Paul Finebaum joined McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on Monday to discuss one of the most embarrassing losses from Week 12.

Auburn lost big to New Mexico State at home on Saturday, leaving fans frustrated after what had been a positive few weeks for the Tigers after winning three games straight.

But Finebaum doesn’t think the loss matters as much as it seems. For Finebaum, this season was a chance for Auburn to get Hugh Freeze acclimated and get some work done off the field. All the better that the Tigers made a bowl game.

“I don’t think there are any, and I say that based on what I’ve seen overall from Hugh Freeze this year, especially off the field,” Finebaum said. “That’s really what this season was about and they ensured that Auburn went out and got great players for the future and tried to get to a bowl game. It was about those 15 practices. And Saturday didn’t change that.”

Finebaum said Auburn needs to move on from the loss quickly, because now it’s time for the Iron Bowl. He said if Auburn pulls off an upset, nobody will care about what happened against New Mexico State.

“The reason why you move on is because, the biggest game for Auburn is Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium and somehow, if Auburn does the unthinkable, no one will care about New Mexico State,” Finebaum said. “And I’m sure you’ve already said it, they’re a respectable team. This is not just some directional team that you’d pick up out of the sky.”