One of the biggest stories in the SEC is the struggling season for Auburn under coach Gus Malzahn and how fan support has eroded in recent weeks following losses to Tennessee and Mississippi State.

On his weekly appearance on WJOX, SEC Network host Paul Finebaum addressed the situation, and in particular, the chances of Auburn paying a $32 million contract buyout to move on from Malzahn.

“His problem is self-evident,” Finebaum said. “The fans don’t like him. They have no faith in him. They’re not eager to support him, and I really don’t know where this program goes now. … Gus Malzahn doesn’t have a plan moving forward. The plan was exactly what we witnessed on Saturday afternoon against a run-of-the-mill SEC program in Tennessee.”

A week after Finebaum said Auburn wouldn’t pay the buyout, admittedly using common sense, but this time he changed his tune.

“I hadn’t been to Auburn yet,” Finebaum said, referring to the recent “SEC Nation” visit to Auburn. “In listening and observing, I throw this up in the air. This is an SEC school, and in the SEC anything is possible. I know that’s a nebulous answer, but it’s possible.”

“If a coach has no support from a fan base, and there’s no enthusiasm and there’s nowhere to go, it starts to effect other things like recruiting — then, the answer becomes self-evident.”