"Toughest Schedule in America"

[autan 737]

Playing in the SEC West is brutal.  West division teams also play two teams in the East Division.  Lucky for us our two East opponents this year were the the only two very good teams in the East. And I would put Oregon up against any other out of conference opponent although they did have a bad game. Accident forgiveness maybe.😏

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

1 hour ago, AUDevil said:

A disadvantage is that playing elite teams exposes our team's weaknesses earlier in the season and opens us up to more injuries because they're typically more physical games.

Actually playing less experienced or teams not as skilled has a greater chance of resulting in injury to higher skilled players... Hub Waldrop.

There is a name for Bird and Golf. Took two of his classes, great Auburn man.

[AUght2win 6,816]

7 hours ago, abw0004 said:

In fairness, Gus along with everyone else has been saying it before the season even started.  He didn't start saying it only when we started to lose.  I see it as a point of pride.  

It's not a point of pride unless we win a title while navigating the gauntlet. I view it merely as an excuse. It's what Gus does. After LSU in 2017 "It's not the end of the world." After UGA a couple weeks ago "We're still a work in progress." Every year, no matter what: "We're young."

I want a guy who doesn't care if we're playing in NFC West. Just accept the challenge, line up, and go play. Don't worry about how highly touted everybody else is. 

[AUght2win 6,816]

5 hours ago, Barnacle said:

It needs to be talked about and acknowledged, just not from within our program. I think it's important for perspective for fans and voters, but shouldn't be worn as a badge of honor by our head coach. 

This. Exactly this. 

[AUght2win 6,816]

4 hours ago, AU64 said:

I don't see it as being about the coach......more of a recognition by the coach for what the team has accomplished against the "toughest...uh, well....you know.... 

If it's said in retrospect to a successful year, that's fine.

But it's been continually said in the wake of losses. And it worries me that players are saying it now. Gus must be flat out telling these guys "we've got the toughest schedule in America." I just don't like it. Tell 'em "I don't care who they are, or what they're ranked. They're not better than us and we're going out there to beat their ass." 

[AUght2win 6,816]

12 hours ago, Texan4Auburn said:

Played high level club soccer. Several tournaments we walked out of groups in the number 2 spot. Hey, that group was a bitch (hence the name group of death). My coach would say most teams don't get out of that group (and there was always 2 that didn't). Thus not winning the group wasn't looked as a failure.

I agree with a lot of your post but this is the part that scares me.

If you don't win, it's a failure. Just point blank. And I don't want our kids believing otherwise. 

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

3 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

I agree with a lot of your post but this is the part that scares me.

If you don't win, it's a failure. Just point blank. And I don't want our kids believing otherwise. 

But if we considered ourselves failures for not winning the group, then what is our mentality when we woke up the next morning and hit the field at 6am for the 1st round of elimination games? Who cares about the group if you take home the tournament?

There is a balance between awareness and failure. We had a failure kid on our team for a bit, his father preached that. Noone wanted to be around him. We failed, we suck, and it screwed up his game. His dad would do the you're not taking the loss hard enough bit. Lol and it was like ya dude, go away, we have another game in less than 2 hours. Take your negativity elsewhere.

He left for another team (my team had 12 D1 scholarship players and 4 ODP players btw). Best thing in the world was facing him in the same group if they had already lost a game. So heard you took the L this morning.....he was done. Even got tossed couple of times and this is back before all the automatic red card stuff.

Everyone fails, what is important is how you respond.

[AUght2win 6,816]

42 minutes ago, Texan4Auburn said:

But if we considered ourselves failures for not winning the group, then what is our mentality when we woke up the next morning and hit the field at 6am for the 1st round of elimination games? Who cares about the group if you take home the tournament?

There is a balance between awareness and failure. We had a failure kid on our team for a bit, his father preached that. Noone wanted to be around him. We failed, we suck, and it screwed up his game. His dad would do the you're not taking the loss hard enough bit. Lol and it was like ya dude, go away, we have another game in less than 2 hours. Take your negativity elsewhere.

He left for another team (my team had 12 D1 scholarship players and 4 ODP players btw). Best thing in the world was facing him in the same group if they had already lost a game. So heard you took the L this morning.....he was done. Even got tossed couple of times and this is back before all the automatic red card stuff.

Everyone fails, what is important is how you respond.

That's where college football is unique. In MLB you get 162 games, NBA 82, Soccer you get tons too. It's a marathon not a sprint and important to have a short memory.

Auburn is guaranteed 12 games. That's it. A whole season in 36 hours.

I think you have to have a different mindset. You can't just lose a game and come back tomorrow. A single loss could be fatal to your season's goals. That's why the expectation should be to beat everybody.

Now when that doesn't happen, you certainly can't dwell on your failures, but you also can't excuse them. In most aspects of life a single loss or a bad day is no big deal. In some, there is no margin for error. College football is one of those. 

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

3 hours ago, AUght2win said:

That's where college football is unique. In MLB you get 162 games, NBA 82, Soccer you get tons too. It's a marathon not a sprint and important to have a short memory.

Auburn is guaranteed 12 games. That's it. A whole season in 36 hours.

I think you have to have a different mindset. You can't just lose a game and come back tomorrow. A single loss could be fatal to your season's goals. That's why the expectation should be to beat everybody.

Now when that doesn't happen, you certainly can't dwell on your failures, but you also can't excuse them. In most aspects of life a single loss or a bad day is no big deal. In some, there is no margin for error. College football is one of those. 

You still have to get it out of your head. Look at the NC championship game with Alabama. They lost/failed the later half of the first and entire second quarter.  You could look at their faces and tell they were done before half.

Look at Mac Jones. Kid had a hell of a game. Pick 6 = failure. You have to have a short memory on every play. You win and lose multiple times a game in football (in any sport).

Plus if you remind everyone you play the toughest schedule, in the toughest conference, you do get a larger margin of error. Who is always the first 1 loss teams discussed.. the SEC. Who is always the first 2 loss teams discussed.... the SEC.

Do you just toss the season cause you lost one game and now it is a failure? How many fans would be happy if Auburn came and said well we lost to Oregon this year, we failed and there is always next year. That is what the playoffs have done and it ruins the game, the rivalries, and traditions that made college football great.

There is a difference to me between just claiming failure/excuses and awareness and tipping your hat. Also doesn't mean you have to like it.

Oh I also pitched. So yes it was my mindset in all sports. That is a fair point.

[ToraGirl 5,498]

4 hours ago, AUght2win said:

It's not a point of pride unless we win a title while navigating the gauntlet. I view it merely as an excuse. It's what Gus does. After LSU in 2017 "It's not the end of the world." After UGA a couple weeks ago "We're still a work in progress." Every year, no matter what: "We're young."

I want a guy who doesn't care if we're playing in NFC West. Just accept the challenge, line up, and go play. Don't worry about how highly touted everybody else is. 

"So many injuries..."--how many seasons on that one? And it was true, but here's the thing. EVERYONE in the SEC W has a relatively tough schedule compared to many conferences/teams. And most teams deal with injuries at some point in the season. The "common to most" rationales drive me crazy. 

I'd be okay...I think...if it weren't something new every year. @DAG is right...our conference rivals aren't going anywhere. It will be something every time...until we adopt, believe, and VOICE the "nevertheless" attitude. 

[Eagle Eye 7 2,535]

The toughest schedule is based on before the year ranking. Other than LSU the other 4 teams in the top 25 we played were not nearly as good as their preseason ranking in truth. 

[AUght2win 6,816]

15 minutes ago, Texan4Auburn said:

Plus if you remind everyone you play the toughest schedule, in the toughest conference, you do get a larger margin of error. Who is always the first 1 loss teams discussed.. the SEC. Who is always the first 2 loss teams discussed.... the SEC.

You're talking about micro, I am talking about macro. I don't think our players need to think their margin of error is large. I don't think they need to be worried about the CFP picture. I think they need to take one game at a time, one challenge at a time, and expect to win every time. 

There are psychological implications, even if they are subtle or in the subconscious, that can fester. Like I said earlier, a task is only difficult for those who aren't prepared for it. By constantly telling the team "we play the toughest schedule in America", especially in the wake of losses, it implies we can't realistically be expected to win them all. 

When we lose, I don't want them to shrug and say "What do you expect? We play the toughest schedule in America". They should be thinking that they have to get better and have to acclimate. Let's have our guys focused on getting better and feeling like they can win 'em all regardless of who is on the schedule. 

[AUght2win 6,816]

22 minutes ago, ToraGirl said:

"So many injuries..."--how many seasons on that one? And it was true, but here's the thing. EVERYONE in the SEC W has a relatively tough schedule compared to many conferences/teams. And most teams deal with injuries at some point in the season. The "common to most" rationales drive me crazy. 

I'd be okay...I think...if it weren't something new every year. @DAG is right...our conference rivals aren't going anywhere. It will be something every time...until we adopt, believe, and VOICE the "nevertheless" attitude. 

Exactly!

"Nobody Cares! Work Harder!"

[AUght2win 6,816]

33 minutes ago, Texan4Auburn said:

Oh I also pitched. So yes it was my mindset in all sports. That is a fair point.

Ironically I solely played football in high school. 

There is so much pressure. That is what I think is different from every other sport. You have to mentally prepare for it because you get so few opportunities to play. Herm Edwards said it's the only sport where like 90% is practice and 10% is play. I mean I was a three year starter, so my entire career spanned only about 30 nights. We would have guys who would throw up before every game because the pressure was so intense to do well in these small windows.

Some of our players also repeat mantras like "it's a marathon not a sprint". I would disagree in football. Basketball, baseball, soccer? Yes. Football? No. You have a lot less space to run, so you better go as hard and fast as you can. Doesn't mean you'll be perfect, and doesn't mean you give up if you lose a game, but perfection is the goal. 

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

4 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

You're talking about micro, I am talking about macro. I don't think our players need to think their margin of error is large. I don't think they need to be worried about the CFP picture. I think they need to take one game at a time, one challenge at a time, and expect to win every time. 

There are psychological implications, even if they are subtle or in the subconscious, that can fester. Like I said earlier, a task is only difficult for those who aren't prepared for it. By constantly telling the team "we play the toughest schedule in America", especially in the wake of losses, it implies we can't realistically be expected to win them all. 

When we lose, I don't want them to shrug and say "What do you expect? We play the toughest schedule in America". They should be thinking that they have to get better and have to acclimate. Let's have our guys focused on getting better and feeling like they can win 'em all regardless of who is on the schedule. 

Can you provide me some proof that they don't believe that?

Cause I feel like if they didn't think they could win em all they would of quit and been blown out several times this year once that first L showed up. If they walked with that message Gus would be gone due to 6 win seasons.

 

[AU64 10,122]

16 minutes ago, Texan4Auburn said:

Can you provide me some proof that they don't believe that?

Cause I feel like if they didn't think they could win em all they would of quit and been blown out several times this year once that first L showed up. If they walked with that message Gus would be gone due to 6 win seasons.

 

Agree....not sure where that interpretation comes from by T4A.....  AU guys played every one of their opponents for 60 minutes and could have quit in the 4th quarter of several games where they trailed by a couple TD....but didn't do it...made an impossible comeback to beat a ranked Oregon team and gave the rest of the ranked teams one of their most difficult games.  

Don't think Gus was looking for sympathy.....he wanted recognition for what the team had done ….and that schedule and the results helped put us above bama in the final rankings...despite most of the media and committee's love affair with bama. 

[AURaptor 1,121]

IDK. While I agree that it was the toughest ,  and we knew that coming into the season, I'm not sure it's wise for Gus to constantly drive that message home. On the flip side, Dabo keeps telling anyone who'll listen that he's tried of the ACC getting a bad rep for it being down  ( which it is , obviously ) and that Clemson is damned if they win big, damned if they don't. 

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

1 hour ago, AUght2win said:

Ironically I solely played football in high school. 

There is so much pressure. That is what I think is different from every other sport. You have to mentally prepare for it because you get so few opportunities to play. Herm Edwards said it's the only sport where like 90% is practice and 10% is play. I mean I was a three year starter, so my entire career spanned only about 30 nights. We would have guys who would throw up before every game because the pressure was so intense to do well in these small windows.

Some of our players also repeat mantras like "it's a marathon not a sprint". I would disagree in football. Basketball, baseball, soccer? Yes. Football? No. You have a lot less space to run, so you better go as hard and fast as you can. Doesn't mean you'll be perfect, and doesn't mean you give up if you lose a game, but perfection is the goal. 

Do you even realize how hard it is to win a game in soccer? Fun with Quotes!

Quote

“Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win.”
Gary Lineker

I mean we were from Texas and would play Arizona...............and some how the Germans would win! They would just reward the victory to some cats in Berlin or Munich.

You realize we would practice 4 days a week and then had to win 6 full games in a 2 day period to be fully successful? So you had to play your way out of a group, then win 3 elimination games. These also often were tournaments you were invited to, you didn't go oh we want to play and sign up, you had to have, keep, and maintain a level of play and reputation to participate in them.

We also played in promotion and relegation leagues. Again maintain your level of play and W/L record or your going down to the B's.

There was a little pressure to win.

 

Quote

“Many people say I’m the best women’s soccer player in the world. I don’t think so. And because of that, someday I just might be.”
Mia Hamm

4 NCAA National Titles, 2 Olympic Gold Medals, 1 Silver Gold Medal, 2 World Cup Championships.

Quote

“The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.”
Pelé

It's freaking Pele

Quote

“We must have had 99 percent of the game. it was the other three percent that cost us the match.”
Ruud Gullit

Still hate those early 90's Holland teams though.

Quote

  “The first 90 minutes are the most important.”
Sir Robert William “Bobby” Robson

 

I do agree with the football practice 90%. Why I didn't play football except for 2 games... one game winning FG ty! Too boring as a participant, why I hated outfield also lol. Plus most football kickers screw their shots up. Wanna find the kid that plays soccer and kicks for football, look for the one without a good low knuckler and always misses over the post.

Oh, and btw if he was using this after a loss to like a Samford or something. No bueno there. You just f'd up there without a doubt. So there is limits for me.

[I_M4_AU 7,762]

15 hours ago, Texan4Auburn said:

“Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win.”
Gary Lineker

The Germans are definitely serious about their football (soccer).  I’m flying home from Europe on day and over the radio (non radar and no ATC) a Lufthansa crew announces the score of the US vs Germany match in the World Cup.  In his deep German accent he says “World Cup match score; Germany 2, US nill”.  Shortly after that a pilot from a US carrier says in a bada$$ tone, “World War score US 2, Germany nill”.  No other score updates that day.  True story.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

The Germans are definitely serious about their football (soccer).  I’m flying home from Europe on day and over the radio (non radar and no ATC) a Lufthansa crew announces the score of the US vs Germany match in the World Cup.  In his deep German accent he says “World Cup match score; Germany 2, US nill”.  Shortly after that a pilot from a US carrier says in a bada$$ tone, “World War score US 2, Germany nill”.  No other score updates that day.  True story.

My club coach was German. Would of gone pro (he was in the Bayern Munich system) until a car wreck.

I learned they are very quiet when it comes to WW2 and still feel shame for it. It wasn't till they hosted in 06 they started letting some nationalism back in.

It would be like if every time we showed pride in our country someone reminded us of slaughtering Native Americans.

[I_M4_AU 7,762]

33 minutes ago, Texan4Auburn said:

My club coach was German. Would of gone pro (he was in the Bayern Munich system) until a car wreck.

I learned they are very quiet when it comes to WW2 and still feel shame for it. It wasn't till they hosted in 06 they started letting some nationalism back in.

It would be like if every time we showed pride in our country someone reminded us of slaughtering Native Americans.

I spent a lot of time in Germany over the years and always had a good time.  The people are genuine and gracious, and the beer oh the beer.  I’m glad they make it everyday. 

The rise in nationalism is a good thing for them.

Your last statement is already happening.  

[SumterAubie 3,031]

The only solution is for Auburn to become the toughest game on each of our opponent's schedules. Only by getting to that point will Auburn's schedule soften.

[LKEEL75 2,566]

28 minutes ago, SumterAubie said:

The only solution is for Auburn to become the toughest game on each of our opponent's schedules. Only by getting to that point will Auburn's schedule soften.

Based on results this yr, I would say we achieved that for everyone but FL and UAt.

[AUght2win 6,816]

#Auburn coach Gus Malzahn: “9-4 with the schedule we played - we’re disappointed right now, but there are a lot of things we can build on.” #OutbackBowl

— 95.3 WDAE (@953WDAE) January 1, 2020

[AUght2win 6,816]

He seriously makes me sick sometimes. "Good Enough Gus".