re: Can you think of any reason for Malzahn to stay at Auburn over Texas?

It is an Achilles heel. That's completely fair. That said I think if Saban was younger he would have taken the Texas job because they have more built in luxuries than any job in cfb. Texas is a better job than auburn and it's not really close. That's more of a statement to Texas than a dig against auburn. That said there is no way he is leaving auburn after one year whether he is playing in a national title game or not. The title game has no bearing on this at all. Him developing a reputation for jumping after one year on two consecutive jobs could hurt his reputation though.