Hugh Freeze counting on Jackson Arnold to reverse the Auburn Tigers into a winning program is no secret.
Perhaps Freeze's contagious confidence is taking hold across the conference as SEC talking head Paul Finebaum is betting on the Tigers' success based on Arnold's QB skills.
"I think the opener is a little bit scary because it’s a hostile situation on the first Friday night with a new quarterback. But, I think they’ll live and die with Jackson Arnold," Finebaum contended on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning.
While Arnold is expected to be the silver lining, Finebaum is optimistic about the direction that the program is headed under Freeze's guidance, too.
"Ultimately, though, I think it’s a much better team. I like Auburn to be better. Are they good enough? I’m not sure yet. But I think Auburn is trending in the right direction," Finebaum said.
And that's not the only time Finebaum has given a positive verdict on the Tigers.
The analyst has been bullish on the program's turnaround ever since the conclusion of spring.
"I came away from talking to Hugh Freeze pretty upbeat," Finebaum said on his own podcast. "He's got a lot of players that he didn't have. He was honest about that yesterday. I like their quarterback situation."
That said, Freeze has put all his eggs in one basket with Arnold. Things hitting the fan in Auburn have equal chances. If that happens, Freeze's job might as well be on the line.
The expectations are high from Arnold, and only time will tell how well he stands true to those.