Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Auburn Coach Gene Chizik has the vocal support of at least one Tigers' power broker. He’s two years removed from a BCS title and has a $7.5 million buyout.

Chizik is also very much on the hot seat at Auburn and should be, according to columnist Kevin Scarkbinsky of AL.com:

Since winning the national championship, Auburn is now 9-9 overall. Since proving itself the best team in the nation, Auburn now has the worst record in the SEC.

In 21 months, Chizik has piloted this program from first to worst, and there were precious few signs Saturday that things are going to get much better anytime soon. At 1-4, the Tigers have to beat everyone left on the schedule but Georgia and Alabama just to finish 6-6 and stagger into a bowl game.

What are the odds that Chizik can stop the bleeding quickly enough to hurdle even that low bar? It seems more likely that the Tigers are going to finish with a losing record and test Pat Dye’s theory about Chizik’s job security.

That Auburn could be looking for a coach is very much of interest to Arkansas and its fans. These programs will potentially be competing against each other for a head coach, though there is one option for the Tigers that the Razorbacks wouldn’t consider. (Yeah, y’all know the guy I’m talking about here.)

Keep an eye on the temperature gauge at Auburn over these next few weeks. Chizik is now at No. 3 on the choacheshotseat.com list, though the massive buyout and support from Dye make his position debatable.

If you want to see a coach for sure on the hot seat, look no further than Reynolds Razorback Stadium this weekend. Joker Phillips is surely on his way out at Kentucky.

By the way, UK is another program that might consider a coach Arkansas can’t/won’t hire (back).

What other major conference coaches have seats getting warm? Who else will potentially be competing with Arkansas for a head coach?

Below is a list, courtesy coacheshotseat.com: