at North Carolina he lead them to the Coastal Division Title, but they can't compete because they are on a bowl ban.