Is Tuberville best for Auburn's future?

In the next 48 hours the direction of Auburn's football program will be determined. After suffering the worst loss to Alabama in 48 years you can bet Tommy Tuberville's conversation with Auburn President Jay Gogue will be frank and pointed. It's been widely assumed for the last month that Tuberville will return next season. Today things are less clear.

Rarely does the winner of this game assume complete control of football in the state of Alabama. This year is the exception. This Alabama football team out-played, out-coached and in the end, simply manhandled a much inferior Auburn unit. The contrast between the two teams is startling. Say what you will about Alabama's struggles over the past decade; this program now has everyone in lockstep with one goal and that's to win a national championship.

A week ago I would have taken any bet out there that Florida would crush Alabama this weekend. I've since seen the light.  This Alabama team and more significantly, this program is very much the real deal. This is sobering news for an Auburn program that has held sway in the state for the better part of ten years.

In simple terms, Nick Saban has out-performed Tommy Tuberville on the field and off for the past two years. He's done it on the recruiting trail, and with the coaches he's hired and the money he's generated for the university. It's naïve for anyone to believe that Tuberville can wave a magic wand and reset the calendar to 2004 anytime soon.

I've been outspoken in my support of Tuberville. He's been the perfect ambassador for the university. He's won on the field, his players have stayed out of trouble and they perform in the classroom. It would be hard to ask much more from a coach than what he's given Auburn during the past 10 years.

But the future of this program is not about the past. It's about tomorrow and that's an ugly picture at the moment. Tuberville has taken his eye off the ball and it will cost some of his friends their jobs - perhaps this week. It's not something that will be fixed quickly. This is a very bad football team. With trips to Baton Rouge, Knoxville, Fayetteville and Athens, things will be much tougher in 2009.

Auburn will welcome back an offense that has zero consistency at quarterback, tailback or wide receiver. It brings back an offensive line that can be described as nothing short of horrible. You can hire the best offensive coordinator in the country and it will be difficult to win with this talent.

This is not a one year job. This week's discussion should not be about giving Tuberville another season, but rather do they have faith he can rebuild the program over the next couple of years. With the team in its current state, it's hard to see things getting significantly better next season.

Do Auburn officials, alumni and fans have a strong enough stomach to go through this process with Tuberville? I'm not so sure. When you are paid $3.5 million annually, you don't let a program get away from you. And you certainly don't lose by 36 points to a team you've owned for the past six years. Saturday was no aberration. Alabama passed Auburn so quickly that none of us saw it coming. This falls squarely on the shoulders of Tuberville.

Does he deserve another chance? Perhaps. Would it be an outrage if he were fired this week? I'm not so sure anymore. Florida's Urban Meyer and Saban built national championship contenders within two years of their arrival. Two years. Auburn can't live on 2004 forever.

The Tigers are 14-11 over the past two seasons, with a 1-5 record against LSU, Georgia and Alabama. Even more worrisome is the team's 4-4 record during that time against Miss State, Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Ole Miss. For this effort, Tuberville has collected nearly $7 million in salary. This is real money - not the Monopoly kind.

When you command this kind of money, school officials and alumni have a right to ask what have you done for me lately. For Tuberville, it will be tough to answer this week. This is not a middle manager corporate job where a few mistakes can be tolerated. This is a job that drives the engine of an entire university. This engine has passed the 100,000 mile point. How many more does it have left before totally breaking down?

That's the $3.5 million question.

It didn't take long. Sylvester Croom is out at Miss State.  Here's the link...

Last night, for the first time all week, I paid a visit to Roll Bama Roll.com. Quite frankly, I rarely visit the site because I really don't care what they write about or what their fans think. With that said, I'm sure glad I dropped in.

If you haven't already, do take time today to head over to RBR and see for yourself what six years of misery can do to fans. It's beautiful. For more than 2,555 days the Tigers have ruled the state of Alabama. Should Bama win tomorrow there will still be little change in the state pecking order. Winning one of seven hardly makes you dominant. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Bama must first win, which is something I'm still not convinced will happen.

Tide fans need to face it. They have about as much chance of winning the national championship this year as Auburn. Florida will likely crush Nick Saban's hired hands by more than two touchdowns in Atlanta - close but no cigar.

Let's get back to RBR. Reading their blog has been eye opening to say the least. Spend five minutes there and you see the effects of going nearly a decade without a win in the Iron Bowl. These people are downright miserable.  They are bitter and mad as hell. Many of them are delusional.

Some of our readers have made fun of RBR doing movie reviews and other crap that has nothing to do with football. I can sympathize. Auburn has had one bad season in ten years. These guys haven't had a good one since Bill Clinton's first term. I credit them for not doing fashion reviews and home design tips. An Auburn win will likely lead to postings about Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

Personally, I'd blow my brains out if I had to cover such an inadequate product for so long. Speaking of which, should Bama lose tomorrow night, it's a safe bet that Bryce, the school's sister campus, will be expanding its facilities to accept more transfer students. I hear they have great socials together already.

Again, if you have some time today do yourself a favor and visit RBR. I promise it will put a smile on your face and some bounce in your step. Say what you will about Tommy Tuberville. This guy has gutted the Bama Nation. Despite 11 wins, these people are still feeling inferior to Auburn and it shows. It's great to be an Auburn Tiger.

There are at least six things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Count me among those who enjoyed playing the Iron Bowl the week following the Georgia game. It's hard to get excited about Thanksgiving when the biggest day of the year follows only 48 hours later.

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. The older I get the more I enjoy Turkey Day. There's no stressing over gifts to buy and you still get to eat good food and watch football. When you think about it, it's the perfect American holiday.

If only we didn't have to worry about the Iron Bowl.

Wouldn't it be nice to have number seven in our pocket come Thursday morning? I say we make a pact right now. On Thursday we put the Iron Bowl in the back of our minds and give thanks for our family, friends and health.  Deal?  I'm starting right now.  Below are the things I'm most thankful for this Thanksgiving...

• I'm thankful to have found the perfect wife. For more than 15 years she's been letting me come home every night. I still look at her and wonder how I got so lucky. The older I get the more I realize what a gift I've been given.
• I'm thankful to live near Auburn. There's nothing more soothing than returning to Auburn on a Saturday afternoon after a long, tough week at work. A few hours in Auburn, game day or not, is better than any therapy on the market.
• I'm thankful to be an Auburn person. There are many great schools around the country, but there's nothing like Auburn, Alabama. It's hard to explain to those who haven't felt it.  The Auburn spirit is unlike anything I've ever experienced. You all know what I mean.
• I'm thankful for two of the best kids in the world. They've taken on my love for Auburn football and that means everything in the world to me.  My daughter is always by my side on Game Day and its something I cherish every single time. I just wish it could last forever. My son looks just like Terry Beasley when he puts on that Auburn jersey. Now if I can just teach him to catch like Beasley, I'll never have to work again.
• I'm thankful that I live in a country that despite it deep problems, can argue and debate for more than two years over who should be President and then peacefully come together to choose one without the first bullet being fired. It's still an amazing process to me even when my candidate doesn't win.
• I'm thankful for people like Dean Foy. Has there ever been a better living symbol of the Auburn spirit than this man? What a shame that money gets in the way of so many good things. I hope the Auburn administration comes to its senses and does the right thing and puts Foy's name on the new Student Activities Building.
• I'm thankful that I'm nearly 40 years old and I still have my grandparents. Having them all this time has been the greatest gift of my life.
• I'm thankful for Jimmy Wales. Who's that you ask?  Wales is the founder of Wikipedia and a graduate of Auburn. The Huntsville native has created quite possibly the coolest app on the internet. I go there thousands of times each year.
• I'm thankful for all the Auburn Olympians. I have never been more proud to be a graduate of Auburn University than I was this past summer during the Olympics in Beijing. The effort and dedication of our Auburn athletes was awe inspiring.
• I'm thankful to be an Alabamian. In my day job, I've had the privilege of traveling to 44 states around this great country and I can say without reservation, there's no place like home. They can make fun of Alabama if they wish, but for me, there's no place else I'd rather be.
• I'm thankful for Charles Barkley. He's one of the truly great ambassadors for Auburn. Is he outspoken? Sure. But nobody loves Auburn any more than Barkley and he always uses the national stage to promote our school. He also puts his money where his mouth is, quietly giving millions to the University.
• I'm thankful for the six game winning streak over Alabama. Nobody has deserved this kind of humiliation more than the Tide. Who knows what Saturday will bring, but you can bet that despite their 11-0 record, there's a hint of doubt on each of the Alabama players minds tonight. Thank you Tommy Tuberville.
• Finally, I'm thankful for the three guys who work with me here at Track'em Tigers. They are simply the best. Nobody loves Auburn more than them. Because of these guys joining the team, this past year has been my most rewarding as a blogger.

I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving and I look forward to talking with you this weekend. Don't count Auburn out yet. Number seven is not out of the question. War Eagle!

Auburn takes the weekend off before returning Sunday.

War Eagle and Happy Friday to you! I don't know about you, but I hate this off week between Georgia and the Iron Bowl. I can remember as a kid being in absolute agony waiting out the days to kick off with Alabama.  What the hell was I thinking? Growing up in the 1970's, we never won anyway. But it still didn't stop me from believing and getting excited about the best rivalry in all of sports.

This year things are really screwed up. I actually have to put my Christmas tree up the weekend before Thanksgiving. With the game next Saturday, my guess is there will be a lot of Christmas trees sold in the state of Alabama over the weekend.

Today at Talkin' Tigers I write about Tommy Tuberville and his chances of returning next season. Outside of a total collapse in Tuscaloosa next weekend, I believe he'll be back next year with an entirely new offensive staff.  Click here to read.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Tuberville was in a reflective, laid back mood. Despite this year's record, he says this season compares very closely to last year's. "Same season we had last year," Tuberville said. "It's really no different, other than we made a few plays at the end of games. This year we didn't make any - just a couple of balls in the end zone, extra points missed, field goals. There's really not a lot of difference." With all due respect coach, it certainly feels a lot different.

If Auburn fans have learned anything this year, it's the value of a seasoned quarterback. Being ranked preseason top 10 was probably stupid on the pollsters' part considering Auburn started two quarterbacks who really never played prior to this year. Shame on us for believing them.

It's no coincidence that Alabama, Florida and Georgia are tops in the SEC and all have veteran quarterbacks.  On the flip side, look at Auburn and LSU and the struggles they've faced without proven signal callers. Let's remember this down the road when preseason rankings come out in the summer.

Speaking of quarterbacks, Tuberville believes a lot of Alabama's success is due to the much improved play of John Parker Wilson and a team that doesn't make mistakes. "They've made the plays," Tuberville said. "They are a solid team that doesn't make a lot of mistakes.

"They're not rated that high throwing the ball, but they're physical and run the ball well. They have a fifth-year senior quarterback making good decisions. Their defense has, I'm sure, played to their expectations. They've stayed healthy. Their kicking game has been solid and has been very fruitful for them."

Despite what many believe, Tuberville says the Iron Bowl has very little impact on recruiting. He says the game is more about pride than anything else. "This is for bragging rights. That's what it basically comes down to," Tuberville said. "In their situation, they have a chance to continue on in the BCS. If we win, we have an outside chance at getting to a bowl game, I guess. "You hear everybody talk about rivalries across the country. In terms of intensity, none of them touch this one."

Auburn practiced for two hours on Thursday and will have a walk through this morning before getting the weekend off. Practice will resume on Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers are expected to be two touchdown underdogs when odds are released by Vegas on Sunday. Privately coaches say they feel good about Auburn's chances next week, despite being heavy underdogs. Looking at a position-by-position comparison, Auburn does appear to matchup better against Alabama than they did Georgia. One thing is for certain, they'll be healthier next Saturday than at any point in the season.

Have a great weekend and War Eagle!

If you want to catch the Auburn-Mercer basketball game, it's available free on Channel Surfing.net.  I just came across it a few minutes ago.  It's not bad video for free...

Click here to watch...

Tuberville finally showed a little fire in the belly on Saturday.

Can we possibly be getting ready for the Iron Bowl again? Even in a year that sometimes feels like it doesn't move fast enough, it's hard to really believe that another season is almost in the books. Auburn returns to practice today in preparation for the November 29^th showdown with top-ranked Alabama.

As I said in my Talkin' Tigers column today, there's a lot to build on following Saturday's disappointing loss to Georgia. Tommy Tuberville has to feel much better about his team after watching the game film. We saw quarterback Kodi Burns grow up and a defense return to its old form. And it looks like we finally have a running back in Mario Fannin. Even Tuberville finally showed some emotion. Who would have thought it?

Let's not forget that some of Auburn's biggest wins over Alabama came after tough losses to Georgia. Dating back to 2003, Auburn has come back to defeat Alabama on three occasions after getting beaten handily by Georgia. And don't underestimate the off-week in helping Auburn get better. If a team has ever needed some time off, it's this one. You'll see a much faster team in two weeks. Of course, the same can be said for Alabama.

We extend congratulations today to several of our loyal readers who went over to Dawg Sports.com last week and raised a little hell with the Bulldog Nation. They were so successful in their work that the following Track'em Tiger members were banned by the site for telling the truth: Okietigerr, Gumptown Tiger, War Eagle Atlanta and Carlege. As a token of our appreciation, we've inducted each of you into the first class of our Track'em Tigers Hall of Fame. You all bring a tear to my eye!

Tuberville announced on Monday that tight-end Tommy Trott and kicker Wes Byrum are out for the Iron Bowl due to injuries. Gabe McKenzie will start at tight-end and Morgan Hull will handle the kicking duties.

Already struggling on special teams, the loss of Byrum may be bigger than most expect. Despite having a terrible sophomore campaign, Tuberville still seems to have faith in his kicker; so much so that after Byrum was injured on Saturday, Tuberville had second thoughts attempting a field goal with Hull.

 "Morgan went out there," Tuberville said. "After he went out there and we got to thinking about the scenario of it being the first time him being out there, I said ‘Let's don't do it. Let's go for the touchdown.'"

With the Tigers struggling this season, much of the talk has been about whether Auburn can hold on to its much heralded 2009 recruiting class. If this weekend is any indication, things appear to be just fine.

Two big-time recruits, tight-end Philip Lutzenkirchen of Marietta, Georgia and quarterback Raymond Cotton of Fort Meade, Maryland both reaffirmed their commitments to Auburn while visiting campus Saturday.

"This is where I want to be," Cotton said. "I get along with the players real well. I just like it here. That was a great atmosphere. It's a big stadium. To have that many people supporting you in a game is really good. I'm not used to having a big line. I believe I can do something with that, have fun with that."

Lutzenkirchen says he's not worried about Auburn's offensive woes this season and is confident in where Tuberville is leading the team. "They said they are going to stick with the spread and do a lot of one-back type stuff," Lutzenkirchen said. "You do have to run the ball in the SEC. This is 100 percent where I want to go. I'm still going to take my other visits just to see some other places."

This comes as a huge relief to the Auburn coaches. Both were thought to be softening their stance on Auburn, especially Lutzenkirchen. This news combined with Auburn's play against Georgia has to increase the odds of Tuberville returning for an 11^th season on the Plains.

Auburn will need more production from its running backs to beat Georgia.

Welcome to the start of Amen Corner! This season certainly won't be one we talk about for years to come, but no matter what the records, I still get excited about the South's Oldest Rivalry.

Let's not forget about the situation two years ago when Georgia came calling on Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers were ranked fifth in the country and expected to roll against a young, struggling quarterback named Matt Stafford. The Bulldogs had lost four of their last five games and given little chance against Tommy Tuberville's team.

On that rainy, muggy early Saturday afternoon, Georgia finally put it all together and upset Auburn 37-15. Sound familiar? Never assume anything in this series. The odds are long, but you still have to play the game.

By now I'm sure you've heard that Saturday's game will be televised by Raycom Sports, which means an 11:30 a.m. CT kickoff. That's the price you pay for underachieving.  For the second time in three years, this game draws the short straw.

This is not good if you're Auburn. Why? This weekend's game is perhaps the biggest of the year for recruiting and because of the early start many high school players will not be able to get flights to Atlanta or Montgomery in time to make it for kickoff.

We can all thank the NCAA. A couple of years ago they decided it wasn't in the best interest of the student athlete to ride on school planes. Tuberville was a leading opponent of the proposal, along with Alabama and several other SEC schools. Nonetheless, it passed and now high school players must fly commercial into the closest airport and often drive several hours to reach the school they are visiting.

Auburn was hoping to be picked up for the night game by ESPN 2, but they decided to go with Vanderbilt-Kentucky. If that's not the true sign of a bad season then I don't know what is.

In Monday's Talkin' Tigers we preview the Georgia-Auburn game. If you're already signed up it should be in your inbox. If you don't see it, check your spam box. If you're not a member yet, click here to join. It's free.