There's no excuse. None. Zero.

As many numbers as there are in Gus Malzahn's new seven-year $49-million contract, there is no excuse for Central Florida 34, Auburn 27.

Central Florida's entire coaching staff spent the last month doing double duty, preparing for a new gig at Nebraska while also getting UCF ready for the Peach Bowl.

What did the Auburn staff do? Count its money?

This wasn't the Auburn team that beat No. 1 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama. This was the Auburn team that lost at Clemson, at LSU and against Georgia in Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

Unless the new AD to be determined can arrange for Auburn to play every game in Jordan-Hare Stadium, conference and national championships are going to be hard to come by.

Give Scott Frost, his assistants and their players credit for completing the only undefeated season in the Football Bowl Subdivision. I don't care if you play in the AAC or the SEC. It's rare and special to go 13-0.

It's a shame the College Football Playoff is a closed Power 5 shop with no real way in for a Group of Five team. It would've been a blast to see Central Florida compete for a championship against a championship-caliber opponent.

That said, this Auburn team was 60 minutes away from an SEC championship and a playoff berth. This Auburn team was the only team to beat the Georgia team playing in the Rose Bowl and the Alabama team playing in the Sugar Bowl.

For all the good things they did, the Tigers still finished 10-4 with a two-game losing streak. For how much Auburn is paying Malzahn going forward, some things about this program have to change if the school is going to get its money's worth.

Offense is Malzahn's baby, and the Auburn offense is still hit or miss. In each of his bowl losses, the Tigers haven't been able to keep up in a shootout when 36 points would've won each game.

And this wasn't a Florida State, Wisconsin or Oklahoma defense across the line of scrimmage. In its last two games, Central Florida allowed 1,406 total yards and 97 points in video-game victories over South Florida and Memphis. For much of the day Monday, Auburn's offense made the Knights look like the Steel Curtain.

This was a bad flashback to the porous Auburn offensive line that got mauled by Clemson and the happy feet Jarrett Stidham who got overrun by Clemson and Georgia Part II.

Auburn's inability to run the ball up to its standards Monday put too much pressure on its inconsistent passing game. The Tigers gave up an inexplicable six sacks to a UCF defense that had just 21 in its first 12 games. Stidham's first-half fumble led to a UCF touchdown, the pick-six he threw in the fourth quarter was too much to overcome and a would-be tying drive ended with an ugly interception in the end zone.

If Stidham is thinking of leaving for the NFL, he should think again. UCF's McKenzie Milton was easily the best quarterback on the field.

Maybe we shouldn't be surprised by this latest postseason meltdown by the Tigers. It's become a disturbing habit. Malzahn is now 1-4 in bowl games as the Auburn head coach. He's 0-4 in January bowl games, 0-2 in New Year's Six Bowls and 0-1 in the National Championship Game.

Think about that record for a second. Auburn just made Malzahn one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation, and he's yet to win a bowl game other than the Birmingham Bowl.

Not to mention, Auburn is now 0-2 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the Tigers will open the 2018 season there in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against formidable Washington.

One game isn't the final word on whether Auburn overreacted to the interest from mediocre Arkansas and overpaid Malzahn far beyond what his accomplishments to date should merit. It is a major caution flag.

Three times in Malzahn's five seasons, including the last two years, Auburn has lost its final two games of the season. The continuing inability to finish strong has been a major weakness of his program. If that doesn't change - and soon - that contract will look like a major mistake.