Auburn is the best opening in the SEC according to one college football expert

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Auburn football became the fourth SEC program this season to fire its head coach on Sunday, ending ties with Hugh Freeze following a 15-19 overall record and a 6-16 mark against SEC foes. The Tigers join Florida, Arkansas, and LSU as programs within the conference that will need to fill their head coaching position this offseason.

Between those four programs, which opening is considered "the best?" Peter Burns of SEC Network points his finger at Auburn.

During a recent appearance on ESPN's "SportsCenter", Burns was asked to give his pecking order of the best openings in the conference. He feels that Auburn is at the top, solely based on "alignment."

"I put Auburn right now, as far as the four in the SEC, I actually put them at the top of the heap," Burns said. "People will say, 'well, LSU is a crown jewel,' I get it, but the reason that Auburn is in a great spot right now is, honestly, because Hugh Freeze was hired. What I mean by that is that when Hugh was hired at Auburn, all of a sudden, the boosters, the power brokers, all of the guys that whispered on the message boards, they were all in alignment. I can argue right now that Auburn has the alignment that LSU doesn't have, that Arkansas doesn't have right now, or even that Florida doesn't have right now."

The alignment of every major category, plus an already firm recruiting base, makes Auburn an attractive job for anyone. If the worthy candidate can find a way to improve the on-field product, especially on offense, the job will be rewarding, says Burns.

"Great fanbase, great facilities, and, more importantly, they haven't had a heck of a lot of success lately… this is an absolute gold mine waiting to happen," Burns said.

Auburn Athletic Director John Cohen says that he hopes to have a new head coach hired as quickly after the Iron Bowl on Nov. 29 as possible, but several factors may delay the hiring process.

"The candidates that we are talking to, are they still playing at that time? Who are they playing for? And will they still be in a bowl? I assume that every single candidate we are going to speak to outside of the building is going to be in that situation," Cohen said Monday. "We are going to work as quickly as we possibly can to try to get it done as quickly after the Iron Bowl as possible.”

Auburn's first game under interim head coach DJ Durkin, who is a potential suitor for the open head coaching job, will be Saturday on the road at No. 19 Vanderbilt. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: SEC Network analyst says Auburn has the best opening in the SEC

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