They say season three is critical for a new head coach. An Auburn loss to No. 18 Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day would set up just that for head coach Gus Malzahn.

The Tigers’ second-year head coach almost did himself a disservice by taking Auburn to the national championship in 2013. With the majority of the SEC championship team returning and confidence oozing right down College Street, expectations shot to the stratosphere.

There’s no covering up the disappointment felt by Auburn players, coaches and fans after the agonizing six-week SEC stretch the Tigers limped through from mid October on. For the expectations publicized prior to the season, the regular season mark of 8-4 is underachieving. A fifth loss, and another bad defensive outing, against Melvin Gordon and the Badgers would set up a crucial third season on the Plains for Malzahn.

Auburn’s head coach got a much needed vote of confidence nine days ago, however, when the Tigers introduced Will Muschamp as its next defensive coordinator. The former Florida head coach and respected defensive mind took his time making his decision, but — though he says Auburn was the only offer extended his way — Muschamp saw something, a championship potential, at Auburn strong enough to lure him back to the tune of $1.6 million-plus annually.

It’s fair to say the Tigers regressed in 2014. The numbers prove it, but that’s not telling the full story. Injuries, inconsistent play and the nation’s toughest schedule all were factors in the campaign Auburn put together.

It also doesn’t tell the full story because Malzahn is still building a program. Don’t forget the state in which Auburn football found itself after national championship-winning head coach Gene Chizik was dismissed. It was a program marred by the departures of its most talented pieces that won the 2010 title, and it was a program full of under-developed talent because it was Cam Newton and Nick Fairley who put the Tigers on their backs en route to the win over Oregon.

He’s building a program, and it’s important to remember it’s just year two. There are walls to still be constructed. Other areas within the program need to be renovated. Malzahn’s team has been ranked 21 straight weeks during the past season-and-a-half, never lower than No. 19.

A bowl loss, however, a fifth loss in Auburn’s last eight games, and Malzahn better begin building a little quicker. Fair or not, that’s the nature of the business. It took Chizik just two seasons to fall from mountaintop to cellar. By all accounts, Malzahn’s doing it the right way, but that doesn’t mean wins aren’t needed. Just ask his new defensive coordinator.

Everyone around the program and its fan base is expecting a win over Wisconsin on New Year’s Day in Tampa. But if Auburn falls, it’ll make for an uncomfortable seven months.

Because Malzahn’s third season at Auburn ought to be his best.