subterranean_jack

Thoughts on Notre Dame potentially getting an invitation to join the SEC, especially if they could bring Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State. It won't happen today or tomorrow, but, when Notre Dame's contract with NBC expires, where are they going to go to get the most money possible? I actually think the Big Ten adding USC and UCLA along with Oregon and Washington weakens the conference and makes it more difficult for the west coast schools to compete. Imagine USC players getting up for a late November game at Nebraska. Yeah, not so much. Anyway, I'm just thinking outside the box and years down the line.

I’ve lived in Phoenix for 25 years, and I go to/through Tucson once or twice a year. Tucson can be a nice place to live, but it will be a huge change in many respects, especially the weather. Moving in July will be brutal, no other way to put it. Winter however is very mild. if I were your son’s age, I would want to live fairly close to the University of Arizona. Lots of restaurants and activities along Speedway. Marana is an up and coming area too. Used to be farming in that area, but a lot of new construction now. It’s a commute to south Tucson though and there’s a lot of road work on-going. I wouldn’t recommend veering more than a few miles off of I-10 when looking for an apartment. You might find just what you’re looking for, but I-10 runs north to south and if you’re going east to west, then there’s no quick route. Phoenix has good infrastructure to get from point A to point B fairly quickly, but Tucson does not. This is the most infuriating thing about Tucson for me. I wouldn’t be overly concerned about safety. Tucson is like most towns— there are good sections and bad sections. You’ll know it when you see it. I’ve never personally felt unsafe around the university area. Some of the more rural areas in the foothills are quiet and scenic, but they’re mostly for retirees who don’t commute daily. if considering renting a house, one of the most important things to find out is the source of water. I would steer clear of any place on a well. Hauling water will be an additional cost of at least $100/month if the place isn’t on city water. AZ just reached a deal with the surrounding state and the federal government earlier this week, and the upshot is the cost of water is going to increase. I hope you and your son enjoy Arizona. It is a startling beautiful landscape, but the natural areas can be harsh if you are not prepared. Always carry water, even if you are only going to the grocery store. No outdoor activities in the middle of the day during the warmer months (May through October). Do not mess with the wildlife— rattlesnakes, scorpions, javelinas, Gila monsters, etc. Maintain an awareness of your surroundings or you will find yourself in the emergency room. Keep an eye on the weather if you are hiking because flash floods are very dangerous if you’re in a low lying area. Good luck!!!

The 9-game schedule will prove problematic. I mean, imagine when Bama has 4 home games and 5 road games, and LSU (whoever) wins the west with 5 home games and 4 road games. Bama will demand change. Best not to go there to begin with.

UAB Troy Cincinnati Toledo Georgia Southern Oregon State South Alabama Wake Forest San Diego State Bowling Green Houston Minnesota Ole Miss Oregon Florida State Duke SMU Memphis Iowa Fresno State Maryland UCLA Arkansas Wyoming Texas LSU Mississippi State East Carolina Notre Dame San Jose State Baylor Southern Miss Boise State Wisconsin Marshall USC Clemson Utah Alabama Georgia Michigan

Akron New Mexico State UTSA USC TCU Ohio Troy Georgia Tulane Boise State Michigan Clemson 48

My first Iron Bowl. On the way back to the car, we ran into an Alabama fan with the most sour look on his face ripping his crimson and white shaker to shreds. My old man said to him, "Smile, buddy, it's a great day to be an Auburn Tiger!"

Arkansas Florida State Alabama Georgia Clemson Kentucky LSU Tennessee Mississippi State Texas Kansas State Washington North Carolina Cincinnati Ohio State Oregon USC 49

I was emailing an LSU friend Saturday morning. He was asking about the coaching vacancy at Auburn. After working on my response for 90 minutes, going back and forth over the various candidates, I talked myself into Carnell Williams being the best option. Let me explain. Auburn is not going to convince any home run hire coach to take the job. It's just not going to happen. It has never happened. There is no candidate who would consider the job who checks all the boxes. There is no perfect coach waiting for a phone call whom the university can hand $10 million/year and make all the problems with the boosters, athletic department, and football team vanish overnight. The whole thing comes down to a choice between an elite recruiter and someone with head coaching experience, because Auburn won't get both. It usually goes for the guy with a little head coaching experience, even if it is at a mid-level school. But, the SEC has changed. What is the difference between Auburn right now and LSU, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, etc? Recruiting. Recruiting. Recruiting. The current state of the OL and depth in general on the team is beyond desperate. Next season, with most of the current OL departing, unmitigated disaster is a very real possibility, 3-9 or worse. Maybe Auburn eeks out an SEC win over Vandy, but the game is in Nashville, so 50-50 at best. D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R awaits if radical change does not begin ASAP. Which of the current cast of head coaching candidates could move the needle recruiting-wise in the next 6 months (early signing period, February, and transfer portal)? Maybe Grimes can help the OL a bit in the short-term, but there is no immediate fix unless the new coach can convince some elite recruits to come to Auburn during the few months. Can Grimes do that? I don't think so. Deion Sanders or Carnell Williams then? Which one is going to make the focus the team and not himself? Give me Carnell all day long. I've spent all week saying Sanders doesn't have enough head coaching experience to run an SEC program. Well, Carnell Williams doesn't have any. I know no one wants a head coach learning on the job after at best mixed results with the Malzahn experiment, however, when it comes to recruiting, either you have it or you don't. Carnell Williams has it. Maybe he doesn't possess the charisma that Sanders has, but what he does have is authenticity. He has experienced everything the recruits and their families are going through and will go through if they come to Auburn. Which of the candidates do you think most likely a 17-year-old would trust? No coach is any better than the players he recruits. Right now, no one can sell Auburn better than Carnell Williams. If he can make a respectable showing over the next few weeks, continuously improving on what we saw last night, then definitely the search committee should interview him. If it comes down to a more experienced head coach and Carnell Williams, then bring him in for a second interview. Carnell won't require any convincing there needs to be an experienced staff with recruiting prowess and SEC experience around him. Yes men need not apply. You can be sure anyone on staff wants to be there, because those with any doubts will rush to a safer situation. Give Carnell a contract commensurate with his experience. Provide plenty of incentives to compensate him if he surpasses expectations. Give him a chance to grow and build a new culture at Auburn. Ego won't be an issue. He already admits he made some mistakes last night and still has a lot to learn. At least Carnell took responsibility, instead of repeatedly saying the players just have to execute better. Realistically, no hire is going to move the needle very much while the Saban juggernaut remains entrenched. But, we are starting to see some cracks in the foundation. Saban won't be there for much longer. I'd rather Auburn takes its lumps under Carnell. Expectations will be low. Maybe the honeymoon will last a couple seasons and he can bring in 2-3 recruiting classes before he's on the hot seat. No matter who gets the job, it is going to take years to rebuild the program just to the point it can be competitive in the SEC on a consistent basis. I know everyone is pointing to the job Josh Heupel has done at Tennessee in under two years. It's amazing progress that many at Auburn would like to replicate, but yesterday we saw just how far Tennessee still has to go to compete for an SEC title. Tennessee has shown how far you can get relying solely on the transfer portal. It's a start, but it's not enough. You also have to bring in elite high school talent and mold it. You have to do it year after year. This commitment is what Auburn needs in a new coach, and this is the commitment Auburn needs to make to its next head coach. I know this will require a tremendous leap of faith. But, most of us can get there. Most of us want to get there. We believe in Auburn and love it. Most of us also believe Carnell Williams can be a successful head coach at Auburn one day. That day starts now, with a leap of faith.

I know everyone feels let down. However, this needs to be handled professionally. The hiring was made following the chitshow of bungling the Cristobal hiring (maybe we dodged a bullet there) and then the chitshow earlier this year. Firing after only 2 seasons, whether warranted or not, will turn into another chitshow in the national media if not done with respect and making the case very much in the way the original poster did. We're already known as Chitshow U nationally. Let's try not to perpetuate the image any further. Please.

Ain't that that damned truth.

Auburn vs LSU 1972

And Zach Calzada was the only QB to beat Alabama this season.

Bryce Young just broke out into a cold sweat. Nightmares to follow.

Pods-yes! 9-game schedule-NO Imagine if/when UAT has 4 games at home and 5 games on the road, and Auburn has 5 games at home and 4 on the road. Then, Auburn wins the division. Saban will be in Sankey's office 7 am Monday morning demanding change. I'd rather skip the whining. Stay with 8 conference games or go to 10. No unbalanced schedules, you're just begging for trouble.

Regarding the JBoy Twitter post-- I don't believe any of it. The PAC12 has already said they won't be adding any former Big12 schools. Could be a smoke screen, but I don't see any real benefit to the PAC12. Maybe Iowa State gets into the Big10. Maybe. Can't see how West Virginia is a good fit at all. I think it is more likely the AAC, Mountain West, and C-USA absorb the former Big12 schools and try to persuade the NCAA they are the new Power 5 Conference.

Notre Dame Two games in Jordan-Hare and a return game in South Bend......

I, for one, would very much like to see some competition at Auburn, especially at QB. Bo and Finley are different types of QBs, and y'all are trying to compare apples with oranges. The only thing, in the end, which really matters is what type of QB Harsin wants. Having watched Boise St quite often during Harsin's tenure, I would say Max Johnson is closer to his ideal, not Bo and not Finley. However, Malzahn left few viable options at QB. No one is going to argue with Bo's heart or effort. But, no one can argue either that there is another QB on the planet who doesn't need competition more than Bo. Finley is the best athlete with the highest ceiling at QB on either the LSU or Auburn roster. I think that factor was partly why he got the nod over Max Johnson when Brennan went down. He did have a meltdown at Auburn, but you have to take a few mitigating factors into consideration (1) very young LSU WRs, younger than what Auburn will field next season (2) OL was far from SEC caliber most of the season (3) serious talent drain overall when something like 14 starters or heavy contributors were drafted or left early for the NFL plus several players who were being counted on to contribute sat out because of COVID (4) the offensive brain trust left too (and please don't argue Ensminger staying made any difference) (5) Finley looked good against Auburn until the players around him made several knucklehead mistakes and THEN it was pretty much on him to win the game and it was too much for a freshman starting his first game in Jordan-Hare to handle. There are damned few freshmen QBs who would have flourished under those conditions. True, Max Johnson did flourish in the last few games, but I would argue the team had matured and some key contributors had emerged by then, especially at WR. For all we know, Max Johnson may be Tom Brady 2.0, at least that is how he performed down the stretch. I think Bo and Finley have several things in common, which makes comparisons almost ridiculous, some of which have already been mentioned-- (1) QB coaching/play-calling at AU and LSU was at best questionable last season (2) OL performance for both was far from dominating (3) not much depth at RB at either to take the pressure off the QB. So, you can't really judge either QB fairly because neither was given the support they needed to thrive. The other side of the coin is none of us know whether either QB is a leader in the locker room. For all we know, they are the problem which plague their offenses last season. I hope not. I think both players could benefit greatly from a fresh start (Bo from some real QB coaching and Finley from a head coach who can speak English instead of just grunt). If Harsin wants to give Finley a chance, and Finley takes it, then Bo can either sulk or accept the challenge and win the job because he is the best QB. If he is the Heisman candidate and champion some of you think he is, then Bo will be the first one to welcome Finley to Auburn. Damn the star ratings, damn the legacy drama, damn the previous coaches' preferences and idiosyncrasies, damn NFL projections, and damn the 2020 season. We all need a fresh start. May the best man win job, even if that man turns out to be DD or a grad transfer whose name none of us recognize. Job No. 1 is creating competition and holding every player, coach, and administrator accountable. Credibility will follow.

Finley has a whole lot of talent. Reminds me of Jamarcus Russell. At the very least, he pushes Bo to improve. Neither has had any decent coaching. Yes, Finley lost his composure against the Tigers last season, but it was the first time he had seen a halfway decent SEC defense. The LSU offense was a mess until the last couple games last season. OL was pretty spotty too. I'm not saying there isn't any risk involved with taking Finley, but are any of us confident with Loy or true freshman DD if Bo gets hurt? Give me Finley all day long. Could be biggest need on the team if Bo goes down early, and, with the tendency he has to scramble on nearly every play, it's a real possibility.

The defense played great. Dinson and Tutt were phenomenal. But, the OL... I cringe when I think what 2020 will be without a very significant infusion of talent.

I haven't seen Fields or Nix in a game yet, but Gatewood played like a Dak Prescott-Cam Newton-esque talent Friday night. Probably need to take a 2nd QB in the 2018 class in case of injury, but I can't help but think the coaches are extremely happy with the QB already 100% committed.

After watching Gatewood last night, Fields is probably having second thoughts about Auburn, unless he really likes competition. Fields may be more polished and ready-to-play, but I can't see Gatewood sitting at Auburn for more than 1 season. Unless Bartram's coach replaces Gus.

I gotta think Auburn's thin depth at safety will keep them in it. What does Clemson's depth look like?

I'll second that....

Amen, brother.

NIU Fresno St LSU TX VaTech Tulsa Navy USC West Va