Gus Malzahn may only be seven games into a seven-year, $49 million deal but that hasn’t stopped Auburn beat writers from asking the sixth-year Tiger coach if he’s coaching for his job following a disappointing 4-3 start to the season. Who could have seen this one coming?

Last Saturday was the worst loss yet, as the Tigers fell on The Plains to a Tennessee team that had not won an SEC game since 2016. With many questioning the job Malzahn is doing this season at Auburn, the head coach faced some difficult questions during his Tuesday media availability.

Here’s what Auburn’s coach had to say when asked if he expected the 2018 season to be a rebuilding year.

“No, I don’t think anyone expected us to be where we are at. I didn’t. Our players didn’t,” Malzahn admitted. “We’ve been close, but the reality is we are here, and you have to own that. I own it, our players (own it). We will finish strong. We are at a point where there’s no (hope for a) championship, but we are going to play for Auburn and play for each other.

“We’ve got a staff and a group of players that are close, and we are going to keep fighting, and we are going to finish this thing on positive. We are going to be as good as we can moving forward.”

Malzahn was then asked a follow-up that no coach wants to hear — do you feel like you are coaching for your job?

“No. I feel like I’m coaching for my players in the next game,” Malzahn answered. “We have to finish this thing the right way. I really expect us to do that. Are we disappointed? Yes. I’m disappointed, our players are disappointed, our fans are disappointed but we have to get through this, and we are going to get through it. and the way to get through it is to finish strong.”

Even if Auburn desired to move on from Malzahn, the school would owe him just over $32 million in a buyout, which makes it seem highly unlikely that they would move on from the coach at this point. Malzahn’s buyout is just under $30 million if the school gets rid of him in 2019. Unless something drastic happens, the two sides may have to live with one another for the foreseeable future.

Auburn will have a chance to end its two-game skid this Saturday in Oxford as the Tigers travel to Ole Miss to face the 5-2 Rebels.