this site predicts we go 6-6

[W.E.D 11,070]

1 hour ago, gravejd said:

I debated on where to put Miss ST., i think they are the hardest team in the SEC to predict. I'm going to assume that the offense will be MUCH better in Leach's second season. He has found ways to make that offense work everywhere he has been so i think he'll put up some big numbers in the SEC as well. But can they put together a good enough defense to stay competitive in the SEC??

I also think that weird air raid offense they run could give our new defensive scheme problems. If we have any holes in coverage Leach will find it and exploit it. 

IDK they were bad and we destroyed them after the team quick and had little reason to play.  I don't see them being very good.  Our DBs and LBs are really good in coverage so that should help.

[W.E.D 11,070]

1 hour ago, auburnphan said:

We have 4 major question marks going into the season and 3 of them are on offense with potentially a 4th.

Quarterback play

Offensive line play

WR play

DL play

one could add TE play since we never really used them last year

I am optimistic with better scheme we will get results, but there is pretty good reason to not get our expectations to high do to poor roster management from the previous staff.

I'll be really interested to see how much competent coaching and play calling can help some really bad units on offense.  QB and OL could see a lot of improvement or it'll turn out none are very good.

DL is probably the most interesting.  I think we have a few really good players on the DL.  I'm a little skeptical on the NT from UAB, but seems like he has a high ceiling/really really low floor.  Some good tweener guys in Walker and the kid from Kansas.  Lee Hunter should improve on a good TrFr year.  Truesdell is serviceable. 

Can we find a damn pass rusher, please????  I'd love to see Hall or Wooden break out.

If everything goes right...Hunter & Walker improve off year 1, the Kansas kid and UAB kid are good enough, and we find a pass rusher...they could be a strength.  I know a lot are high on the DL, it could be pretty solid

Edited July 28, 2021 by W.E.D

[80Tiger 899]

29 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

I'll be really interested to see how much competent coaching and play calling can help some really bad units on offense.  QB and OL could see a lot of improvement or it'll turn out none are very good.

DL is probably the most interesting.  I think we have a few really good players on the DL.  I'm a little skeptical on the NT from UAB, but seems like he has a high ceiling/really really low floor.  Some good tweener guys in Walker and the kid from Kansas.  Lee Hunter should improve on a good TrFr year.  Truesdell is serviceable. 

Can we find a damn pass rusher, please????  I'd love to see Hall or Wooden break out.

If everything goes right...Hunter & Walker improve off year 1, the Kansas kid and UAB kid are good enough, and we find a pass rusher...they could be a strength.  I know a lot are high on the DL, it could be pretty solid

I am a lot skeptical on the NT from UAB. Only started 3 games for them last year. UAB had 3 D lineman with post season honors and he was not one of them. A poster on here (WDE maybe) said that the UAB coaches said he was not extremely motivated and then supposedly showed up at AU even heavier than he has been. IMO, there is not much in his past that indicates he will be a big contributor at AU. With all that said, I could be wrong.

[W.E.D 11,070]

12 minutes ago, 80Tiger said:

I am a lot skeptical on the NT from UAB. Only started 3 games for them last year. UAB had 3 D lineman with post season honors and he was not one of them. A poster on here (WDE maybe) said that the UAB coaches said he was not extremely motivated and then supposedly showed up at AU even heavier than he has been. IMO, there is not much in his past that indicates he will be a big contributor at AU. With all that said, I could be wrong.

I'm pretty sure it was known about his current weight and there were a few articles about how he was trying to lose like 50 lbs or so.

[Mikey 16,550]

12 hours ago, steeleagle said:

It's interesting you are using simple math to come up with your win total. lol. Not looking at who we play is not part of your criteria? 

The fact is these 3 home games we had last year that we won(Ky, UT, Ark) have been replaced with (Alabama, GA, and TAM). To me that makes it harder to get to that 9 win total u are seeing. 

We played those teams last year too. If we're going to lose at places like Arkansas, we've hired the wrong crew. A year's experience and an energetic, new coaching staff that will supposedly be on the same page should be worth an improvement from 60% to 67% in big games.

[bigbird 60,368]

[jAUSon 2,836]

I'm just hoping for a quiet camp media-wise where the new staff is in there covertly building a monster. I don't see a ceiling for this team because I can't quantify the value of coming out prepared on opening day, and having a staff that can game-flow the team into tough wins (although it's yet to be determined we have that staff). Yes we have holes. Every team has holes- and for those couple of teams that don't have holes, you just have to beat them by one point on one certain day. It's an abslolute toss-up what happens this year, more so than any other year (covid, transfers, coach changes, etc). So I'm not banking on the pundits and twitter guys. They don't know jack squat.

[eaglenest 332]

21 minutes ago, jAUSon said:

I'm just hoping for a quiet camp media-wise where the new staff is in there covertly building a monster. I don't see a ceiling for this team because I can't quantify the value of coming out prepared on opening day, and having a staff that can game-flow the team into tough wins (although it's yet to be determined we have that staff). Yes we have holes. Every team has holes- and for those couple of teams that don't have holes, you just have to beat them by one point on one certain day. It's an abslolute toss-up what happens this year, more so than any other year (covid, transfers, coach changes, etc). So I'm not banking on the pundits and twitter guys. They don't know jack squat.

bingo! all we know is day/night/death/taxes that's it... 

[AUloggerhead 2,225]

2 minutes ago, eaglenest said:

bingo! all we know is day/night/death/taxes that's it... 

And supernovas.  Don't forget supernovas:  

[AuburnNTexas 7,128]

Depending on the day of the week I think we will have anyplace from a bad season, an ok season, to a really good season. I read all the players talking about how everybody is bigger and stronger especially the guys in the trenches. Then I realize when I watched some of the line play on both sides of the ball where O-line just looked confused and missed assignments, I also saw some teams gash us on outside runs because we couldn't hold the edge.  I also remember players like Wooden and Hall coming on as the year was ending and picking up some real talent both transfer Portal and freshman in the D-Line. 

I feel really good about DB's and LB's and I think D-Line will be better just not sure how much better. Solid D always gives a team a chance but you still have to score points. WR's are a definite question mark, QB is also, solid RB's and iffy O-Line.  If O-Line has really gained mass and gotten stronger and a better O package and we utilize the plethora of TE's we now have, we could be good.   

I think 6-6 is realistic prediction but I think we could win 1 or 2 games more.  so 6-6 to 8-4 I think is an honest range.  Like any true Auburn fan I keep hoping for the miracle season but I can't realistically predict anything better than 8-4 and that is a stretch.

Edited July 29, 2021 by AuburnNTexas

[auelvis87 96]

The main thing I'm looking for is a better product put on the field, especially on offense.  I think the predictions of 6-8 wins is fair, but who really knows? 

I just want to enjoy watching AU football again.  

[steeleagle 2,945]

1 hour ago, AuburnNTexas said:

Depending on the day of the week I think we will have anyplace from a bad season, an ok season, to a really good season.

Now you are reallllly going out on a limb with that projection. 

[milehighfan 1,239]

On 7/28/2021 at 12:28 AM, AU9377 said:

There are holes, but to see a "serious rebuild", look to South Carolina or Arkansas last year.

Arkansas almost beat us last year and South Carolina did beat us.

[Win4AU 4,052]

Things that will tell me whether or not Auburn had a good season

1) Did Auburn beat the teams it has more talent than - cupcakes + Mississippi schools, Arkansas, and South Carolina

2) Did Auburn look competitive or possibly beat the teams that are stacked with talent - Georgia, LSU, Bama, and TaMu

3) Top 20 recruiting class.  I've heard the talking heads say top 30 would be good so top 20 would mean things are really going well on the trail.

Auburn doesn't necessarily have to win against the top schools but can't look completely and utterly under prepared like they did against UGA last year.  

Penn State probably is about equal on the talent side but with a steady coaching staff I'll give them the edge.  

LSU is the game I have circled that could be the season maker but it could also come with the price of getting coach O fired

That's 7-5 possibly 8-4 which will get Auburn to either Nashville or Tampa/Jacksonville.  9-3 or better would mean Bama and TaMu's 1st year Qbs struggled and LSU and Penn State didn't improve much from 2020.

[AUwent 3,747]

For those predicting we go 6-6 at best and "just hope we're competitive," when do you think we should expect actual results? We'd better not be depending on immediate success for recruiting success. Can next year be any better? If not, the year after that? I'm just curious what people's take on what I have in my signature is.

Edited July 29, 2021 by AUwent

[Mikey 16,550]

10 hours ago, AuburnNTexas said:

I think 6-6 is realistic prediction but I think we could win 1 or 2 games more.

Why does 6-6 seem realistic to you? We have three gimme games. We have Bammer and UGA at home. If anyone cares to look, we are 3-1 against those guys in the most recent four home games.

To finish 6-6, we'd have to be 3-6 in the SEC games plus Penn State. Last year's team finished the regular season  6-4 while playing against all major competition. Yet this year's team should be 3-6 vs major teams? Why would anybody think we'll be that much worse than last years team? Is there any reason at all why the '21 team will be that much worse than the '20 team? I don't see it. I think we'll be better.

If someone can point out why we'll be much worse than last year's team, please explain.

[Win4AU 4,052]

7 hours ago, Mikey said:

Why does 6-6 seem realistic to you? We have three gimme games. We have Bammer and UGA at home. If anyone cares to look, we are 3-1 against those guys in the most recent four home games.

To finish 6-6, we'd have to be 3-6 in the SEC games plus Penn State. Last year's team finished the regular season  6-4 while playing against all major competition. Yet this year's team should be 3-6 vs major teams? Why would anybody think we'll be that much worse than last years team? Is there any reason at all why the '21 team will be that much worse than the '20 team? I don't see it. I think we'll be better.

If someone can point out why we'll be much worse than last year's team, please explain.

Probably more a combination of Auburn having brand new coaching staff and other teams being better.  Arkansas, Ole Miss, LSU, Penn State, and possibly Miss State being better than last season.  Arkansas and Ole Miss could have very easily gone the other way.  

[gravejd 3,269]

8 hours ago, Mikey said:

Why does 6-6 seem realistic to you? We have three gimme games. We have Bammer and UGA at home. If anyone cares to look, we are 3-1 against those guys in the most recent four home games.

To finish 6-6, we'd have to be 3-6 in the SEC games plus Penn State. Last year's team finished the regular season  6-4 while playing against all major competition. Yet this year's team should be 3-6 vs major teams? Why would anybody think we'll be that much worse than last years team? Is there any reason at all why the '21 team will be that much worse than the '20 team? I don't see it. I think we'll be better.

If someone can point out why we'll be much worse than last year's team, please explain.

Multiple people have listed out each game and the reasons they could see this team going 6-6. Is there something in those posts you disagree with? Like are they over stating how much improved they expect the schools in year 2 of new coaches to be? Are they looking too deeply into the fact that AU has not won at LSU this century? Has the fact that AU has only won 2 of the last 10 games against uga got them over-estimating the dogs? What games do you see as for sure wins? 

Your position seems to be that we have a new coach and therefore we will win more games. Its a happy thought but a pretty thin argument. 

[Mikey 16,550]

37 minutes ago, gravejd said:

Multiple people have listed out each game and the reasons they could see this team going 6-6. Is there something in those posts you disagree with? Like are they over stating how much improved they expect the schools in year 2 of new coaches to be? Are they looking too deeply into the fact that AU has not won at LSU this century? Has the fact that AU has only won 2 of the last 10 games against uga got them over-estimating the dogs? What games do you see as for sure wins? 

Your position seems to be that we have a new coach and therefore we will win more games. Its a happy thought but a pretty thin argument. 

 

Yes.

Our opponents may improve or they may not.  Auburn should improve more than most. We lost very few key players over the off season. Two WR from offense and Sherwood from the defense. Most of our opponents lost more than that.

We'll have a very experienced team. Scoff at the QB all you want, he's a former SEC freshman of the year and will be a 3rd year starter. RB is solid. LB is solid. The O-line suffered a very unusual rash of injuries last year. Barring that happening again, they will be a very experienced group. If we can get through the fall practice without injuries to key personnel, there's no reason for this team not to be much improved. 

"Your position seems to be that we have a new coach and therefore we will win more games..."

If the rumors are to be believed, the previous staff spent most of their efforts last season back-stabbing and slacking. Assuming the new staff is working together, improvement in that area is all but a certainty.

Is there anyone who thinks that AU going 3-6 in the nine big games is the slightest bit likely? That's what would have to happen to finish 6-6.

 

[gravejd 3,269]

21 minutes ago, Mikey said:

 

Yes.

Our opponents may improve or they may not.  Auburn should improve more than most. We lost very few key players over the off season. Two WR from offense and Sherwood from the defense. Most of our opponents lost more than that.

We'll have a very experienced team. Scoff at the QB all you want, he's a former SEC freshman of the year and will be a 3rd year starter. RB is solid. LB is solid. The O-line suffered a very unusual rash of injuries last year. Barring that happening again, they will be a very experienced group. If we can get through the fall practice without injuries to key personnel, there's no reason for this team not to be much improved. 

"Your position seems to be that we have a new coach and therefore we will win more games..."

If the rumors are to be believed, the previous staff spent most of their efforts last season back-stabbing and slacking. Assuming the new staff is working together, improvement in that area is all but a certainty.

Is there anyone who thinks that AU going 3-6 in the nine big games is the slightest bit likely? That's what would have to happen to finish 6-6.

 

Thanks for providing some feedback on why you think 6-6 is a crazy thing to say. I think you are higher on what we have returning on the offensive side of the ball than most people on this site. I look at offense and see only RB as anything to be excited about and that position is thin. Other positions may and probably will step up but based on performance of last season i'm not overly high on QB, OL, or the WR position. We have lots of TEs but they haven't done anything yet. The offense also did not look very good on Aday either and i think that has me tempering my expectations that we are going to come out clicking right away. 

I agree that LB and DB will be a strength of the team and that bodes well for a 3-4 defense. But we also need some big uglies to step up or else those LBs and DBs will be tackling guys 5+ yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Its rare for a defense to completely change schemes like we are doing and not have some problems with it. UGA and bama both had struggles their first year and they have way more highly talented guys than we do. 

I'm not predicting 6-6 and i think that is the bottom of what AU will achieve. But i do see it as being possible. Losses to Penn State, Bama, Uga, A&M, LSU, Arky, and Ol Miss look very possible. I'm not predicting we lose them all but those are all teams that could be pretty good next season. 

[JTFazz 386]

On 7/28/2021 at 11:53 AM, oracle79 said:

Where do y'all find these sites? Just give your 1st grader a crayon and have him/her predict our schedule and I'll guarantee they will be more accurate.

Betting line is 7 wins - paying -115 over and +110 under. I took the over.  We were basically a .500 team last year, so getting 8 wins this year would be marked improvement. Everything should be better except receivers and D-line. Hopefully, Mason and Bobo earn their pay and we improve.

IKR? Are we seriously giving any credence to a WordPress blog site probably run by this guy?

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

12 minutes ago, JTFazz said:

IKR? Are we seriously giving any credence to a WordPress blog site probably run by this guy?

Hey, why not? Millions of people apparently have given the QAnon insanity a ton of credence and I believe the site that originated THAT insanity IS run by THAT guy. 😂😂

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

6 hours ago, Mikey said:

Is there anyone who thinks that AU going 3-6 in the nine big games is the slightest bit likely? That's what would have to happen to finish 6-6.

 

Here's what I posted back on June 2nd...

Depending on how things shake out at QB, I may change my thoughts here. (And come the season I will do what I always do and pick AU as a fan to win every game.) But for now...

I see five and possibly six losses this season. Our Tigers open 2-0 with what amounts to scrimmages against Akron and Alabama State. Third game is against Penn State in Happy Valley. I see 2-1 at that point.

Georgia State is up next. Mark down another win. 3-1. And then the trials and tribulations begin...

Auburn is at LSU next. If the Corndogs do what is expected, we're likely 3-2.

Then come the Dawgs of UGA. Is this our year? Nope. 3-3.

Not sure if the next game is in Fayetteville or Little Rock. Either way, it's Arky in October. 4-3

Then we get Ole Miss at home. The Bearbels with Kiffin kind of scare me. I figure both Mississippi teams will be better this season and I would not be surprised to see our Tigers split those two games. But this is at Jordan-Hare. 5-3

Up next is a road trip to aTm. Everyone tells me Jimbo is a great coach. Dunno if I agree but still a loss. 5-4.

MSU is also at AU. (Might need to rethink that split. Well...nah. If we win Ole Miss we lose this one. If we lose Ole Miss we win this one.) 5-5

Next comes the Gamecocks of Shane Beamer on the road. It's a win. 6-5.

We close the season in Jordan-Hare against some team from West Vance. They ain't got a chance, unless they do. 6-6

Now to be clear none of this is an indictment on Harsin or any of the new staff. I just think they have a tough row to hoe. And never forget that Pat Dye didn't have a winning season in his first year and that turned out OK.

War Eagle!

[oracle79 3,569]

2 hours ago, CleCoTiger said:

Hey, why not? Millions of people apparently have given the QAnon insanity a ton of credence and I believe the site that originated THAT insanity IS run by THAT guy. 😂😂

Dude just stop with the political crap.

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

11 minutes ago, oracle79 said:

Dude just stop with the political crap.

It was obviously a joke. How about you get a sense of humour instead?

Edited July 31, 2021 by CleCoTiger