Gus Malzahn begins football practice this spring as a sympathetic figure.

How that happened, after mismanaging Auburn to a five-loss season, and a historic, 52-21 beat down in the Iron Bowl, is a bizarre tale of Southern gothic football booster stupidity. Malzahn doesn’t need anyone’s sympathy, of course. He’s one of the state’s highest paid employees, and he lost to Tennessee, but the disinformation campaign launched against him by his school’s own supporters before the early signing day last December kinda makes you feel bad for him.

The job is hard enough for Malzahn in this era of Nick Saban. It was made almost impossible this winter when information was fed to the media — information that turned out to be completely false — that Malzahn was being forced to renegotiate his buyout so it would be easier to fire him. People will believe anything they read on the Internet, though.

I’m not going to lie. I’m rooting for the guy this year just to spite Auburn’s own boosters. What a bizarre reality Auburn has created for itself … even by the standards of the SEC. Malzahn really has got his work cut out for him this spring, though.

On Monday, he started what most everyone — even though maybe they won’t admit it or write it — thinks is his last spring as Auburn’s coach. Serious question: How many games do you think Malzahn needs to win to save his job? Nine? Ten?

He won eight games last year, and people wanted him gone.

His offense made touchdowns look like lay-ups against Purdue in a bowl game after his offensive coordinator left, and people gave him no credit.

Next season, Malzahn gets a bonus if he wins 10 games, and he might get an even bigger bonus, in the form of a preposterous buyout ($26,625,000), if he only wins nine. Is there such a thing as a lame-duck football coach?

It’s an impossible situation for self-loathing Auburn fans. They want their team to win, and they want their coach to lose.

It’s a different kind of March madness.

Early betting lines for some key college football games were released on Tuesday, and Auburn was only favored in one of five, the season opener against Oregon. Auburn is favored by three points against the Ducks, which is coached by former Alabama offensive line coach Mario Cristobal. I only point this out because, you know, Jeremy Pruitt.

In the four other games, all against SEC opponents, Auburn is an early underdog: Texas A&M by 3 ½; LSU by 7-1/2; Georgia by nine and Alabama by 14.

It’s difficult to find a quality win on Auburn’s schedule right now, but I wouldn’t bet against their coach surviving it. He’s got a few insurance policies.

The buyout on his contract — 75 percent of its balance — saved his job after last season, and it’s still a huge number after 2019. Ask this question before contemplating Malzahn’s fate, can Auburn do better than their current coach right now? Saban is still at Alabama. Kirby Smart is at Georgia. Jimbo Fisher is at Texas A&M.

Outside of Urban Meyer, there isn’t a coach in the country who is going to dominate that schedule. If Urban came out of retirement, would he even dominate that schedule?

Malzahn’s second safety net is going to be wearing No.10 on his jersey next season. Freshman quarterback Bo Nix is the present and future for Malzahn’s offense. He is only at Auburn, according to the family, because Malzahn is still at Auburn. Auburn will have a quarterback competition this spring between Nix and three other players, but it would be a shocking development if Nix wasn’t the Day One starter.

Is Auburn going to fire Malzahn after Nix’s freshman season? That would be a huge mistake, and set the program back several years if the Tigers lose Nix in the process.

One of the knocks on Malzahn is that he isn’t chummy enough with his team’s major donors. To call him impersonal and aloof would be incorrect, though. His connection with his players is strong.

On Monday, the first day of spring practice, Malzahn bounced around Auburn’s practice facility like a young coach again. He has put himself back in charge of Auburn’s offense, and as close to Nix as possible. Right now, that’s the only relationship Malzahn needs to be cultivating.

Auburn fans should relearn how to love Malzahn again this spring. It could be much worse without him.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. He’s on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.