Auburn with shot at Sugar Bowl

[ellitor 33,062]

5 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

I'm not so sure we need to play FSU in this years Sugar Bowl. Does Oregon have a winning record?

FSU is not and can not play in the Sugar Bowl. They will be in the Orange Bowl if Clemson wins the ACC or Citrus Bowl if VA Tech wins the ACC.

[abw0004 10,108]

FYI:

2016 SEC bowl projections after Week 13 (12 invites)

• College Football Playoff semifinal (Peach Bowl): Alabama vs. Ohio State
• New Year’s Six (Sugar Bowl): Auburn vs. Oklahoma
• Citrus Bowl: LSU vs. North Carolina
• Music City Bowl: Arkansas vs. Minnesota
• Outback Bowl: Florida vs. Nebraska
• TaxSlayer Bowl: Tennessee vs. Miami
• Liberty Bowl: Kentucky vs. TCU
• Texas Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Kansas State
• Belk Bowl: South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech
• Birmingham Bowl: Georgia vs. Houston
• Independence Bowl: Vanderbilt vs. Boston College
• Armed Forces Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Navy

On the outside looking in: Ole Miss, Missouri

 

[AUTUmike 79]

10 hours ago, ellitor said:

Nope. They could say they took a closer look and liked LSU resume better. They can do that on the 2nd ranking without either team playing especiallyif the Sugar bras lobbies them hard for LSU behind the scenes.

The Sugar Bowl won't lobby hard for LSU. With many, many LSU fans living in New Orleans, and Baton Rouge just a short drive away, that may be good for ticket sales but it wouldn't be good at all for hotel bookings and the service industry. Source: a lady on the Sugar Bowl staff.

[japantiger 4,051]

8-4; and a just an absolutely crap-fest of an offense .... .just doesn't sound very Sugar Bowly does it....I feel like Ron Burgandy after the biker punted Baxter...."I'm trapped in a glass case of emotion".... 

[Win4AU 4,052]

Been a long time since Auburn was in the Sugar Bowl.  I feel like there would be a lot of excitement to go for most.  Big step up from the Bham Bowl

[AUDynasty 585]

I am actually pumped if we get Sugar Bowl. Although our record probably states that we do not deserve a bowl of this caliber, this could be a momentum changer for next year. I really am hoping we get the bid. 

[japantiger 4,051]

9 minutes ago, Win4AU said:

Been a long time since Auburn was in the Sugar Bowl.  I feel like there would be a lot of excitement to go for most.  Big step up from the Bham Bowl

Well, when you set the bar that low, yeah...it's a step up... :-)

 

[I_M4_AU 7,773]

9 minutes ago, Win4AU said:

Been a long time since Auburn was in the Sugar Bowl.  I feel like there would be a lot of excitement to go for most.  Big step up from the Bham Bowl

I hope Gus doesn't take this as proof he is on the right track.

[I_M4_AU 7,773]

10 hours ago, ellitor said:

Sean won't be healthy.

This just in from ESPN (could be just Gus setting up his opponent):

Sean White, Auburn should be back to full strength for bowl game

12:15 PM ET

• 
  Chris LowESPN Senior Staff Writer

The end of the college football regular season wasn’t what anybody at Auburn wanted, but with five weeks to get some key players healthy, the Tigers could be one of those teams in the postseason that nobody wants to face.

Auburn closed the regular season last Saturday with a 30-12 loss at Alabama in the Iron Bowl, a game the Tigers trailed just 13-9 at the half. Two weeks earlier, they lost 13-7 at Georgia. Their offensive backfield riddled with injuries, the Tigers managed just one touchdown in their last two SEC games. It was a far cry from when they were humming with a healthy Sean White at quarterback during the middle of the season. They won six straight games and averaged 43 points during the final five games of that spree.

The good news on the Plains is that Auburn coach Gus Malzahn told ESPN.com on Sunday that he expects to have everybody back healthy for the bowl game, most notably White.

“I’m proud of our team finishing second in the SEC West, the toughest division in college football,” said Malzahn, whose Tigers started 1-2 after early losses to Clemson and Texas A&M. “We battled through adversity and battled through injuries, and we’ve got a young team. I’m looking forward to our team being healthy again and getting ready for the bowl.”

QB Sean White has missed the past two games and parts of some others due to a shoulder injury. AP Photo/Butch Dill

Auburn (8-4, 5-3 SEC) is positioned nicely for a Sugar Bowl bid, particularly with the Tigers being much closer to full strength when the New Year’s Six bowls are played. The highest ranked SEC team behind Alabama in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s final rankings will get the SEC’s Sugar Bowl spot. Auburn was No. 13 last week. Florida was No. 15 and Tennessee No. 17. All three teams lost, and with the Vols losing to Vanderbilt, they’re likely to fall out of the rankings. The Gators face Alabama in the SEC championship game this Saturday, so that could potentially be a second straight loss for Florida.

LSU could be a team to watch. The Tigers, guided by newly named head coach Ed Orgeron, weren’t ranked last week but closed the regular season with an impressive 54-39 win over Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night. But one thing that should help Auburn if it gets down to those two teams is that Auburn beat LSU in their head-to-head matchup in September.

The College Football Playoff selection committee will unveil its latest rankings on Tuesday night.

The key for Auburn is getting White healthy, and Malzahn told ESPN.com on Sunday he’s confident White will be “full force and ready to go” for the bowl game. White has been plagued by a shoulder injury. He first sustained the injury in the win over Ole Miss, then sat out the first half of the win over Vanderbilt the next week, but came off the bench in the second half to help the Tigers pull out a 23-16 win over the Commodores.

White started at quarterback the next week against Georgia, but reinjured his shoulder on the first series and tried to play through the pain. He wasn’t effective and finished just 6-of-20 for 27 yards and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. He said after the game he should have let the coaches know how badly he was hurting.

The Tigers sat White for the final two games, including last week’s loss at Alabama.

“Sean hung in there and tried to play against Georgia, but just wasn’t close,” Malzahn said. “We weren’t going to rush him back after that, but he should be fine for the bowl game.”

It’s not only White that should be healthy for the bowl game, but three main cogs in the backfield -- running backs Kamryn Pettway (quad) and Kerryon Johnson (ankle) and H-back Chandler Cox (dislocated kneecap) -- will have time to recover after battling injuries in the second half of the season.

 

Pettway, the SEC’s leading rusher at 124.8 yards per game, returned against Alabama after missing the previous two games against Alabama A&M and Georgia and was held to 17 yards on 12 carries. Auburn finished with just 66 yards on 26 carries against Alabama’s top-ranked run defense after averaging nearly 300 rushing yards coming into the game.

Auburn’s defense, which finished the regular season ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense (15.6 points per game), will also get a boost for the bowl game when senior defensive back Josh Holseyreturns. He leads the Tigers with three interceptions but missed the Alabama game with an ankle injury.

“It was a close group, and you could see that in the way our team battled against a challenging schedule,” Malzahn said. “We weathered the storm early. Our leadership took over, and the guys really responded. We look forward to getting everybody back and playing some more football this year.”

    

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[aujeff11 6,243]

Gus probably told ESPN this just to convince the Sugar Bowl reps that our offense won't be near as bad. 

[AU64 10,122]

Don't all these bowl games have contracts / deal with the power 5 conferences to take teams ins some order of their ranking?   

Just wondering whether the Sugar Bowl has much sway in who they get..... unless the conference and the involved teams agree to some variance in the deals.

As for bowl game being able to influence the polls or such.....find that hard to believe....but if so, they would then be back the old days where each bowl did it's own thing. 

[NoALtiger 3,849]

3 hours ago, japantiger said:

8-4; and a just an absolutely crap-fest of an offense .... .just doesn't sound very Sugar Bowly does it....I feel like Ron Burgandy after the biker punted Baxter...."I'm trapped in a glass case of emotion".... 

Not like they have any choice, the league has quite a few average teams. It is what it is. 

[JMassie11 1,610]

10 minutes ago, NoALtiger said:

Not like they have any choice, the league has quite a few average teams. It is what it is. 

Honestly who has the better offense? Us, LSU , or Florida?

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

3 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

I hope Gus doesn't take this as proof he is on the right track.

He will.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

10 minutes ago, JMassie11 said:

Honestly who has the better offense? Us, LSU , or Florida?

Depends on if we are healthy... if we are... us. If not... probably Florida.

[ellitor 33,062]

5 hours ago, Win4AU said:

Been a long time since Auburn was in the Sugar Bowl.  I feel like there would be a lot of excitement to go for most.  Big step up from the Bham Bowl

Especially if we get OU. Despite the griping most AU fans will go. Most of us have been craving a game with OU for nearly 13 years now.

[ellitor 33,062]

5 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

This just in from ESPN (could be just Gus setting up his opponent):

Sean White, Auburn should be back to full strength for bowl game

12:15 PM ET

• 
  Chris LowESPN Senior Staff Writer

The end of the college football regular season wasn’t what anybody at Auburn wanted, but with five weeks to get some key players healthy, the Tigers could be one of those teams in the postseason that nobody wants to face.

Auburn closed the regular season last Saturday with a 30-12 loss at Alabama in the Iron Bowl, a game the Tigers trailed just 13-9 at the half. Two weeks earlier, they lost 13-7 at Georgia. Their offensive backfield riddled with injuries, the Tigers managed just one touchdown in their last two SEC games. It was a far cry from when they were humming with a healthy Sean White at quarterback during the middle of the season. They won six straight games and averaged 43 points during the final five games of that spree.

The good news on the Plains is that Auburn coach Gus Malzahn told ESPN.com on Sunday that he expects to have everybody back healthy for the bowl game, most notably White.

“I’m proud of our team finishing second in the SEC West, the toughest division in college football,” said Malzahn, whose Tigers started 1-2 after early losses to Clemson and Texas A&M. “We battled through adversity and battled through injuries, and we’ve got a young team. I’m looking forward to our team being healthy again and getting ready for the bowl.”

QB Sean White has missed the past two games and parts of some others due to a shoulder injury. AP Photo/Butch Dill

Auburn (8-4, 5-3 SEC) is positioned nicely for a Sugar Bowl bid, particularly with the Tigers being much closer to full strength when the New Year’s Six bowls are played. The highest ranked SEC team behind Alabama in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s final rankings will get the SEC’s Sugar Bowl spot. Auburn was No. 13 last week. Florida was No. 15 and Tennessee No. 17. All three teams lost, and with the Vols losing to Vanderbilt, they’re likely to fall out of the rankings. The Gators face Alabama in the SEC championship game this Saturday, so that could potentially be a second straight loss for Florida.

LSU could be a team to watch. The Tigers, guided by newly named head coach Ed Orgeron, weren’t ranked last week but closed the regular season with an impressive 54-39 win over Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night. But one thing that should help Auburn if it gets down to those two teams is that Auburn beat LSU in their head-to-head matchup in September.

The College Football Playoff selection committee will unveil its latest rankings on Tuesday night.

The key for Auburn is getting White healthy, and Malzahn told ESPN.com on Sunday he’s confident White will be “full force and ready to go” for the bowl game. White has been plagued by a shoulder injury. He first sustained the injury in the win over Ole Miss, then sat out the first half of the win over Vanderbilt the next week, but came off the bench in the second half to help the Tigers pull out a 23-16 win over the Commodores.

White started at quarterback the next week against Georgia, but reinjured his shoulder on the first series and tried to play through the pain. He wasn’t effective and finished just 6-of-20 for 27 yards and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. He said after the game he should have let the coaches know how badly he was hurting.

The Tigers sat White for the final two games, including last week’s loss at Alabama.

“Sean hung in there and tried to play against Georgia, but just wasn’t close,” Malzahn said. “We weren’t going to rush him back after that, but he should be fine for the bowl game.”

It’s not only White that should be healthy for the bowl game, but three main cogs in the backfield -- running backs Kamryn Pettway (quad) and Kerryon Johnson (ankle) and H-back Chandler Cox (dislocated kneecap) -- will have time to recover after battling injuries in the second half of the season.

 

Pettway, the SEC’s leading rusher at 124.8 yards per game, returned against Alabama after missing the previous two games against Alabama A&M and Georgia and was held to 17 yards on 12 carries. Auburn finished with just 66 yards on 26 carries against Alabama’s top-ranked run defense after averaging nearly 300 rushing yards coming into the game.

Auburn’s defense, which finished the regular season ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense (15.6 points per game), will also get a boost for the bowl game when senior defensive back Josh Holseyreturns. He leads the Tigers with three interceptions but missed the Alabama game with an ankle injury.

“It was a close group, and you could see that in the way our team battled against a challenging schedule,” Malzahn said. “We weathered the storm early. Our leadership took over, and the guys really responded. We look forward to getting everybody back and playing some more football this year.”

    

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Yeah. Info has dramatically changed the past few hours from the past couple weeks. There is a real possibility he plays now.

[ellitor 33,062]

5 hours ago, AU64 said:

Don't all these bowl games have contracts / deal with the power 5 conferences to take teams ins some order of their ranking?   

Just wondering whether the Sugar Bowl has much sway in who they get..... unless the conference and the involved teams agree to some variance in the deals.

As for bowl game being able to influence the polls or such.....find that hard to believe....but if so, they would then be back the old days where each bowl did it's own thing. 

Only the New Years' 6 and the Citrus are decided by rankings. The rest of the SEC Bowls are decided by the SEC offices in B'Ham as for which SEC team goes where. I'm sure they collaborate with the bowls but the SEC office has the final say now.

Sugar has no public say. Their's is decided by highest ranked available SEC & Big 12 teams.

[OnthePlains 2,014]

No secret I have been on the anti-Gus bus lately and not happy with average seasons...that being said however, I would be happy to see AU in the Sugar Bowl.  Good reward for a great group of kids who played hard all year despite tough circumstances. Also, lets just say Sean is back and healthy, and Pettway is back to more normal, and with a month to heal up everyone else it could be a great game and I think we would have a shot at a good momentum building win. 

[AU64 10,122]

1 minute ago, ellitor said:

Only the New Years' 6 and the Citrus are decided by rankings. The rest of the SEC Bowls are decided by the SEC offices in B'Ham as for which SEC team goes where. I'm sure they collaborate with the bowls but the office has the final say now.

Sugar has no public say. Their's is decided by highest ranked available SEC & Big 12 teams.

Thanks....would seem to clear up the AU situation.

[jAUSon 2,836]

been jonesing for some olkahoma since '04. let'er rip. i'll go!

[AU64 10,122]

29 minutes ago, jAUSon said:

been jonesing for some olkahoma since '04. let'er rip. i'll go!

Good thing you are not old enough to remember 1972....that game was awful and a huge embarrassment ....somewhat unexpected but most of us were a bit suspicious that like this year.....AU might be over-rated.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

2 minutes ago, AU64 said:

Good thing you are not old enough to remember 1972....that game was awful and a huge embarrassment ....somewhat unexpected but most of us were a bit suspicious that like this year.....AU might be over-rated.

Our D definitely isn't... we'll see about our O.

[augolf1716 21,096]

Yep was there damn wishbone

[AU64 10,122]

23 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

Yep was there damn wishbone

That and AU miscues....just looked over the re-cap....I recalled the game was "over" in less than a half but I didn't remember the INTs early in the game...one from Terry Beasley. 

Wouldn't you give something valuable to be able to see the comments on the internet boards from that game....which came after bama hammered AU in the Iron Bowl ?    Man, I bet the  "fire Shug" folks would have been out in full force....I mean, what idiot with Pat Sullivan as his QB would try and end around with an attempted pass from his WR ?