The Absurdity of Auburn’s schedule

[bmartin3228 117]

I know good out of conference games are fun , but with who we play year in and year out in conference I think we should pump the breaks . Feel like we are shooting ourselves in the foot . 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

1 hour ago, WDE0007 said:

The only reason I don't want UGA at the beginning of the schedule is that it takes Gus the first 3-4 games every single season to figure out what he's got.

Only when he has a new QB. We came into 2014 ready to play and fell apart in the end. We get our O-line ready and I expect to be firing on all cylinders game 1 next year.

[1856 136]

7 hours ago, SCTiger2011 said:

And then to top it off, next year has the murderers row BOTH ON THE ROAD, in addition to what would today be a #7 vs #11 matchup opening against Washington in Atlanta next year.  Yes, it's the gauntlet that so many love the SEC for, and what gives the conference so much respect, but I've always hated the Novembers since Mizzou and TAMU joined.  I hate those Novembers more now after it being confirmed about two hours ago that Auburn could be the best SEC team, be out of gas and lose an SEC championship, and have a team who played Tennessee and Vanderbilt coast right in.

I really, really wish we would figure out a way to go back to the old days where one of our two rival games were home and one were away.  I do not like it like this. 

[1856 136]

7 hours ago, AUDynasty said:

I agree that we need to move Georgia earlier, but I doubt they'd agree to it.

Next year we'll be facing the following teams: Washington, Texas A&M, LSU, and FOUR away games at Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Georgia, and Alabama. 

This is downright brutal and punishing. 

MSU and Ole Piss will be garbage. Tamu will also probably be not too good. Uat and thUGA away are brutal, though. 

[AUloggerhead 2,225]

6 hours ago, AUwent said:

Starting to see why I’ve been saying a 9 game SEC schedule plus P5 OOC game is a bad idea?

We’ll have Alabama State, Liberty and Ole Miss next year. So that’s three cupcakes.

The problem is uat's schedule, not AU's.  uat's permanent East opponent in UT.  I know it's hard to believe but they used to be a decent opponent (about 20 or so yrs ago.)  Whether a team is good or not is cyclical.  A 9-game conference schedule would be fairer to all -- every team would have to play all others  more frequently than they do now.  I would love for uat & UGA to play more often, though I'm sure Nick & Kirby want none of it.  It's been an historic issue:  in the latest SECCG, CBS showed a graphic where Nick Chubb moved into 2nd place on the all-time SEC rushing yards behind the great Herschel Walker.  How many remember Herschel Walker running over, through & all round the SEC in the 3 years he played at UGA?  The most remarkable thing about it is that uat never once played UGA while Walker was on the loose in the SEC.            

[Tiger 8,817]

13 hours ago, lionheartkc said:

Only when he has a new QB. We came into 2014 ready to play and fell apart in the end. We get our O-line ready and I expect to be firing on all cylinders game 1 next year.

I will respectfully disagree and IMO there is virtually no shot at this happening.

We lose too much on the OL and we all know Herb can't figure out his best 5 until a few games into the season as it is, now add in that we have to replace most of the OL I think that spells big time trouble for the first quarter of the year next year.

[McLoofus 35,182]

11 minutes ago, Tiger said:

I will respectfully disagree and IMO there is virtually no shot at this happening.

We lose too much on the OL and we all know Herb can't figure out his best 5 until a few games into the season as it is, now add in that we have to replace most of the OL I think that spells big time trouble for the first quarter of the year next year.

Not to disagree, but to maybe sugarcoat- we do return a lot of experience at LT and both of the guard positions. If we were returning our center, I wouldn't be worried at all. But we don't, and that's a big deal, hence me not disagreeing but instead just trying to halfway fill your half empty glass. 

[AUCE05 369]

The league needs to recognize UT is no longer a power and adjust accordingly 

[Tiger 8,817]

20 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Not to disagree, but to maybe sugarcoat- we do return a lot of experience at LT and both of the guard positions. If we were returning our center, I wouldn't be worried at all. But we don't, and that's a big deal, hence me not disagreeing but instead just trying to halfway fill your half empty glass. 

I've seen you mention Tega's experience will be helpful next year and I totally agree. I think my half empty look here is based on Herb Hand more than anything else. Considering our line was improved exponentially last year and this year after lineup changes mid-way through the year, I feel I would be doing myself a disservice to trust Herb Hand to get it right for game 1 next year lol

[looney 794]

It sounds like this won't be a popular opinion, but:

Yes, our schedule is among the most difficult in the country.

But it's the hand we're dealt.

Wishing for an alternative, complaining that others had it easier, and - worse - throwing our hands up and saying we should just drop X team altogether, really paints us in a bad light. My opinion, of course. You are all entitled to your own.

It wasn't our year. We were in the thick of the hunt. It was pretty fun while it lasted. Let's strap up and do it again next year.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

43 minutes ago, Tiger said:

I will respectfully disagree and IMO there is virtually no shot at this happening.

We lose too much on the OL and we all know Herb can't figure out his best 5 until a few games into the season as it is, now add in that we have to replace most of the OL I think that spells big time trouble for the first quarter of the year next year.

That's why I put the qualifier of "We get our O-Line ready". We don't get our O-Line ready and we may not beat Washington.

[Dan-0 479]

20 hours ago, Farmer Brown said:

I agree wholeheartedly. You should have to win your conference to get in, also. Saban is a hypocrite on that issue.

I agree, but we need an 8-team playoff roster that includes all five Power Conferences and three at large choices. Conference winners would get in automatically, otherwise what is the point of having the championship games?

[Farmer Brown 2,391]

Check this out...

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/12/alcom_all-access_lsu_kept_aubu.html#incart_river_mobile_index.

Whether you like scarbo or not, he makes a valid point.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

3 minutes ago, Tiger said:

I've seen you mention Tega's experience will be helpful next year and I totally agree. I think my half empty look here is based on Herb Hand more than anything else. Considering our line was improved exponentially last year and this year after lineup changes mid-way through the year, I feel I would be doing myself a disservice to trust Herb Hand to get it right for game 1 next year lol

I find it hard to dog on Herb when he was able to do what he was able to do with a constantly shifting line (thanks as much to injuries as inexperience). Hopefully that will actually bode well for us, next year, since even though we are losing 4 key guys, we'll have 3 juniors with significant game experience, plus Ashley, and several other promising underclassmen.  

Still, I'm not holding my breath.  We need functional depth so our line isn't exhausted by game 12-13. We've got to get past having 3 guys ready and another 4 or 5 not quite there but capable of filling holes.

 

[AU64 10,122]

2 minutes ago, Farmer Brown said:

Check this out...

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/12/alcom_all-access_lsu_kept_aubu.html#incart_river_mobile_index.

Whether you like scarbo or not, he makes a valid point.

No he doesn't.....no logic to his theory that if we had beaten LSU that rest of the season would have been unchanged.

I went on at length in another post....but the outcome of every game usually determines what a team does going forward.   The LSU loss changed our team and coaches for the better..... whereas a win might have just perpetuated the same play calling strategies and could have resulted in future losses. 

We were on our way to an 8 or 9 win season at most at that point and the loss reignited the team.   That loss could have destroyed them ..... but  givecredit to the coaches for not letting the season's goal end with that game. 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

20 minutes ago, looney said:

It sounds like this won't be a popular opinion, but:

Yes, our schedule is among the most difficult in the country.

But it's the hand we're dealt.

Wishing for an alternative, complaining that others had it easier, and - worse - throwing our hands up and saying we should just drop X team altogether, really paints us in a bad light. My opinion, of course. You are all entitled to your own.

It wasn't our year. We were in the thick of the hunt. It was pretty fun while it lasted. Let's strap up and do it again next year.

The only really valid point I've seen is that it would make things better if we moved Georgia.  They are the only team that doesn't move on our schedule (I know... the Iron Bowl, but that's rivalry week, so it's not changing), and there's no reason to have them always on that week other than to back-load us with tough games.  I'd love to face them mid-season.

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, lionheartkc said:

I find it hard to dog on Herb when he was able to do what he was able to do with a constantly shifting line (thanks as much to injuries as inexperience). Hopefully that will actually bode well for us, next year, since even though we are losing 4 key guys, we'll have 3 juniors with significant game experience, plus Ashley, and several other promising underclassmen.  

Still, I'm not holding my breath.  We need functional depth so our line isn't exhausted by game 12-13. We've got to get past having 3 guys ready and another 4 or 5 not quite there but capable of filling holes.

I think this is another conversation where folks just disagree on the chicken and the egg. Valid points on both sides, and nobody knows for sure.

I'll say this: the only way the staff can put those conversations to bed is to finally hit the ground running in September. As you said, we managed that in '14. We should've gotten a lot closer to pulling it off in '16. If I had to guess, our level of success will be somewhere between the two in '18.

[Tiger 8,817]

6 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

I find it hard to dog on Herb when he was able to do what he was able to do with a constantly shifting line (thanks as much to injuries as inexperience). Hopefully that will actually bode well for us, next year, since even though we are losing 4 key guys, we'll have 3 juniors with significant game experience, plus Ashley, and several other promising underclassmen.  

Still, I'm not holding my breath.  We need functional depth so our line isn't exhausted by game 12-13. We've got to get past having 3 guys ready and another 4 or 5 not quite there but capable of filling holes.

 

I actually find it hard not to dog a coach who can't figure out who his best lineup is over an entire spring practice, fall practice, and full 4 games into a season. What is he doing for ~8 months? We can agree to disagree on this part.

But yes, we need functional depth. How freaking lucky are we that Casey Dunn fell into our lap?? That was literally a season and job saver for Gus. 

[keesler 5,922]

21 hours ago, gr82be said:

The only thing you can do is play your schedule. One thing is for sure though. Auburn was part of the schools in the mix for the NC this year and the schedule we played was the reason why. 

Bingo!

Our brutal schedule is what made Auburn contenders for the CFP.  A weaker schedule and we'd be hovering down around #10 in the rankings.

[McLoofus 35,182]

3 minutes ago, AU64 said:

No he doesn't.....no logic to his theory that if we had beaten LSU that rest of the season would have been unchanged.

I went on at length in another post....but the outcome of every game usually determines what a team does going forward.   The LSU loss changed our team and coaches for the better..... whereas a win might have just perpetuated the same play calling strategies and could have resulted in future losses. 

We were on our way to an 8 or 9 win season at most at that point and the loss reignited the team.

Extremely heavy supposition on your part, at least equal to Scarbo's. And possibly illogical as well.

Don't forget that the first half of the LSU game, Auburn looked a lot like the team that played lights out down the stretch. It was because of a breathtakingly stupid strategic decision on Gus's part after we built a serious lead that we didn't whip LSU just like we went on to whip the rest of the SEC West.

[keesler 5,922]

13 hours ago, AUloggerhead said:

The problem is uat's schedule, not AU's.  uat's permanent East opponent in UT.  I know it's hard to believe but they used to be a decent opponent (about 20 or so yrs ago.)  Whether a team is good or not is cyclical.  A 9-game conference schedule would be fairer to all -- every team would have to play all others  more frequently than they do now.  I would love for uat & UGA to play more often, though I'm sure Nick & Kirby want none of it.  It's been an historic issue:  in the latest SECCG, CBS showed a graphic where Nick Chubb moved into 2nd place on the all-time SEC rushing yards behind the great Herschel Walker.  How many remember Herschel Walker running over, through & all round the SEC in the 3 years he played at UGA?  The most remarkable thing about it is that uat never once played UGA while Walker was on the loose in the SEC.            

The ONLY team in this 14 team conference that wants this is Alabama.  It's been voted on several times and every program vote no except them.

[AU64 10,122]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

Extremely heavy supposition on your part, at least equal to Scarbo's. And possibly illogical as well.

Don't forget that the first half of the LSU game, Auburn looked a lot like the team that played lights out down the stretch. It was because of a breathtakingly stupid strategic decision on Gus's part after we built a serious lead that we didn't whip LSU just like we went on to whip the rest of the SEC West.

You can't read the future of the 2nd half no matter what we had done...someone get hurt, or whatever.   It's just a what-if game that is good for "clicks" on the computer......and granted mine is supposition but he's acting as if his is fact. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 minute ago, AU64 said:

You can't read the future of the 2nd half no matter what we had done...someone get hurt, or whatever.   It's just a what-if game that is good for "clicks" on the computer......and granted mine is supposition but he's acting as if his is fact. 

16 consecutive hand-offs on first down. There's no what-if about that. Gus changed the game plan and we lost because of it. 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

1 minute ago, Tiger said:

I actually find it hard not to dog a coach who can't figure out who his best lineup is over an entire spring practice, fall practice, and full 4 games into a season. What is he doing for ~8 months? We can agree to disagree on this part.

I'm not a football coach, but I have to think judging a lot of how a team plays has to be really hard before you play an actual game. As much as you try to not let the other side know what's coming, everyone knows everyone else's tendencies and the the other side's play book. It's so much different when you you have no clue what's coming. Then you add to that the pressure to perform and some eggs crack. 

I don't think it really took 3-4 games for our line to come together, this year. I think they got a lot of grief because they were blocking for a VERY rusty QB who was trying to get the game to slow down for him again, and had to do it against one of the best defenses in the country in game 2. 

The thing I always remind people about is that our best seasons always feature a senior laiden O-Line with lots of in game experience as a unit. We haven't had that since 2013 and we haven't had the talent to plug and play. Maybe Hand has something to do with that, maybe not.

[WDavE 332]

Back in the late 80's and early 90's, Florida with Spurrier was the team to beat. It seemed like every year we had to line up against UF, UGA and UAT.

 

UAT would only meet up with UF in the Championship game.