AWK 0 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Start this out with a good note, Capital One Bowl: Wisconsin (9-3) vs. Auburn (9-2), 1 p.m., ABC. No one -- not Southern California, not Texas, not the Indy Colts -- wants a piece of Auburn right now. How's that for a parting gift, Barry Alvarez? Here Ok guys, with that said, I love it when Auburn gets good press. However, does anyone ever feel a little uneasy when we are hyped up as much as we are for the bowl game? I know we have a great team, and I know we can beat the badgers. Those are two strong facts, but at the same time look at our history when we are hyped up(ex: see the 2003 - 2004 season). I just hope that AU comes out during the Bowl game and plays like we know they can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish 73 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 I appreciate where you are coming from ... over the years AU has seemed to perform better from the underdog position. With the coaching staff in place now, I am somewhat more comfortable that past years. WAR EAGLE !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerOne 1,152 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 If doesn't buy into the hype, play to their ability, play as if they are the underdog and pretend Wisconsin is uat, then we will leave Orlando with a victory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCWarEagle 0 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Yeah, I'm with you on all the press. On the one hand it is nice, and I love for Auburn to get props, but on the other hand when eveyone is assuming a win and thinks it will all be easy, then it kind of just sets us up for a fall. If we win, there is not that much of a celebration, b/c we were supposed to win, but if we lose then it is a huge disappointment. Anyone who has followed Auburn for a long time know that we have often fallen flat right when it seemed like we were going to make the transition to a truly elite team. Over the past twenty-three years or so (basically since Pat Dye took over) we have had numerous huge wins and lots of success, but for the most part we have not been able to consistently have truly great teams. That is why next season will be so huge for us. Obviously 2004 was fantastic. Then this season we started badly against GT, but really put everything together after that and had a much better season than anyone anticipated and if we can beat Wisconsin we should finish ranked No. 5 or 6 in the country. If that happens, then the pressure will really be on for all of next season. We should definitely be the favorites to win the SEC West (and probably the SEC). If the guys can make a run at the SEC and (oh it would be so good) the National Championship, then we can really be one of the top teams in the country. I get giddy just thinking about it. The guys just have to take it week by week and play one game at a time. The team needs to let the fans enjoy the articles, but the team can't pay too much attention to that stuff. It's always great to be an Auburn Tiger, but especially these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietfan 233 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 I don't think we're getting over-hyped. This is actually the first statement I've seen that I thought was way over the top--frankly, I think it's us who wouldn't want a piece of USC, Texas, or the Colts right now. Well, it might be nice to see how we'd match up with USC or Texas, but I'd be nervous as hell and we'd be big underdogs if we were playing them. Overall, though, I think our press has been fairly realistic. I think we were playing the best ball in the SEC by the last two games of the season, but I don't know if we'll maintain that momentum through the long Christmas break. As an aside. I also got a big laugh from this line in the article: Orange Bowl: Penn State (10-1) vs. Florida State (8-4), 8 p.m., ABC. What do Bobby Bowden and that giant inflatable Santa in your neighbor's yard have in common? Both should have been gone by New Year's. Is FSU's record the worst ever to make a BCS bowl? ...and people were worried about the Big East's automatic berth stinking up the system! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vatz22au 142 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Im sick of the underdog stuff. You guys want NCs right? You guys want top ten rankings right? Top 5 rankings maybe? Then hush this talk about," We only play good as an underdog." If we want to be a high caliber team, we have to start acting like one. That means if we are not the underdogs, we start acting like we are the better team. Half of Auburn's fanbase is used to being an underdog and would kill to have that status. Lets get rid of it. I'd like to see us all start thinking like champions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG-91 1,483 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Is FSU's record the worst ever to make a BCS bowl? ...and people were worried about the Big East's automatic berth stinking up the system! 206087[/snapback] Texas was 8-4 after they beat Nebraska in the '96 Big XII title game and played in the Fiesta Bowl...you could nitpick that since the BCS didn't exist then, it wasn't a "BCS" game, but the circumstances were identical...big underdog wins CCG, goes to better bowl game. I have a hard time blaming FSU since they won the game they needed to win to get to the Orange Bowl...blame VaTech for playing like ass most of the CCG game. Back on topic, I agree with the others who have said that we need to ditch this fear of playing with the spotlight on...that's what separates the very good from the great and while the Cap One Bowl isn't the highest profile, it's time to expect great performances when that's exactly what should happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietfan 233 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Is FSU's record the worst ever to make a BCS bowl? ...and people were worried about the Big East's automatic berth stinking up the system! 206087[/snapback] Texas was 8-4 after they beat Nebraska in the '96 Big XII title game and played in the Fiesta Bowl...you could nitpick that since the BCS didn't exist then, it wasn't a "BCS" game, but the circumstances were identical...big underdog wins CCG, goes to better bowl game. I have a hard time blaming FSU since they won the game they needed to win to get to the Orange Bowl...blame VaTech for playing like ass most of the CCG game. Back on topic, I agree with the others who have said that we need to ditch this fear of playing with the spotlight on...that's what separates the very good from the great and while the Cap One Bowl isn't the highest profile, it's time to expect great performances when that's exactly what should happen. 206092[/snapback] I agree, in that I'm not blaming FSU--they earned their spot under the rules as they now stand and deserve it under the present rules.I am just blaming the rules as they now stand. I am very much against automatic conference berths for this very reason. Another good example was two years ago--Oklahoma was clearly the best overall team in the Big-12 when they went on to play LSU for the MNC, yet they were beaten by an inferior team (Well, inferior every day of the week except that day, IMHO) for the automatic conference berth.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike4AU 1,739 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 I agree 100% with vatz22. I, too, am sick of this underdog crap. We will never climb to the top with that defeatist attitude. AU will kick Wisc a$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmjonesjr 0 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 I agree 100% with vatz22. I, too, am sick of this underdog crap. We will never climb to the top with that defeatist attitude.AU will kick Wisc a$$. 206103[/snapback] I dont think its necessarily defeatist, just wary of the past. However, I think 2003's fall had much more to do with a lack of inventiveness (if that's a word) in the offensive playcalling more than the hype. I think we'll all agree that ain't a problem anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgufcm 4,107 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 all i'll say about wisconsin is this: we should win. they don't play good run defense; we run the ball as well as anyone in the nation. on top of that, we have the qb/wr threats to take advantage if they overload the box or try elaborate blitz schemes. on the other side, stop brian calhoun and you win the game. he's a stud, but we've played against pj daniels, jerious norwood, darren mcfadden, rafael little, thomas brown, and ken darby. so we've seen good running backs before and i think only daniels and little had a 100 yard days on us. we can stop the run, and our secondary is bigger and more athletic than their receivers. if we lose, it's because we didn't show up with our game. that doesn't mean we can't lose, wisconsin is going to be jacked up for their coach. it just means we have no excuses if we do lose. as for the bcs, i'd be in favor of a rule that says when a conference champion falls outside the top 12, that automatic bid is given to the next at-large team. if a bowl happens to pick that team, so be it. if not, too bad you should have won more during the regular season. as for oklahoma, they weren't the clearly the best team in the conference in 2003. they weren't even the best period. kansas state was better than them. kstate lost to texas by 3 and colorado by 4, both games were pretty early in the year. by the end of the season, kstate was a buzz saw. they finished 11-2 overall with a win over oklahoma in the big 12 title game. ou finished 12-2 overall and lost their last two. kstate would have beaten them again if they had played again. they were better (darren sproles and ell roberson were too much for ou). i'm definitely in favor a rule that says a team cannot play for a national title if they do not win their conference title. if you don't have a playoff, that should be a rule. can't be the best in the country if you aren't the best in the conference. that would have gotten rid of the ou/lsu game in favor of usc/lsu. it would have gotten rid of nebraska/miami in favor of oregon/miami in 2001. both of those would have been improvements. don't win your conference, you're disqualified from the title game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUTaxMan 0 Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 The mark of greatness is to win big when you're expected to. I think we've reached that level and I feel not the least bit uneasy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
API50 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 The coaches and team are focused on this game. They want to show the nation that we are among the elite football programs in the nation, not that ...we should be.... but that we ARE!. TT and his staff have brought the Auburn football program to a level we have never experienced before and now we expect to win...not hope to win. That is one heck of a big difference, and a lot of us just have to adjust our thinking. 2006 - THE YEAR of THE THUMB! War Eagle!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolltoomer 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 He!! yes, we need to act like champions. Never mind the ol' underdog stuff! He!! yes, the team read their clippings during 2003 and wound up on their a$$! I think and hope things have changed--it's up to the coaches to make sure things stay level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleDrill 178 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 Weren't very many "underdog" games in 2004 and we played sort of...you know....almost OK then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUloggerhead 2,253 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 The coaches and team are focused on this game. They want to show the nation that we are among the elite football programs in the nation, not that ...we should be.... but that we ARE!. TT and his staff have brought the Auburn football program to a level we have never experienced before and now we expect to win...not hope to win. That is one heck of a big difference, and a lot of us just have to adjust our thinking. 2006 - THE YEAR of THE THUMB! War Eagle!!! 206152[/snapback] On the money. Remember what Jason Campbell said last year: "the team is addicted to winning." They have the same attitude this year. Yeah, AU lost to GT & LSU. They shouldn't have because there's too much talent on this team to let a bad night for one player (Cox w GT & Vaughn w LSU) overshadow the team's overall effort. I respect Wisconsin as an opponent. They play physical football in a league known for its physical play, and they're going to be sky high for their coach's last game. However, I know what I've seen of AU in watching their last few games. The team has gelled as much as any other in the country and I have confidence in their ability to play in all aspects: offense, defense, special teams. Plus, AU has a few seniors playing their last collegiate game as well. I never predict blowouts, but this game is a mismatch. AU should win easily. WDE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vatz22au 142 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 Weren't very many "underdog" games in 2004 and we played sort of...you know....almost OK then. 206171[/snapback] I have to disagree.... We were unfavored against Tenn. in Knoxville. We were unfavored against LSU in Auburn. We were unfavored against Georgia in Auburn. Some analysts were even split on the SEC championship game waiting for us to lose. We were underdogs alot last year in almost every big SEC game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan4Auburn 1,626 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 Weren't very many "underdog" games in 2004 and we played sort of...you know....almost OK then. 206171[/snapback] I have to disagree.... We were unfavored against Tenn. in Knoxville. We were unfavored against LSU in Auburn. We were unfavored against Georgia in Auburn. Some analysts were even split on the SEC championship game waiting for us to lose. We were underdogs alot last year in almost every big SEC game. 206174[/snapback] Tenn we were underdogs. LSU I can not remember, but I do believe we were. Georgia I am positive that we were the favorites against. SECG we were favorites also I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OKieAuburnDoug 1 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 the only thing I am concerned about is rustiness in the 1st half due to the month long layoff-actually a six week layoff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWK 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Author Share Posted December 20, 2005 Im not really banking on the whole "underdog" thing going around, my point was focused more on the hype of the team through the press and etc. That is prime bulletin board material for the Badgers locker room. HOWEVER, i have read some interviews from the players over the past few days and they have struck me as modest, if not respectful towards the Wisconsin team. Thats a good thing, Respect an opponent, play as a team, get an win! Thats how i see it, dont ever buy into hype (tebow) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCWarEagle 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 The coaches and team are focused on this game. They want to show the nation that we are among the elite football programs in the nation, not that ...we should be.... but that we ARE!. TT and his staff have brought the Auburn football program to a level we have never experienced before and now we expect to win...not hope to win. That is one heck of a big difference, and a lot of us just have to adjust our thinking. 2006 - THE YEAR of THE THUMB! War Eagle!!! 206152[/snapback] Coach Tuberville is doing a fantastic job, no question about that, but I think you have a short memory if you think that this is a level that Auburn has never experienced before. If I've got my stats right Shug led Auburn to three AP top ten finishes in a four year period: 1955: 8th 1957: 1st 1958: 4th Then twice again in a three year period 1972: 5th 1974: 8th And Coach Dye led us to five top ten finishes in a seven year period (including four in a row): 1983: 3rd (and this should have been 1st) 1986: 6th 1987: 7th 1988: 8th 1989: 6th I know things ended badly with Coach Terry Bowden, but he did some amazing work with us as well, and led us to two top ten finishes in a row: 1993: 4th 1994: 9th Now with CTT we have one top ten finish. Of course if the team can take care of Wisconsin then that will be another one this year, and hopefully that trend will continue into the future. Tub and his staff and the players are doing great, but Auburn tradition didn't begin with Coach Tuberville. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKCAUB 0 Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 Sorry...I don't have a link, but I heard from a reliable source that we're going to kick the cheesers ARSE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWK 0 Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 The Link is here The C.O.W. Festivus airing of the grievances followed by the feats of strength The 2nd Annual Christmas/Festivus/Hanukkah list for all 119 teams this holiday season. To ... Auburn: To keep playing like a team disrespected and not get caught up in the soon-to-come preseason 2006 hype. Alabama: An offensive touchdown on a regular basis hahahahaa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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