Time is now for Malzahn … or maybe never

It’s not a big secret that being the head coach at Arkansas is one of Gus Malzahn’s dream jobs.

In case you’re wondering, coaching the Dallas Cowboys is the other.

There is presently an opening in Fayetteville. It’s not a huge stretch to believe that Malzahn has been the principle target of whoever is making the decision to replace Bret Bielema for a few weeks before the axe was finally swing on him last week.

With Auburn losing the SEC Championship Game to Georgia on Saturday afternoon, any logical stumbling blocks were removed.

This shouldn’t be complicated.

Either Gus really wants the job or he doesn’t. At Auburn you’re only wanted after your most recent game if it was a win.

Malzahn found that out after last year’s Sugar Bowl when Oklahoma trounced the Tigers down in New Orleans and there were Auburn fans who would not have been that upset if he had left then.

Now? Who knows?

The Razorback fan base has convinced itself if the Tigers lost Saturday’s game, then Malzahn to Fayetteville was a done deal.

For his part, Malzahn ducked and dodged questions all week. Apparently, some in the media assumed that when Gus started an answer to a question about his loyalty with, “Yeah …” then gave a completely rambling answer saying nothing that it was a pledge to stay at Auburn.

In all the years that I’ve interviewed Malzahn, I think he starts every answer with, “Yeah …” It’s more or less his way of acknowledging he understands the question and the answer will follow.

So now is decision time.

Rumors have been swirling for a month (or more in some cases). The Malzahns obviously know just about every person from Little Rock to the River Valley to Northwest Arkansas because everybody has a “source that knows them” with some opinion of what’s going to happen.

Well, if it’s going to happen the moon, sun and stars have all aligned for the dream of many fans for Malzahn to be the head coach of the Razorbacks to finally happen.

And, naturally, there are others that would rather have anyone BUT Malzahn as the coach.

It should be an interesting few hours and there will be updates here.