It always sounded crazy on the surface, that Gus Malzahn could lose his job for losing games to the nation's top two teams, but nobody does crazy like Auburn.

Above and below the surface, in feisty chat rooms where fans vent and smoky back rooms where career decisions are made, the discontent was real. A fourth straight sweep at Amen Corner looked like it could be the broom for Malzahn.

Then came No. 10 Auburn 40, No. 1 Georgia 17.

Forget the broom. Can you say Boom?

It wasn't the biggest win of Malzahn's career, but it was the most emphatic statement at the most critical time. It didn't clinch a title, but it did turn the Iron Bowl into the SEC West Championship Game and perhaps a playoff game as well.

It didn't eliminate all the doubts about the head coach, but it should end the discussion over his tenure. Someone in a position of authority at Auburn, preferably the new school president, should stand up, speak up and make it clear.

Unless it's his own choice, Malzahn isn't going anywhere. There's enough uncertainty elsewhere on the Plains.

I'm not saying extend his contract or give him a raise or forget all the times he came up short. I'm saying give the man his due. In a win-or-go-home kind of year, short of a catastrophic event next week against Louisiana Monroe, Auburn will carry all its goals into the final regular-season game.

Saturday, in a win-or-go-home kind of game, Malzahn went for the throat and taught Kirby Smart a lesson.

Malzahn tried a few tricks, but for the most part, he realized tricks are for kids, and the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry is a man's game. Georgia wasn't man enough this time. Auburn was. That mismatch in the trenches put a stop to Georgia's three-game win streak in this series.

On the subject of manhood, it needs to be said right here. No man in the league has been more valuable this season than Auburn's Kerryon Johnson. A unique combination of thoroughbred and workhorse, the SEC player of the year in waiting rushed for 167 yards, or 119 yards more than Georgia studs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel combined.

It helped that, as has become the norm, Auburn's Jarrett Stidham was the most efficient and effective quarterback on the field.

Now back to Malzahn.

He was the winning head coach for the Mother of All Iron Bowls in 2013, but that career highlight started to feel a bit fortunate after seasons of 8-5, 7-6 and 8-5. Now he'll welcome Nick Saban back to the Plains in two weeks for the Son of the Mother of All Iron Bowls.

In the Age of Saban, playing Alabama twice in five years in the final regular-season game with conference and national championship hopes on the line - for both teams - is the opposite of a fireable offense.

Auburn is in this position despite losing last year's leading rusher to injury and dismissing its most talented receiver. The Tigers can still dream big dreams of becoming the first two-loss playoff team despite last month's crushing collapse at LSU, the kind of defeat that would've splintered a lesser team.

Malzahn and his staff kept this team together through all the noise, and this team kept getting stronger, but the Tigers needed to prove their true worth against the first undefeated Georgia team they'd faced since the days of Herschel Walker.

All the old doubts crept back when Georgia took the opening kickoff and drove to a touchdown. The Bulldogs wouldn't find the end zone again until two minutes and change remained. By then, the biggest party in this house in four years was on.

That was a testament to Jeff Holland off the edge and Deshaun Davis in the middle and Tray Matthews everywhere, earning his first win in this series after standing on both sides. Mostly, Auburn's defensive dominance was a statement by and for coordinator Kevin Steele, who continues to do the best work of his career.

Kudos to Chip Lindsey, too, as the Tigers have scored 40 or more points in all six of their SEC wins. On both sides of the ball, this was the most complete Auburn performance against a high-quality opponent since the Kick Six itself. That was the last time the Tigers beat the No. 1 team in any major ranking.

This giant-killing couldn't have come at a better time. In two weeks, Malzahn and company will get a chance to make an even larger statement. Doubt them at your peril.