Auburn football is all sorts of discombobulated.

Head coach Bryan Harsin can’t figure out how to properly use his 2 quarterbacks, mismanaging the juggling of them and squashing any sort of rhythm either may have had a chance to build in a 41-12 embarrassment on Saturday in the “Orange Out” at Jordan-Hare against Penn State.

Now, the Tigers turn their sights to Missouri for a must-win Homecoming Game that kicks off at 11 a.m. CT. That’s right, it’s Homecoming for Auburn, a team that so far this season has never left home. It’s the 4th of 5 consecutive home games to open the 2022 schedule for the 2-1 Tigers.

Homecoming scheduling, it’s as puzzling as yanking your struggling starting quarterback on one of his most successful drives of the season. For what? To appease someone somewhere that both are still in the plans for this season? Is it a portal issue? Is Harsin concerned that without meaningful playing time, Robby Ashford will look elsewhere?

What’s the worst that could happen? Harsin is left with starter TJ Finley and backup Zach Calzada, the Texas A&M transfer? Is Calzada any good? He beat Alabama last year; is that a good thing?

Whether it’s Finley, or Ashford, or even Calzada, is a decision Harsin must make, and he must make it this week because on Saturday, the Tigers raise the curtain on the SEC schedule. All the preliminaries are in the books. Harsin has been given 3 games with which to make his final decisions not only at quarterback but for all phases of the game.

It’s time for Harsin to put the Tigers’ best paw forward and ride it out now that SEC play is here. There are no Mercers or San Jose States left on the schedule. It’s all Penn States from here on out, with the possible exception of Western Kentucky on Nov. 19, a week prior to the Iron Bowl.

Missouri is the focus this week, speaking of programs in duress. The Tigers nickname isn’t the only thing these 2 programs have in common. Missouri is also 2-1 with a couple of cupcake victories to go along with a 40-12 shellacking at Kansas State. It’s almost eerie the similarities.

From Auburn’s standpoint, Missouri isn’t the SEC team you want to be compared with. In our latest SEC Power Rankings, Missouri sits at 13 in the 14-team field. For reference, Auburn is next at No. 12.

That’s probably near the bottom of the list of reasons why this game is a must-win for Auburn. For one, Harsin’s job is on the line. We’ll see on Saturday whether or not he’s lost this team. If he has, the results won’t be favorable, and Auburn will be added to the list that includes Nebraska and Arizona State of programs looking for a new head coach.

That’s not to say Missouri won’t put up a fight either way. It’s as disjointed as Auburn with plenty to prove, and the honeymoon is certainly over in Columbia for head coach Eli Drinkwitz.

These are 2 Tigers programs in the same boat, despite the fact that Missouri has proven to be more patient with its head coaches than those in charge on The Plains. But when you’re constantly chasing that other school in the state, it can turn those decisions into much more hasty, knee-jerk reactions.

Missouri could complicate matters on Saturday by pulling off the upset. A touchdown underdog, Missouri is quite capable if Harsin doesn’t have his Tigers in the right frame of mind. That could be said for any SEC matchup. But not being prepared or not coming through in what looks like your most winnable conference game on the schedule would be catastrophic for Auburn and its coaching staff.