Bryan Harsin is facing his first real test as Auburn’s head coach.

As you know by now, Auburn overcame an abysmal first half to top Georgia State 34-24 on Saturday. The game looked like the biggest upset of the season before the Tigers were able to rally.

As you also likely know, Harsin decided to replace starting quarterback Bo Nix with TJ Finley at halftime. It was a bold move. That needs to be the end of it.

Let’s not argue who is better, Nix or Finley. Each person will see what they want to see. Fans will have their favorite quarterback from week to week. Some players probably have a preference as well. However, Harsin and the Auburn coaches can’t let that debate break out in their locker room. If that happens, then this season is on the brink of collapse.

Harsin made a decision at quarterback. He can’t let it become a controversy. The job is Finley’s until he is unable to play. Otherwise, he’s the starter. There’s too much at stake.

Auburn’s entire team played poorly on Saturday. Quarterback was just part of the problem for a team that didn’t look prepared to play. That, however, isn’t nearly as intriguing as a possible quarterback controversy. The television announcers even mentioned it during the broadcast. Fans were thinking it during the game.

Harsin tried to stave off that sort of talk when he was interviewed afterwards.

“Just thinking we needed some momentum,” Harsin said. “It really wasn’t just him (Nix). Just trying to find something on the offensive side.”

That’s a scary statement. Will Harsin consider another switch if things aren’t going well in the not-so-distant future?

“Bo’s played hard,” he said. “Bo’s done a good job for us. From that standpoint, there’s no issues that way. We needed to make something happen in this game and we needed to make a change and we did.”

Notice that Harsin didn’t commit immediately after the game. There’s no purpose in that, but that sort of statement had better come soon.

The immediate reaction among fans will be to clamor for the new quarterback with the incredible arm. Finley helped Auburn avoid a monumental upset on Saturday. But that sentiment can change quickly. Harsin can squelch that talk, or at least most of it. Harsin needs to declare that Finley is the starter, that the job is his and Nix is the backup. That needs to happen sooner rather than later.

The numbers back up Finley.

Finley completed 9 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers. Nix was 13-of-27 for 156 yards. It’s not an overwhelming disparity but that doesn’t fully explain what Finley can bring to a team. He can make plays against more talented teams when things aren’t going Auburn’s way. Finley can create something if the Tigers’ offensive line is having another off day. That’s not ideal but it’s what is needed.

Time is not on Harsin’s side. Auburn travels to play LSU on Saturday. It will be loud. It will be challenging. Finley, the LSU transfer, might not play well. That doesn’t matter. Stick with him.

Sticking with Finley would also benefit Harsin professionally. With a brutal stretch of games coming up, fans would accept a loss or two a bit more if Harsin has found Auburn’s quarterback of the future. And it appears that the Tigers have.

Finley displayed his strong arm and athleticism during the comeback victory against Georgia State. We all knew that was there. But Finley also displayed enough poise to calm his team just when things were getting frantic. Auburn’s players surely have bought into Finley. That’s another reason to keep the transfer from LSU as the starter. Selfishly, it’s a great narrative if Finley can return to Baton Rouge and get the “other” Tigers a win. That’s some spicy gumbo.

I admit, I was surprised that Harsin made the change when he made it. I thought Nix had done enough this season to show he could bring his team back in the second half. Harsin disagreed. Finley was certainly ready, which tells me that he was informed beforehand that a change could be made. That makes me think that Harsin saw the change as inevitable — not just possible. It was going to happen and it did. End of discussion, right?

I wasn’t the only one who was surprised that Harsin made the change. Twitter was momentarily sent into shock as Auburn’s contingent witnessed the switch.

So that’s that. It’s over. There’s no controversy. There’s no reason for Finley to be looking over his shoulder. There will certainly be no mention of a possible two-quarterback system. There is one starter and one leader from this point forward, barring injury. That player is the 6-foot-7 guy.

There’s nothing wrong with changing a quarterback. There’s everything wrong with a quarterback controversy.