This is an opinion column.

Hugh Freeze or Lane Kiffin. Who ya got? They will compete as head coaches for the first time Saturday night, but this is not the first time someone has asked that question. The comparison will shadow both of them as long as they hold their current positions.

Neither of them wants to come up short against anyone on the schedule, but this game is a little more personal, if not to them as individuals, then certainly to each man’s fan base.

Because Freeze once coached at Ole Miss, Kiffin competes with his legacy there. Freeze never got the Rebels to the SEC Championship Game, either, but until Kiffin can figure out how to beat Nick Saban and Alabama, he’ll be reminded that Freeze did it not once but twice.

Because Kiffin almost became the Auburn coach, and some Auburn supporters still wish that had happened, Freeze competes with the ghost of what Kiffin might’ve accomplished in that chair. Until Freeze can figure out how to construct a competent offense again, he’ll be reminded that Kiffin’s first Ole Miss team didn’t beat LSU or Alabama, but it did score 48 points in each defeat.