Dumbing down AU's schedule is not smart

[Tigermike 2,603]

Dumbing down AU's schedule is not smart

Kevin Scarbinsky

The birmingham News

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Western Kentucky. That's the team Auburn just picked up to fill the final hole in its 2005 football schedule.

Not Louisville, a Division I-A school in western Kentucky - imagine the pregame hype that would've generated as Bobby Petrino got a chance to stab Tommy Tuberville in the front - but Division I-AA Western Kentucky.

Auburn, whose only blemish in 2004 was a weak non-conference schedule that included a I-AA gimme in The Citadel, just signed a deal to play another minor-league patsy next season.

Oh, well. There goes the 2005 BCS national title.

The more coordinators and administrators change, the more things stay the same on the Plain.

Once again, Auburn has met the enemy, and it is Auburn.

Playing The Citadel last year didn't cost the Tigers a shot at a national championship - starting too far back in the polls did - but it hurt them in their quest to be taken seriously as a national power.

And, face it, reputation is a large part of the reason national schools like Oklahoma almost always start the season ranked higher than regional schools like Auburn.

Adding Western Kentucky to this year's schedule, no matter the reason, just reinforces a misguided but growing feeling that Auburn doesn't want to play with the big boys.

Anyone who believes that, of course, is wrong. The Tigers didn't have to play USC home-and-home in 2002 and 2003, and they didn't have to open the 2003 season with USC and Georgia Tech back-to-back. But they did.

It's just that now is the worst time for Auburn, after its best year ever, to dumb down its schedule by dropping down to play another I-AA opponent.

In Auburn's defense, it put itself in this predicament by accommodating another school. Auburn was supposed to play Southern Miss on Sept. 24. Southern Miss asked out of that date last fall because of its own scheduling problems, and Auburn granted the request.

That didn't leave much time to find a worthy opponent willing and able to come to Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Which is part of the problem. Why does Auburn insist on playing seven home games every year? USC will play just six home games in 2005. So will Oklahoma and Florida State and Tennessee.

What do those other schools know about paying their head coaches a lot of money but making ends meet on six home paydays that Auburn doesn't?

USC has just six home dates in the fall with a 12-game regular-season schedule. The extra game is a road trip to Hawaii.

That means the defending national champions will play four non-conference games, two on the road at Hawaii and Notre Dame, two at home against Arkansas and Fresno State.

There's not a patsy in the bunch, even though USC didn't complete its schedule till Friday when it announced the date with Fresno State.

That's just one of the differences between the top two teams in the final 2004 polls. Both needed one more game for 2005. At the last minute, USC found a ranked team that just won a bowl game.

Auburn found Western Kentucky.

Kevin Scarbinsky's column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Write him at kscarbinsky@bhamnews.com.

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[Auburn85 415]

Yeah, the WK game will be a sure win, but what else?

Oh yeah, 75,000 in the seats.

WK benefits more than we do

We would have never heard the end of it had we lost to APP. State in 99.

[WarEagleFL 0]

That's just one of the differences between the top two teams in the final 2004 polls. Both needed one more game for 2005. At the last minute, USC found a ranked team that just won a bowl game.

Auburn found Western Kentucky.

ouch, I really wish we found a 1A team to play. if usc can find these teams to play, why can't we? or are we just not looking to play a half decent team?

[AUesquire 1]

In fairness, none of us, Kevin Scarbinsky included, know what really went on in trying to get a team to play. I doubt every team out there is beating down our door for a game and we're the ones saying, "Nah, we're only looking for some chump to walk all over."

I'm certainly not thrilled at playing a team with the Cookie Monster as it's mascot and there were a ton of better choices, but were we told NO by some of those folks. He says AU/Louisville would have been a great choice and I agree but were there ever any negotiations and if there were, was it the most wishy-washy coach out there, Booby Petrino, that nixed the deal? Who knows?

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

In fairness, none of us, Kevin Scarbinsky included, know what really went on in trying to get a team to play.  I doubt every team out there is beating down our door for a game and we're the ones saying, "Nah, we're only looking for some chump to walk all over."

I'm certainly not thrilled at playing a team with the Cookie Monster as it's mascot and there were a ton of better choices, but were we told NO by some of those folks.  He says AU/Louisville would have been a great choice and I agree but were there ever any negotiations and if there were, was it the most wishy-washy coach out there, Booby Petrino, that nixed the deal?  Who knows?

146235[/snapback]

Amen! If only ignorant people would quit being so critical of that which they have little or no knowledge, it would be a brighter world. Hell everyone know this was all Lowder's fault and he insisted we play W.K.

[jaydubb121 22]

The win over WKU will be nice. People should quit bitching about it. Our conference schedule is what hurt us this year more than the ooc. I mean Arkansas, Ole Miss, Miss. St, Alabama, and Kentucky all sucked the big one.

Take the wins where you can get them.

[Boss 0]

I never understood why we didn't go after Troy or UAB (they are both 1-A). After all, we have played UAB and Samford before. You would go from 75,000 tickets sold to 86,000+. 11,000 tickets at $35 each would be almost enough to pay them $400,000. I guess it just made too much sense............

[ezeskeezy 0]

People kill me. You all take way too damn much out of us picking up a 1-AA school. Writer's are morons. We determined that this season. Half of the time they don't even know what they talking about. Teams like WK on our schedule don't bump us out of the BCS...that's their cop-out reason...don't let it be yours too.

[Auburn85 415]

Fresno State's coach and players "will play anyone, anywhere, anytime"

[vatz22au 117]

Scarbinksy is a damn idiot. He fails to research his topics and blabs on and rambles...I bet that whole article was typed in a matter of minutes. First off....WE HAD SOUTHERN MISS SCHEDULED....they backed out, due to financial reasons we have to take western kentucky....

Theres alot more to this than just," oh auburn picked up western kentucky"...theres alot of money involved and stuff that just makes my head go round.

I mean hell, are people actually believing that our team sucks just because we play a weaker team? We still play your georgias, alabamas, your ole miss's....I mean hell, they just throw those teams out and say," oh well you played the citadel, you suck automatically."

Man people suck dont they?

[AUslug 1]

I see both sides of the fence on this one, personally playing the 1-AA teams is getting old quick. All the writers and coaches wanted USC/OK matchup and look what they got...a snooze fest of a blow out. We don't suck if we play the Citadel's of the world but it just looks bush league in the eyes of the national media. I know it's all money and last minute scheduling snafus but wouldn't you think that the Athletic office would have better back up plans than WKU? Not like they didn't know USM was going to have problems with their conf. schedule with teams jumping to the Big East. But on the brightside is that two possibly three easy wins in the first five at home makes me feel a little bit better about the progression of the team heading into the road games later on in the season, namely and .

[AUloggerhead 1,843]

"Fresno State's coach and players "will play anyone, anywhere, anytime"

They will indeed. Their HC, Pat Hill, has been real aggressive in getting big name schools for their ooc schedule. For the record, Hill has been trying to get SC to play them for years -- I saw an interview a couple of years ago with him where he said he couldn't even get SC to return his phone calls. I guess now that they're on top again, SC can find the time to play Fresno St.

Until they backed out of their game with AU, I put Southern Miss & Fresno State in the same category of hungry teams. Southern Miss actually has that "anyone, anywhere, anytime" quote printed on their mid-field logo. Ironic, isn't it? Do they need to add, "except when it means playing Auburn" to their logo? WDE

[Longtrainn 2]

It would have been nice to schedule a 1-A opponent. sure. But do you honestly believe the Ath. Dept. didn't try everything it could to get one? It's not our fault USM backed out on us. And it also wasn't the Citadel that kept us out of the BCS. No one was going to jump USC and OU as long as they kept winning. When you start out 1-2 in the polls and don't lose, you stay there. Maybe it shouldn't be that way, but it is.

[kingfish 59]

Since Scarbinsky is so intelligent and knows what we at Auburn should be doing ... how would you like to have this clown as AD? Think about it .... would this not be the biggest joke possible. Keep this in mind when newspaper types such as Scarbinsky and Finebaum are spouting off as to what we at Auburn should be doing. As always I have far more confidence in AU people that the clowns on the radio and in the newspapers.

War Eagle.

[mcgufcm 3,872]

two reasons it completely sucks for us to continually do this: you can't become a usc or a fsu, etc. this way AND you can't give your ticket holders the best value for their money.

honestly, i don't think we did everything possible to find a IA opponent. why should i think that? two years in a row, we've settled for IAA opponents when we had late holes to fill while other schools (usc actually added the hawaii game last, not fresno) found a way to schedule a better opponent. so no, i don't think we did all we could do. i think we looked around, asked for help, didn't get it, and decided to get a lay up that would give us the payday a home game guarantees.

then you look at ticket holders, you guys have to pay for this crap. you don't get to see a full slate. if we're going to say "7 home games a year" as a rule, find a way to make them seven home games that everyone can say they got their money's worth out of. it's just bad business to schedule games where you all but guarantee that you won't sell out. i don't think much of the local media, but he's right about this one.

[Auburn85 415]

two reasons it completely sucks for us to continually do this: you can't become a usc or a fsu, etc. this way AND you can't give your ticket holders the best value for their money.

honestly, i don't think we did everything possible to find a IA opponent. why should i think that? two years in a row, we've settled for IAA opponents when we had late holes to fill while other schools (usc actually added the hawaii game last, not fresno) found a way to schedule a better opponent. so no, i don't think we did all we could do. i think we looked around, asked for help, didn't get it, and decided to get a lay up that would give us the payday a home game guarantees.

then you look at ticket holders, you guys have to pay for this crap. you don't get to see a full slate. if we're going to say "7 home games a year" as a rule, find a way to make them seven home games that everyone can say they got their money's worth out of. it's just bad business to schedule games where you all but guarantee that you won't sell out. i don't think much of the local media, but he's right about this one.

146284[/snapback]

This means we will have played a D 1AA team 3 years in a row : WK, CITADEL, WK.

And I agree, a WK game to me is a waste for a season ticket holder.

[Auburn85 415]

For this season... it's like paying $80 for the Iron Bowl. And I wonder how many people would still buy season tickets if the face value of the iron bowl was raised to $100. Would Jordan Hare still sell out?

[auskull 239]

If AU wants to build respect nationally, then we should play only Division I schools. The students, fans, and alum deserve it. Money will come in the long run if we consistently make the BCS bowls. Recruits will come also. We missed a big opportunity to play a good Out of conference team and influence recruits in another area of the nation. I'm tired of taking the low road and focusing on the short run. We have got to be able to go to the big 12, Pac 10 or big 10. Whatever it takes. Nationally, we again take a step backwards. Forget the facts, perception rules in college football and we missed another chance to help ourselves.

[SLAG-91 1,375]

mcgufcm hit it on the head...going to those glorified exhibitions was boring enough as a student, but for $4, anything is a good value. If I were a season ticket holder, I would not be pleased with yet another 1-AA scrub.

[GoAU 1,480]

A couple of things to consider:

Skarbinsky is quick to point out theat USC doesn't play OOC pastys, and he's right. All of their patsys are IN confrence for them.

For all you guys that are saying a WKU game is a waste, and I do't mean to be rude, but you must be spoiled. I would love to be able to go see ANY Auburn game. Count your blessings that your able to go.

If you think OOC schedule is what kept us from the MNC this year your nuts. It was a convienant excuse for the media. They could have used top 10 wins, but they didn't. They needed a way to justify the predetrmined outcome and it was just the most convienant. Even if we had played some other mid 1A schools NOTHING would have changed.

[PenguinAUB 0]

Teams like WK on our schedule don't bump us out of the BCS...that's their cop-out reason...don't let it be yours too.

i dont think people are thinking that, but obviously if we played a freakin 1A team it would look A LOT better.

we all know that there is money/scheduling issues that go into all this, but there had to be some way to get a 1A team in there.

do you guys really wanna see another crap game like this at jordan hare? i mean, our basketball team could beat western kentucky (in football)

i know when i used to go to ball state, and the directional LA school games, i always left early, there was no excitment at all. but then again most of you think im not a real auburn fan

and you can say USC plays in a bad conference but the SEC West has some work to do, i dont see Ole Miss or MSU being good for a while. also kentucky and vandy, come on

[DKW 86 6,937]

GoAU and Boss are right.

USC plays in the worst Confetrence in the country, hell could be a top tier program there. If we are going to play 1AA's then we should be required to play UAB and Troy. They need the money. The state needs the money.

Michigan plays CMU and WMU all the time and gets no grief for it. Everyone knows it is about the $$$.

Another truth, USC has their stadium paid for since forever. Just how old is thwe Coliseum anyway? 40-50 years? They do not expand because they do not come close to selling it out. We are paying for an expansion now... We need the home game to help pay for the financing.

It just should not be a 1AA EVER! When you buy a season book, this is just a waste of gas to drive to a game. IT is over in the first quarter. It becomes a tailgate event and a "who are all those players" event.

[Tiger in Spain 0]

GoAU and Boss are right.

If we are going to play 1AA's then we should be required to play UAB and Troy. They need the money. The state needs the money.

146318[/snapback]

Amen brother!!

[LegalEagle 22]

Why did we let S. Miss out of their contract? Last year BG got out because the contract was written that such was allowed at our request. Why don't we sign contracts that ensure we will not have 1A dropouts the year before the game?

Seems to me, this is our fault. Our lawyers must have gone to Bammer for their JD, huh? *grin*

[subterranean_jack 112]

At the very least, Jacobs should publically state that our future game contracts are going to be air-tight and there won't be any more second-rate fill ins. Playing a team like WK once in a while is okay, but 3 years in a row is just taking advantage of season ticket holders.