Hugh Freeze’s worst nightmare is returning to The Plains, and it may cost him his job

Death, taxes and Diego Pavia beating Hugh Freeze's football team. And so we meet again. The Live Dog vs. Freeze Mobile. There are not enough burner phones in the world for me to call up every bookie under the sun to hammer Vanderbilt getting 7.5 points on the road vs. Auburn, who might actually suck. I know what happened the last two times the college football figures met on the field...

Back in 2022, the New Mexico State Aggies led by Pavia at QB put out the Liberty Flames coached by Freeze, 49-14. Pavia outshined his counterpart Kaidon Salter, as the legend of The Live Dog was starting to form. Freeze left for Auburn after the 2022 season, and guess who was on the Tigers' 2023 schedule? New Mexico State and Pavia once again throttled Freeze's Auburn team to the tune of 31-10.

As fate would have it, Pavia is knocking on the door at Jordan-Hare like that grim reaper meme we all know and love, as 5-3 Vanderbilt makes the trek to The Plains to take on 3-5 Auburn. I am not sure if a loss to Vandy puts the final nail in the coffin of Freeze's brutally bad Auburn tenure, but it is not going to help. It would only be fitting if Pavia got Vanderbilt to a bowl-eligible 6-3 with a big win over Freeze.

One of these SEC teams deserves to go to a bowl game, and it is the one who already beat Alabama. If Vandy can upset Alabama and nearly go the distance vs. Texas and Missouri, they can beat Auburn.

Diego Pavia vs. Hugh Freeze is the hammer vs. nail rivalry we love to see

In my decade-long career covering college football professionally, I cannot for the life of me think of a player vs. head coach rivalry as low-key compelling. Both men have changed places once in the past three years, but the results have usually been the same. Pavia's team typically beats the brakes off Freeze's squad, mostly because of the great play of Pavia. I would not be shocked if this continues.

It may be a home game for Auburn, as well as the second year Freeze has led the Tigers. Conversely, Pavia actually has more talent at Vanderbilt than he ever did at New Mexico State. Vanderbilt is no longer a punching bag; the Commodores are a damn good SEC football team. The only thing easy about The Commodores is the dulcet tones of Lionel Richie singing about Sunday morning; it is Saturday!

As far as what may come for both men, the end is nigh for both of them. Pavia, only because he is running out of eligibility. I would seriously look at drafting him if I were leading the Tennessee Titans because he actually knows how to win in Nashville. As for Freeze, he may survive this season no matter the record. However, he has not been anywhere near as good as we all thought he would be.

What we once again have here is a likable underdog in Pavia and a despised head coach in Freeze.