I know AU politics and Gus wasn't fired, not even close. Also, he coached the 2011 team that went 8-5 with a win over UVA in the Chik-Fil-A bowl in Atlanta (did not leave right after BCS champ). Malzahn had already been hired as head coach at Ark State but remained to coach the bowl game. Additionally, after the dumpster fire of a season in 2012 he was hired back by the same president, AD, and Trustees that were there when he left. So I guess we can believe he was fired by AU politics (but allowed to coach a bowl game and be hired just over a year after leaving to take his first head coaching job) or we can believe that in this case you were loaded up on too much egg nog.