FBS Championship Game Thread

[aujeff11 6,243]

The guy I want to see gone is Kiffen. Took a mediocre cast-off QB and won a championship...picked a pretty good Clemson defense apart....beat them the the same basic TE play 4 times....a tremendous deception and Coker was on the money.

With so many NFL reams needing / wanting an OC I think he will be gone in a couple weeks. He coaches an NFL style offense and there will be no concerns or doubts about his offense fitting into the NFL.

As for Clemson....special teams was awful.....expect a change there but a very young team and most of the key guys are back. Gonna be a tough way for AU to open the season....and all the QB issues better be fully resolved before that game starts. Nice that it is in Auburn.

I want Saban gone. Kiffin under utilized Howard all season long. Hopefully Howard is gone now

[AU64 10,122]

The guy I want to see gone is Kiffen. Took a mediocre cast-off QB and won a championship...picked a pretty good Clemson defense apart....beat them the the same basic TE play 4 times....a tremendous deception and Coker was on the money.

With so many NFL reams needing / wanting an OC I think he will be gone in a couple weeks. He coaches an NFL style offense and there will be no concerns or doubts about his offense fitting into the NFL.

As for Clemson....special teams was awful.....expect a change there but a very young team and most of the key guys are back. Gonna be a tough way for AU to open the season....and all the QB issues better be fully resolved before that game starts. Nice that it is in Auburn.

I want Saban gone. Kiffin under utilized Howard all season long. Hopefully Howard is gone now

Maybe but you can only use so many guys and Nick's plan was to run Henry...over and over which they did successfully for 2000 yards and they had Ridley and Stewart for pass receiving. Clemson ignored Howard and LK took advantage of the fact that they did not know enough about him.

And JMO but NS is not going anywhere....next best thing is to see his two top Coordinators leaving. I'm not sure how the loss of Smart affects bama but LK would be very difficult to replace.

[PigskinPat 2,579]

Seems I've heard the "bama's so far ahead will we ever win again?" refrain before Like after the 09 and 12 seasons. I'm not in denial but we are never as far behind as people think. What bama has done is remarkable but remember they have been beaten during this time and despite their great success we have two SEC titles, a natty and a near natty in the same time frame. One thing I know about Auburn is new heroes always emerge and it's usually when we least expect it.

One of the things, though, that is frustrating to some is that our two best years when we had championship runs it still took miracles in both seasons to beat them. They have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to talent on their team and our success seems to hinge on the health and presence of a couple of players. The records over our biggest rivals over the last few years is terrible and even the Mississippi schools have more than held their own against us. I'm not usually a doom and gloom kind of guy, but the recent trends have to be a little troubling.

[autigeremt 6,704]

Only troubling when you allow a rivals success beat you more than once on the field. Good for them....but could care less about THEIR wins. It's all AU all the time.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

Well you have to admire what they are doing. Let's face it - you bring in the top rated recruiting class 8 straight years, you are going to win the majority of your games because you already have an advantage in every game - your players are better. I agree with others about Kiffen. Even though he seems to be a bad person and is a terrible head coach, he is a very good OC. They win with defense most of the time, but when their defense is getting it handed to them (like last night or AU in 2014 when we scored 44) - they win with offense.

But like I originally said - they already have the advantage in every game they play. It takes a special effort by an opposing team to beat them - and if you are a pro style team you have no shot. They have not lost to a "traditional pro style" team in 5 years.

[keesler 5,928]

Maybe but you can only use so many guys and Nick's plan was to run Henry...over and over which they did successfully for 2000 yards and they had Ridley and Stewart for pass receiving. Clemson ignored Howard and LK took advantage of the fact that they did not know enough about him.

And JMO but NS is not going anywhere....next best thing is to see his two top Coordinators leaving. I'm not sure how the loss of Smart affects bama but LK would be very difficult to replace.

^^That right there is damn good game planning and making in-game adjustments to take advantage of an opponent when they aren't prepared.

Kiffin replaced everyone in that offense but 2 OLs and a receiver. He went from a pass heavy O (with Amari Cooper) to a run first O and produced a Heisman trophy winner. He was supposed to fail this year with Jake Coker, an iffy oline, green receivers, etc.

[OnthePlains 2,014]

Seems I've heard the "bama's so far ahead will we ever win again?" refrain before Like after the 09 and 12 seasons. I'm not in denial but we are never as far behind as people think. What bama has done is remarkable but remember they have been beaten during this time and despite their great success we have two SEC titles, a natty and a near natty in the same time frame. One thing I know about Auburn is new heroes always emerge and it's usually when we least expect it.

One of the things, though, that is frustrating to some is that our two best years when we had championship runs it still took miracles in both seasons to beat them. They have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to talent on their team and our success seems to hinge on the health and presence of a couple of players. The records over our biggest rivals over the last few years is terrible and even the Mississippi schools have more than held their own against us. I'm not usually a doom and gloom kind of guy, but the recent trends have to be a little troubling.

Points well taken but I would disagree with the "miracles" statement. 2010 we got off to a bad start to a good bama team but rallied and pretty much owned the rest of the game. There was no miracle involved in keeping them out of the endzone in the second half while we piled up 21 points. 2013 we rushed for 300 yards and stood toe to toe with them all game and made a great special teams play at the end on a FG they had very little shot at making. As far as the record against the Mississippi schools I agree but I would also say that those two programs are in a much better place than your traditional Ole Miss and Miss. St. teams we used to beat up on every year. The record against our rivals is disturbing but again its not like bama, lsu and uga have sucked lately. I expect big things out of this team in 2016 and if things go south then in all likelihood we will have a new regime and see if they can fix it. I'm just not gonna be all sky is falling when I have seen this movie before more than once while being a long time AU fan.

[EagleReedle 14]

I'm just so damn happy that they didn't release an eagle to fly around the stadium prior to the game, I am still pissed about that fly over bama got against Michigan state.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,368]

I'm just so damn happy that they didn't release an eagle to fly around the stadium prior to the game, I am still pissed about that fly over bama got against Michigan state.

Still don't get why people made a big deal about that. Auburn wasn't the first university to fly a bird around the stadium prior to kickoff. And they didn't use one of our Eagles.

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

I guess I'm just gonna have to learn to live with the sourness that Bama has won 4 NC and 2 Heismans in the span of 7 years and have the praises of their recruiting sang over and over despite all the evidence that should cripple their program.

And even worse is that it fuels the egos of the toothless masses who need Alabama Football to validate their own worth, and here we are having to share the same state...

Guess I'll go back to the meltdown board.

[PigskinPat 2,579]

I guess I'm just gonna have to learn to live with the sourness that Bama has won 4 NC and 2 Heismans in the span of 7 years and have the praises of their recruiting sang over and over despite all the evidence that should cripple their program.

And even worse is that it fuels the egos of the toothless masses who need Alabama Football to validate their own worth, and here we are having to share the same state...

Guess I'll go back to the meltdown board.

Save me a spot, I'll be there in a little while.

[Elephant Tipper 430]

I guess I'm just gonna have to learn to live with the sourness that Bama has won 4 NC and 2 Heismans in the span of 7 years and have the praises of their recruiting sang over and over despite all the evidence that should cripple their program.

And even worse is that it fuels the egos of the toothless masses who need Alabama Football to validate their own worth, and here we are having to share the same state...

Guess I'll go back to the meltdown board.

Save me a spot, I'll be there in a little while.

The two of you should man up. WE ARE AUBURN.

AU is going to knock off the national champion this fall !

WDE !!

[lionheartkc 6,150]

I guess I'm just gonna have to learn to live with the sourness that Bama has won 4 NC and 2 Heismans in the span of 7 years and have the praises of their recruiting sang over and over despite all the evidence that should cripple their program.

And even worse is that it fuels the egos of the toothless masses who need Alabama Football to validate their own worth, and here we are having to share the same state...

Guess I'll go back to the meltdown board.

Think of it this way, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. When Emmert is finally shown the door (by choice or otherwise) and the NCAA really starts snooping around, the devastation that follows will be monumental. Just imagine all of the title and awards that will be stripped.

Feel better now?

[autigeremt 6,704]

And imagine this....Auburn won or played in 2 of the last 3 championship games that bama didn't........

It's not just about spuat.

[PigskinPat 2,579]

I guess I'm just gonna have to learn to live with the sourness that Bama has won 4 NC and 2 Heismans in the span of 7 years and have the praises of their recruiting sang over and over despite all the evidence that should cripple their program.

And even worse is that it fuels the egos of the toothless masses who need Alabama Football to validate their own worth, and here we are having to share the same state...

Guess I'll go back to the meltdown board.

Think of it this way, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. When Emmert is finally shown the door (by choice or otherwise) and the NCAA really starts snooping around, the devastation that follows will be monumental. Just imagine all of the title and awards that will be stripped.

Feel better now?

If you had included unicorns your post might be a little more believable.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

And imagine this....Auburn won or played in 2 of the last 3 championship games that bama didn't........

It's not just about spuat.

Bingo. I thing every team in the nation other than alabama, ohio st, and fsu would probably trade places with us over the last 5 years.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

And imagine this....Auburn won or played in 2 of the last 3 championship games that bama didn't........

It's not just about spuat.

Bingo. I thing every team in the nation other than alabama, ohio st, and fsu would probably trade places with us over the last 5 years.

Kinda makes you wonder about all of the "we can't recruit, we can't coach, we have no QBs, etc." comments around here.

[keesler 5,928]

And imagine this....Auburn won or played in 2 of the last 3 championship games that bama didn't........

It's not just about spuat.

Bingo. I thing every team in the nation other than alabama, ohio st, and fsu would probably trade places with us over the last 5 years.

Kinda makes you wonder about all of the "we can't recruit, we can't coach, we have no QBs, etc." comments around here.

When we see a decline in production, resulting in less wins, landing us in the bottom half of the conference, is it no wonder why we ask questions and comment about the team and it's direction?

[autigeremt 6,704]

And imagine this....Auburn won or played in 2 of the last 3 championship games that bama didn't........

It's not just about spuat.

Bingo. I thing every team in the nation other than alabama, ohio st, and fsu would probably trade places with us over the last 5 years.

Kinda makes you wonder about all of the "we can't recruit, we can't coach, we have no QBs, etc." comments around here.

When we see a decline in production, resulting in less wins, landing us in the bottom half of the conference, is it no wonder why we ask questions and comment about the team and it's direction?

Nothing wrong with that....just the fact that we are able to show we can be that good is better than a lot of teams around the country in a state dominated by our rival.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

And imagine this....Auburn won or played in 2 of the last 3 championship games that bama didn't........

It's not just about spuat.

Bingo. I thing every team in the nation other than alabama, ohio st, and fsu would probably trade places with us over the last 5 years.

Kinda makes you wonder about all of the "we can't recruit, we can't coach, we have no QBs, etc." comments around here.

When we see a decline in production, resulting in less wins, landing us in the bottom half of the conference, is it no wonder why we ask questions and comment about the team and it's direction?

Some of us just see it as primarily a year where we had a over abundance of unfortunate circumstances that couldn't be overcome. The only real issues I saw were at Linebacker and Wide Receiver and the answer to that is pretty easy... we haven't been doing a great job of recruiting either. Whether that is because we are getting beat (Linebacker), or not going after very many (Wide Receiver), at least one of those is being addressed in this class.

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

The guy I want to see gone is Kiffen. Took a mediocre cast-off QB and won a championship...picked a pretty good Clemson defense apart....beat them the the same basic TE play 4 times....a tremendous deception and Coker was on the money.

With so many NFL reams needing / wanting an OC I think he will be gone in a couple weeks. He coaches an NFL style offense and there will be no concerns or doubts about his offense fitting into the NFL.

As for Clemson....special teams was awful.....expect a change there but a very young team and most of the key guys are back. Gonna be a tough way for AU to open the season....and all the QB issues better be fully resolved before that game starts. Nice that it is in Auburn.

Huh? They were 14-0 and lose one game, now people expect them to fire their special teams coach over it?

[around4ever 4,139]

I think it had as much to do with uat's special teams executing than Clemson's special teams not executing. uat special teams blocked a FG, performed an unorthodox onside kick and returned a kickoff for a TD. Do you realize how hard it was for the uat kicker to drop that onside kick perfectly where he did? I would venture that if he tried it 10 times, 1 possibly 2 would fall in the vicinity of where that one did. The kick return was set up perfectly and the Clemson kick team collapsed to the near side where Drake started heading but couldn't catch him when he darted to the left to the open field. The block was just another outstanding play by Pettway. He should have had consideration for MVP.

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

And imagine this....Auburn won or played in 2 of the last 3 championship games that bama didn't........

It's not just about spuat.

Bingo. I thing every team in the nation other than alabama, ohio st, and fsu would probably trade places with us over the last 5 years.

Kinda makes you wonder about all of the "we can't recruit, we can't coach, we have no QBs, etc." comments around here.

When we see a decline in production, resulting in less wins, landing us in the bottom half of the conference, is it no wonder why we ask questions and comment about the team and it's direction?

Some of us just see it as primarily a year where we had a over abundance of unfortunate circumstances that couldn't be overcome. The only real issues I saw were at Linebacker and Wide Receiver and the answer to that is pretty easy... we haven't been doing a great job of recruiting either. Whether that is because we are getting beat (Linebacker), or not going after very many (Wide Receiver), at least one of those is being addressed in this class.

And how many unfortunate circumstances afflict Bama? Don't get me wrong, this is not an indictment of Auburn, but how can any "process" overcome attrition rates, injuries, coaching turnover, without some shady business being done in the background.

And sure you can say everything will work out once Emmert leaves, but who knows if he'll ever leave? We don't know if the next guy in line will or won't continue to protect Saban's "legacy".

Auburn doesn't have that kind of leniency and it bothers me to no end that we're looked down as a garbage because we can't do what that team up-state does.

Ugh

[AU64 10,122]

And imagine this....Auburn won or played in 2 of the last 3 championship games that bama didn't........

It's not just about spuat.

Bingo. I thing every team in the nation other than alabama, ohio st, and fsu would probably trade places with us over the last 5 years.

Kinda makes you wonder about all of the "we can't recruit, we can't coach, we have no QBs, etc." comments around here.

When we see a decline in production, resulting in less wins, landing us in the bottom half of the conference, is it no wonder why we ask questions and comment about the team and it's direction?

Some of us just see it as primarily a year where we had a over abundance of unfortunate circumstances that couldn't be overcome. The only real issues I saw were at Linebacker and Wide Receiver and the answer to that is pretty easy... we haven't been doing a great job of recruiting either. Whether that is because we are getting beat (Linebacker), or not going after very many (Wide Receiver), at least one of those is being addressed in this class.

And how many unfortunate circumstances afflict Bama? Don't get me wrong, this is not an indictment of Auburn, but how can any "process" overcome attrition rates, injuries, coaching turnover, without some shady business being done in the background.

And sure you can say everything will work out once Emmert leaves, but who knows if he'll ever leave? We don't know if the next guy in line will or won't continue to protect Saban's "legacy".

Auburn doesn't have that kind of leniency and it bothers me to no end that we're looked down as a garbage because we can't do what that team up-state does.

Ugh

Coaches and coordinators come and go but one thing remains the same...SABAN....his system, his offense, his defense,,,his process. I'll say for the hundredth that the moaning about them cheating sounds like children.

Nobody outside of UAT and the bammers likes the tide and 400 plus NCAA schools are not going to sit by and allow bama to get by with stuff that gives then an advantage. I bet they are among the most envied, hated and closely watched schools in the NCAA. With so many AU fans chipping in with all kinds of claims about bama cheating, there must be several file cabinets of "evidence" (generally lacking corroboration) in the basement of NCAA headquarters.

People keep making comments about AU being a laughing stock because of coaching changes or loss on the football field, but IMO what makes AU a laughingstock are the people who can't get bama off their minds and can't accept that their football program is the best in FBS be a clear margin and it's probably as clean as at most major schools.

if you know people who look down on AU as "garbage" you need a new set of friends. AND anyone who uses Auburn's success (or lack of it) ...or lets others get away with that kind of thing ...by which I mean, using football as a measuring stick for the quality of the university.....you should be ashamed of yourselves.

It's hard for me to believe than an AU graduate only values Auburn or an Auburn education on the basis of how well the football team performs.

Meanwhile, listened to a post-game talk show today and it was noted that Clemson is replicating Saban's system over at their school....same systems, methodology and disciplines (coaches and players don't talk to media for example). JMO but sounds like this was not their last trip to the championship.

[Barnacle 9,064]

Excellent post, 64