Expectations Suddenly Skyrocket For Auburn
by Jay Coulter on Aug 1, 2010 11:31 AM CDT
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PrintWhen Auburn players report this week, they will face expectations not seen in these parts since Kodi Burns was the next great Auburn hope. Widely forecasted to finish third in the SEC West by most preseason publications, in recent days Auburn has become the hot sleeper pick in the SEC.
It started last week when ESPN's Colin Cowherd said on his national radio show that Gene Chizik's group was the most undervalued team on the Las Vegas boards this season.
The Vegas line says Auburn will win eight games this year. That's not nearly enough according to Cowherd. "I think Vegas has made an unbelievable gaffe on Auburn," Cowherd said. "Vegas believes Auburn is going to win eight games. Go to a casino and bet it before they change the line. Nick Saban has made Auburn virtually invisible, but Auburn could go 11-0 before they play Alabama."
Renowned college football writer Phil Steele was the first to float the idea of an undefeated matchup in the Iron Bowl. It's now gaining traction in a lot of places. Count me among those who are skeptical of such a possibility.
Considering the public has seen new quarterback Cam Newton take a total of eight snaps since arriving on campus, it's hard to understand how anyone can predict Auburn's success this year with any accuracy. Don't get me wrong, this team on paper should be vastly improved over last season. But expectations of more than nine wins are probably more wishful thinking than anything based in reality.
Let's keep the expectations lower. It's better to overachieve.
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My sentiments exactly Jay.
I really don’t know what to think until we can get a real look at Newton. Until then I remain cautiously optimistic of at least as good of year as ’09 and if he plays up to his billing, maybe one or two more wins.
AubTigerman
"The reason you come to Auburn is because of Auburn people.This is a special place, from the coaches all the way to the fans" - Andrew McCain OT
I've got 7-5
I’ve been saying 7-5 or 8-4 all along. Now, I may drop it to 6-6 with all of these unfair expectations. Listen, Auburn is going to be really good. I have no doubt in my mind about that. If the Tigers played ANYWHERE but the SEC West (the toughest division in the toughest conference in the country) I’d have Auburn picked to go 9-3 easily. The problem is that Auburn has such a small margin for error. Cam Newton is still new, no matter what else people say about him he’s new and he’ll make a number of mistakes. In addition, though I know he only threw 5 interceptions, there has been chatter about his days at Blinn College lacking accuracy. I hope there is nothing to these talks, but if there is, there could be some unwanted controversy about the QB position. And let’s face it, Newton didn’t look good at all at the Spring game though they did have him throwing deep every single play. At any rate, we’ll see what happens. I just hate these expectations with a raging passion. I love the role of dark horse.
I understand the whole "auburn does better as a darkhorse" mentality.....
because Auburn doesn’t typically get the national hooha as a contender and when they do they like most teams don’t live up to the hype. But I for one have expectations for AU that match our schedule and our talent and because of that I will wager you right now that we do no worse than 9 regular season wins. We return possibly the best OL in the SEC with plenty of playmakers to get the ball to….in Gus Malzahns second year as OC, meaning the package will be more complete this season. As far as Cam Newton goes I have very few concerns about him at this point……sure he is somewhat of an unknown quantity but he was able to beat out the known quantities with relative ease. And let me say it again “Gus Malzahn will scheme to Newton’s strengths”. The defense is the biggest question mark and with the promise of Savage, McNeil, and Etheridge back in the lineup we suddenly have a very veteran secondary especially when you consider Washington and Thorpe in the mix as well……we won’t have to wait for Eltoro Freeman to catchup to the speed of the game and there are several more fresh bodies to serve as backups to Stevens and Bynyes which means we won’t see those two play nearly every down this season which means that they will be fresher come the 4th quarter…so you won’t see late meltdowns against UK and UGA. So what do you want to wager Sparkey?
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Well...
I’m not going to drop it to 6-6, that was me being too emotional at the time. Plus, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Auburn isn’t really talented. I’m just saying so is the rest of the SEC. Another thing that gives me consternation, Ziemba’s untimely false starts. Yes, I realize he’s been working on them-but we don’t know for sure until actual live game time actions that he’ll get those under control. As far as a wager goes…How about we meet up one night in Auburn and the loser covers the winner’s drinks? My bet (and part of it is because of Malzahn, I forget about him sometimes) is that Auburn wins 8 games and you’re going with 9 right?
Yep....
9 wins it is….and we can settle up at an AU basketball game after football is over, and er….are you sure you want to bet me a bar tab? I tend to have a hollow leg when it comes to libations. lol.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Regular season 8-4 or 9- 3.
If the defense shows a lot of improvement, maybe we could be better than that. Anything better than 8 wins will be icing on the cake.
Better no doubt
The team will be better but its important to keep everything in perspective. I too think 9-3 would be an outstanding year. Still a year or so away from national contention IMO. If the staff can stay together…I feel very, very confident about our title hopes in the near future.
Chances of AU and UA being undeafeated
in the Iron Bowl are obviously a long shot, but IMO the chances of the winner grabbing a spot in the SECCG are seriously worth consideration…..both teams coming in with 9 wins or more has to be a probability.
why are we pussying out AU pals? so, you are expecting a better team to lose more games?
why not embrace a high level of confidence and ride it through the expectation(s)?!
i don’t buy this notion that Auburn plays a great darkhorse… what is the whole point of this anyway? is it to be a darkhorse the whole time…and rise up every year?
that is crap for me.
i hate that concept on so many levels. it is like going bowling and on purpose not aiming for the center pin so you can come behind and get the spare. that is f’d up donnie.
this goes against my personality and my BIG PICTURE thinking of what succeeding in competitive sports is all about.
CONFIDENCE.
so many times in sports, there really isn’t a clear leader in the talent category. more often than not, it has everything to do with confidence and who wants it more.
growing up in the era when athletes like larry and magic battled and then a guy named mike came in and showed everybody something new… the proof is right there.
those guys were playing way beyond their athletic abilities for decades…because of personal confidence. carl lewis… can’t sing, but damn fine athlete with incredible confidence. i remember being incredibly impressed with him running/jumping when i was a kid.
i think that cam newton is going to be special. not because he has to be. because he has the confidence he already is. you could see it in his energy on the sidelines in the spring game.
newton doesn’t have to be the entire offense. he will use his size and speed to get it to the playmakers. it is that simple, and yet it will be incredibly difficult to stop. that is what mcelroy did all last year. just get it to his playmakers. newton will do it better.
the AU D, doesn’t have to match bama’s last year (#2 in total D). bama has 9 new guys on that side of the ball. AU just has to lean on their seniors. AU’s has a strong enough front 4, and added depth to already great leadership at LB. there are incredible opportunities for mentorship throughout the year. the AU secondary ( a concern after the spring),… has now 3 seniors, 3 juniors, 1 soph, and 1 soph that won all FR SEC last year.
this sets AU’s D up to match up with the preseason west #2 Arkansas…better than bama does (only 1 starter back in secondary).
Auburn will have addressed its needs in special teams, and be much better.
we have talent, leadership, and experience in places that make sense based on where we will be challenged this year. this could be a BETTER team in all major positions that are being filled in 2010. i know this is a bold statement, but i believe it.
i am not going to pick a # of games we’re going to win. this is a tough schedule for sure. i will say this… it ashames me to hear us shying away from expectation. we should encourage our team as fans to battle expectation with confidence. i can’t find a logical reason not to be confident…and if AU expects to be successful,…each player has got to find it, and embrace it. this won’t be an easy run, but it could happen if these guys believe it can happen.
wappa
by buddy Ro on Aug 3, 2010 3:45 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
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