AU after a 10+ Win season

[RunInRed 16,374]

?

 

[AUBwins 10,071]

Not this time.

 

 

 

 

 

... at least we better not. 

[GwillMac6 20,659]

1 hour ago, RunInRed said:

?

 

 

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

It's sad but it's true. 

Regardless of any coaches contract, this will be used to negatively recruit against us until we can change it. 

I hope we change it this time, and we have the squad to do it, but this year's schedule is a killer. I just hope we can keep Stidham healthy and we will have a chance. 

[Mikey 16,565]

8 hours ago, RunInRed said:

?

 

Spreading a little Sunday morning cheer, are we?   I think that trend will be broken this season. Barring a cluster of key injuries, we should be good for 10+ wins.

[bigbird 60,452]

8 hours ago, RunInRed said:

?

 

[RunInRed 16,374]

Frustratingly, it has been feast or famine since Dye’s run in the 80s ...

 

[RunInRed 16,374]

For the record, I expect Auburn to obliterate this trend this year for several reasons ...

- A more than capable returning QB

- An elite defensive line

- The overall current disparity of the SEC which has a few good teams at the top and everyone else 

[WarTiger 3,901]

7 hours ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

It's sad but it's true. 

Regardless of any coaches contract, this will be used to negatively recruit against us until we can change it. 

I hope we change it this time, and we have the squad to do it, but this year's schedule is a killer. I just hope we can keep Stidham healthy and we will have a chance. 

This years schedule is no different than any other year.  It's the price to pay for playing in the SEC West.  Only real change is swapping a road game with Clemson with a neutral site game vs. Washington.   Swapped Missouri for Tennessee (struggling program ) and get Tennessee at home.   The rest is identical matchups to last year.   I know people like to point to the two road games at the end of the year, but historically, in both of those places we win our fair share.  It's not an impossible task like many want to make it out to be.

[SumterAubie 3,031]

In my unsolicited opinion, this year's schedule is one of the easier ones Auburn has had in years. I'll trade playing Washington for Clemson any day. LSU and A&M at home. Both Mississippi schools are down. Auburn will be favored in every game up to the leg humper game. 

[CR 2,438]

Washington game is HUGE if AU is to win 10 this year. I see that game and Miss St on the road as two potential spots for derailing a 10 win season.
AU should win both but I'm really interested to see Texas A@M and Tennessee come into Jordan Hare. I don't think there's any doubt Jimbo will have a positive impact on the Aggies. Pruitt's a wild card but has had some success against Gus as a DC. Really want to see Gus put it on him if at all possible. 

[jared52 4,354]

35 minutes ago, SumterAubie said:

In my unsolicited opinion, this year's schedule is one of the easier ones Auburn has had in years. I'll trade playing Washington for Clemson any day. LSU and A&M at home. Both Mississippi schools are down. Auburn will be favored in every game up to the leg humper game. 

MSU has a VERY capable QB and two first team DL. They aren’t down by MSU standards and Fitz is going to win them a couple of games they shouldn’t. 

[SumterAubie 3,031]

16 minutes ago, jared52 said:

MSU has a VERY capable QB and two first team DL. They aren’t down by MSU standards and Fitz is going to win them a couple of games they shouldn’t. 

Do you believe one of those 'couple of games' will be over Auburn?

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

3 hours ago, WarTiger said:

This years schedule is no different than any other year.  It's the price to pay for playing in the SEC West.  Only real change is swapping a road game with Clemson with a neutral site game vs. Washington.   Swapped Missouri for Tennessee (struggling program ) and get Tennessee at home.   The rest is identical matchups to last year.   I know people like to point to the two road games at the end of the year, but historically, in both of those places we win our fair share.  It's not an impossible task like many want to make it out to be.

This year's schedule is no different than any other? As you pointed out, Amen Corner being on the road this season is a very real difference. We thumped UGA and Bama at home last year. Then got whipped by UGA in Atlanta. Yes KJ was hurt and that played a big part, but nonetheless, we lost when we weren't playing at home. 

Those games at home vs on the road play a big part in us obtaining 10+ wins. 

It isn't as bad as LSU but we haven't beaten UGA in the state of Georgia in over a decade... Almost a decade and a half... We haven't beaten them in Georgia since 2005. 13 seasons since we have beaten them away from home. 

It's been almost as long since we beat Bama in Tuscaloosa. 2010 since we beat them at home, 8 years, then it goes to 2008, 10 seasons ago. 

Neither have been as long as @LSU but we still are pushing almost a decade since we have beaten either team away from home. 

 

Then mix in a playoff team year before last to open the season. So yeah, this schedule is a difficult one. Significantly more difficult than last season even if it is just amen Corner we are talking about. History repeats itself. Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. 

I'm not saying we can't win them. I AM saying that playing those 2 games on the road can very easily be the difference between 8 wins and 10 wins. And when we are talking about back to back 10 win seasons, those 2 games play the most important part to our path of repeating the previous years success. 

1 hour ago, SumterAubie said:

this year's schedule is one of the easier ones Auburn has had in years

It really isn't though. A road game that's basically a home game,  but in a stadium we have had nothing but bad luck in, playing a playoff participant from year before lasts CFP, and playing amen corner on the road. There is nothing easy about it. 

The only "good" part of the schedule is that we don't play at LSU. We haven't won at LSU since 1999, but as I said in the above post we haven't won at UGA in over a decade, almost a decade and a half (2005,) and have beat Bama in Tuscaloosa only twice in the last decade. 

1 hour ago, SumterAubie said:

Both Mississippi schools are down

Both Mississippi schools are normally down. And even when they aren't, they rarely beat us. Also, Mississippi State has a very good front 7 and if Fitzgerald comes back even 90% from his injury, they have a very capable QB. 

Also Texas A&M will be much better. Luckily we have them at home. 

We can absolutely do it. But anyone who thinks we easily do it this year, or that playing amen corner on the road doesn't matter, needs their head examined. 

We absolutely can do it. It all starts and ends with the OL. IF the OL can gel and can truly protect our thoroughbred future 1st round draft pick QB, we will have a very real chance to make amen corner on the road not matter. We have the defense. We have the weapons on offense, even with untested RBs we have real weapons on both sides of the ball. Special teams SHOULD be fine. It is ALL going to come down to the OL. IF the OL gels and IF the OL can keep Stidham healthy, I think without question we surpass 10 wins again.

But if we can't keep Stidham upright and in the game, we will be lucky to make it to a bowl game. 

[SumterAubie 3,031]

42 minutes ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

It really isn't though. 

 

It really is though. Go back 5 years and find a year with an easier schedule than this one.

[AUsince72 11,084]

Of course all this easy schedule/hard schedule back and forth assumes the teams all play exactly as they're predicted to play.  When does this ever happen? 

LSU could end up awesome (or suck)....aTm could fall off the table (or run the table).....thUga could lose 5 games then #butgus decides to show up and AU loses yet another game to the pups (or win 10 and "Dawgcrap Gus" shows up and the Tigers dominate).

These are all opinions, based on assumptions.  No need in all of this "I'm smarter than you" rhetoric.

War Eagle all!

[bigbird 60,452]

50 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Of course all this easy schedule/hard schedule back and forth assumes the teams all play exactly as they're predicted to play.  When does this ever happen? 

LSU could end up awesome (or suck)....aTm could fall off the table (or run the table).....thUga could lose 5 games then #butgus decides to show up and AU loses yet another game to the pups (or win 10 and "Dawgcrap Gus" shows up and the Tigers dominate).

These are all opinions, based on assumptions.  No need in all of this "I'm smarter than you" rhetoric.

War Eagle all!

I'm smarter than you.

[AUsince72 11,084]

6 minutes ago, bigbird said:

I'm smarter than you.

Well....YOU are, but we've already established that.

[stoic-one 1,543]

This thread harshes my Sunday mellow...

[DAG 33,961]

This team will definitely win more than 6 games. That is for sure or else we riot!!

[jared52 4,354]

3 hours ago, SumterAubie said:

Do you believe one of those 'couple of games' will be over Auburn?

Maybe. Since 2010, I stopped making predictions on games until the day before they are played. 

[jared52 4,354]

10 minutes ago, DAG said:

This team will definitely win more than 6 games. That is for sure or else we riot!!

If AU doesn’t win 10, I’m sure many will riot. 

[AUsince72 11,084]

35 minutes ago, DAG said:

This team will definitely win more than 6 games. That is for sure or else we riot!!

Mikey will have his work cut out for him... that's for sure.

[AlaskanFAN 1,665]

This years season all hinges on the offensive line. Now think about it before you react. The defense front seven is deep, good and can cover down for secondary while they get their legs. If you know anything about defense you know what I am talking about. The offensive line opens the holes for the RB and protects the QB. I don’t care who is in the backfield and under center if the line can’t block then we do nothing but 3 and out’s. Constant 3 and Out’s gets our defense to the 4th quarter before they tire out. Then game over. Our season this year hinges on the O-Line!

[jared52 4,354]

26 minutes ago, AlaskanFAN said:

This years season all hinges on the offensive line. Now think about it before you react. The defense front seven is deep, good and can cover down for secondary while they get their legs. If you know anything about defense you know what I am talking about. The offensive line opens the holes for the RB and protects the QB. I don’t care who is in the backfield and under center if the line can’t block then we do nothing but 3 and out’s. Constant 3 and Out’s gets our defense to the 4th quarter before they tire out. Then game over. Our season this year hinges on the O-Line!

Which is why I think you have very few thinking AU has a shot at a championship run this year...