This is an opinion column.

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Auburn continues to upgrade at key positions this offseason while rival Alabama is busy producing online soap operas starring divas Ryan Williams and Jaylen Mbakwe. Monday’s column about the rise of Auburn and coach Hugh Freeze coincided with a glimpse into the Crimson Tide’s new team culture. The mailbag spilleth over with holiday cheer.

Collin in Atlanta writes …

1. You completely ignore on-the-field play. Hugh Freeze did not make a bowl game. He did not make a bowl game in Year Two … with plenty of talent.

2. You are talking about quarterback Jackson Arnold like he has done something in his college career. The Oklahoma defense beat Alabama, not Jackson Arnold. Not even Auburn fans are extremely excited about that addition.

3. You are talking about Hugh Freeze as if he is dominating in recruiting because he is focusing on local talent. That would be great if football was only played in the state of Alabama, but last I checked it is a nation-wide sport.

Auburn is recruiting much better with Freeze, but still below the levels of Georgia and a Saban-less Alabama. That’s not counting Texas and other perennial contenders. But once again, you are a sports columnist, ignoring on-the-field product.

Hugh Freeze has always been a great recruiter. So why has Hugh Freeze never achieved anything of relevance other than fluke regular-season wins over Alabama a decade ago? Alabama just signed the Gatorade National player of the year at quarterback, and just finished with another top-level class. Not to mention they have a much better on the field coach than Auburn by a mile.

Mike in Birmingham writes …

Years ago, a sportscaster named Colin Cowherd boldly predicted that Gus Malzahn would not only beat Nick Saban in Farmville but that he would go to Tuscaloosa the following year, beat him again and win the National Championship. His boldness earned him the overly appropriate nickname Cowturd.

Malzahn accomplished neither prediction and slipped off to obscurity somewhere north of the Everglades. And Cowturd? Many thought he had either passed away or started working for a living. Seems that neither is true. It appears the Cowturd has been resurrected at AL.com in the form of an opinion writer where thoughts mean everything and facts mean little.

Auburn is back, reads the opinion. Most of us didn’t know they had gone anywhere other than to the level upon which they normally reside. A .623 lifetime winning percentage will do that to you. Thank goodness inflation hit these past few years when the cost of toilet paper became irrelevant for those in the Onliest Village on the Plains.

All Hail Cowturd, but as the saying in Lee County goes, “Watch your step.”

Randy from Madison writes …

When I started reading your article on the Barn and Bama and the playoffs, well, I must admit that I was close-minded and somewhat amused. But as I read through it, it started kinda making sense. BUT here is my bold prediction … Bama AND the Barn will make the playoffs next year. Provided the Barn doesn’t issue Hughie a cell phone, otherwise they should be fine … Just sayin’.

ANSWER: I’m not in the business of defending Hugh Freeze, but it seems like Alabama fans are in a state of denial about the current trends in college football.

Auburn is clearly on the rise thanks to the patience and support of its fanbase and the ability of Coach Freeze and his staffers to build a roster. It’s almost like this new era of college football was gifted wrapped for Freeze and his specific skills as a recruiter. As for Alabama, Nick Saban said, “No thanks,” cashed in his chips and now works for ESPN.

Saban’s replacement, new guy Kalen DeBoer, can’t even keep his best players from playing the fool on social media after embarrassingly missing the playoffs. Forgive me for lacking confidence in DeBoer and his staff when it comes to winning the state of Alabama against a coach from the Deep South who uses a combination of his strong faith and the power of desperate boosters as recruiting tools.

And we know that Freeze can win a game at Alabama. Can DeBoer win at Auburn? Check Saban’s winning percentage at Jordan-Hare Stadium and get back to me. Considering all the evidence at hand, it’s not really that outrageous or farfetched to believe Auburn can make the playoffs before Alabama.

In the hours after I posted Monday’s column, Auburn then landed another veteran offensive tackle through the portal. Hmm, it’s almost like I knew what was coming. Meanwhile, Alabama’s podcast duo of receiver Ryan Williams and defensive back Jaylen Mbakwe spent the day acting like children on Instagram.

“Bingo! We got action,” Williams wrote after news broke that Mbakwe would enter the transfer portal.

More like, bingo, this is why Alabama lacked the team culture necessary to win consistently in the SEC.

Alabama is really good at developing social media influencers these days. As for football players? I guess we’ll see.

But enough about Williams and Mbakwe’s look-at-me behavior at the expense of Alabama’s brand. Football divas are nothing new. Let’s look at the quarterback situation going into next season.

Assuming Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe declares for the NFL, that means Alabama will likely go with either Ty Simpson or transfer Austin Mack at quarterback in 2025. Are either of those players good enough to lead a team to the playoffs? They haven’t done anything to earn the benefit of the doubt that Alabama enjoyed for so long during the mighty reign of Saban.

Is Alabama going to start a true freshman at quarterback just because he was a highly rated recruit? If so, it could be a long season for the Crimson Tide. And after everything we’ve seen in college football, who’s to say that quarterback recruit Keelon Russell will even be at Alabama for more than one season.

Auburn will have a more experienced starting quarterback next season, more experienced offensive linemen and arguably a better defense than Alabama.

The beating soul of Auburn’s developing team culture is linebacker Demarcus Riddick of Chilton County. He’s as tough as they come and will be one of the best players in college football next season. What’s Alabama’s team culture going into the offseason?

Divas Mbakwe and Williams gave us a glimpse this week.

BE HEARD

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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”