Auburn quarterback Bo Nix is more unpredictable than a roulette wheel.

Pick a number. Pick black or red. It doesn’t matter. No one knows just what Nix will look like on a given Saturday. He has been good and bad this season. He was good on Saturday. Real good. That’s a good sign for Auburn’s entire team.

Nix completed 21-of-26 passes for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns and an interception. The junior also ran for 42 yards on 5 carries. That included a 23-yard scamper for a touchdown late in the game that ended any chance that Arkansas had for a comeback. Auburn won 38-23 and only trailed briefly in the second quarter.

In September, there seemed little chance that we’d be talking about Nix in such a complimentary fashion. Remember when Auburn almost lost to Georgia State in what would have been the upset of the year in college football? That was partly Nix’s fault. Remember Nix getting benched in that game? That was partly Nix’s fault. However, that’s a small sample size. There’s more to Nix.

Even in games in which he hasn’t played great, Nix has always been ready to play, compete and lead his team. That’s saying something for a player that seemed destined to see his eligibility run out from the sideline.

I’ve never been a quarterback, but I’m sure it’s much tougher to be a leader when you’re on the bench instead of under center. It’s readily apparent that Nix didn’t let his absence affect him or his team. Had Nix not been committed to his team when he was benched, Auburn would not be 5-2 and 2-1 in the SEC. Yet, they are.

There’s plenty for Auburn fans to like about the win over the Razorbacks. We could talk specifics like Nix, Auburn’s defensive front or a number of other things. That’s not what fans should take away from the victory.

Auburn fans should be most satisfied with the fact that their team has bought into first-year coach Bryan Harsin. That’s been proven by the way Auburn plays hard, tough and disciplined.

Auburn isn’t as talented as they need to be to compete for a national championship. We’ll see if that changes. Auburn currently has the 34th-ranked class in the nation. That ranks 13th in the SEC and needs to get better quickly.

There aren’t many athletic departments in the SEC that will tolerate 8 or 9 wins per season. Auburn isn’t one of them. Just ask Gus Malzahn. His job was in question leading into the 2020 season after winning 8 games or more for 4 consecutive season. That included a 10-win season in which the Tigers won the SEC West in 2017. No matter. He was replaced by Harsin. Things look good now as the Tigers are improving, but Auburn expects elite out of Harsin, not pretty good.

Recruiting is the key to achieving excellence and it won’t be easy as long as nearby Alabama is in the midst of one of the most successful runs in the history of college football. Either Harsin will somehow have to overcome that hurdle or Alabama coach Nick Saban will retire. The latter does not seem imminent, so Harsin needs to up his recruiting game quickly.

Perhaps Harsin is waiting for his coaching to do the talking in recruiting. If so, he’s gaining momentum. Harsin has been in situations in which lesser head coaches would have lost their team, gotten fired and ended up coaching at a place like Arkansas State. Harsin doesn’t seem like that kind of coach at all.

Harsin is the kind of coach who always has his team ready no matter what happened in the previous game. That was evident against Arkansas. Auburn had every reason to show up flat. Auburn was throttled by Georgia last week. The Bulldogs’ defense was suffocating. The Tigers had no chance and lost 34-10. For these evolving Tigers, last week was over and didn’t affect them moving forward. They learned that from the disaster that they narrowly avoided against Georgia State.

The Tigers didn’t respond nearly as well to a loss earlier in the season. Auburn lost to Penn State 28-20 and struggled against Georgia State the next week.

There was no Panther-like hangover on Saturday after another tough loss to take. Auburn’s players and coaches handled the Georgia loss, got ready for a tough team that is also well-coached and won. That sounds much easier than it is.

Recruiting will certainly be what Tiger fans should keep their eye on. Auburn fans should hope that parents play a key role in the recruitment of some key prospects. Under Harsin, Auburn may not have much flare — though they did hit a few big plays Saturday — but it looks like a good place to send your child if he’s got a few football scholarship offers in his hand. If you’re a parent looking for toughness and discipline, Auburn seems like a good option.