Who has the better football program?

Auburn not only won the SEC and national championship.  Auburn not only came back from 24-0 down to beat Bama in Tuscaloosa.  Auburn not only matched Bama's undefeated championship run that included a Heisman.  Auburn not only did it in a season when Bama started the season #1.  Auburn's monster season makes things look a lot different overall in the state now.  This information has been making its rounds on the Internet and definitely deserves some more attention.  Thirty years is a long time and pretty much encapsulates modern football.  Lets take a look at some facts from these years, again just the facts...

National Titles since 1981
Auburn: 1 (2010)
Bama: 2 (1992, 2009)

SEC Titles since 1981
Auburn: 6 (1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2004, 2010)
Bama: 5 (1981, 1989, 1992, 1999, 2009)

Undefeated Seasons
Auburn: 3 (1993, 2004, 2010)
Bama: 2 (1992, 2009)

Iron Bowl Wins
Auburn: 16 (1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010)
Bama: 13 (1981, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2009)

Total Wins Since 1981
Auburn: 254 (11th nationally)
Bama: 226 (22nd nationally) This accounts for 30 wins they had to forfeit due to NCAA sanctions.

SEC Wins since 1981
Auburn: 141
Bama: 129

Bowls since 1981
Auburn: 22 (15-6-1)
Bama: 19 (12-7)

Heisman Trophy Winners since 1981
Auburn: 2
Bama: 1

NCAA Probations since 1981
Auburn: 1
Bama: 3

To sum all that up, since 1981 Auburn has won more SEC titles, won more games, won more SEC games, had more undefeated seasons, won more Iron Bowls, been to more bowls, won more bowl games, and had more Heisman Trophy winners than Bama. 

Finally as many Bama fans have gone on and on about allegations against Cam Newton they have also been convicted of breaking the rules more than Auburn. 

I think the facts here speak for themselves. 

I think this about sums it up...

This is from Jerry Hinnen at War Blog Eagle who returned with a vengeance today.  Here is the complete post and here is a strike that compares with Cam's Hail Mary at the SEC Championship game...

"I used to care about whether or not Auburn won a national championship with an ineligible player. I used to think we’d owe the rest of college football an apology if we did, in fact, find out that someone had cheated on Auburn’s behalf to help us win that championship. And I’ll still feel bad for Oregon.

But after spending three straight months seeing Auburn and the Newtons crapped on at every conceivable opportunity, after seeing our program given less-than-zero benefit of the doubt on anything, after seeing writer after writer decide that they’d rather award our team an asterisk than award them credit, college football can kiss my burnt orange-and-navy blue ass.

Our team went to Glendale and won. Their team didn’t. We got to go to Glendale and celebrate. They didn’t. And there’s not a damn thing they or anyone else, the NCAA included, can do about that. Which is why I’ve spent the entire week laughing, laughing, laughing."

Yep I think that about sums it up. 

Auburn wins the National Championship

Auburn rolled over Oregon to win the National Championship 22-19.  Just like Michael Dyer rolled over an Oregon defender to make the biggest play of the game.  Just like Nick Fairley rolled over (and through) the Oregon offensive line again and again.  Just like Gene Chizik rolled over all the criticism of him by everyone (including myself) when he was hired.  Just like Cam Newton rolled over the most scrutiny ever put on one player in the history of college football to help Auburn win one more.  Just like Auburn's defense rolled over the #1 offense in the country to 75 yards rushing and 19 points.

The 2010 Auburn football Tigers finished a season for the ages in their customary cardiac style winning on a last second field goal by Wes Byrum.  It was an incredible ending to an incredible season and here is what I thought about it...

THE GOOD
I have to start with the defense led by Nick Fairley.  The job they did against the nation's #1 offense that everyone has gone on about all season was mind blowing.  Auburn completely shut down the vaunted Oregon rushing attack and the nation's best running back in LaMichael James.  Auburn dominated the line of scrimmage.  Props to my man "The Rock" Tracy Rocker.  Once again he had his guys ready to play.  Rocker has truly made the leap from great player to great coach and has done a similar great job with Nick Fairley that Malzahn has done with Cam Newton.  Of course, just like the rest of the season, the pass defense was weak at times and Oregon rolled up almost 400 yards passing.  However the defense got it done when it counted holding the Ducks to 19 points. 

Next up is offensive MVP Michael Dyer.  I just kept saying over and over again about halfway through the first quarter: "Where is Dyer?".  It was obvious that he would be the key in this game and not McCalebb.  They finally started feeding the big dog and he delivered.  He did it of course behind the best offensive line to ever play at Auburn.  Ziemba, Pugh, Berry and Isom delivered one more time paving the way for the team to rush for 265 yards and roll up over 500 yards of offense one more time.  I was surprised that the Ducks stopped us a couple of times.  They did play some good defense.  Finally, Cam Newton delivered one more time with a couple more great passes and couple more great runs.  He did not have his usual dominating game but he still was the focal point of the offense and it looked like he played most of the second half in a lot of pain.  Of course the layoff destroyed his passing touch but more on that later.

Finally, it was another great job by the coaching staff led by Gene Chizik.  It takes a heck of a coaching job to lead a team to 14 wins in the SEC.  These guys obviously worked their tails off and helped this team achieve greatness.  They did what coaches are supposed to do in helping develop their players and leading them through tough times.  A player does not come from the JUCO ranks and achieve greatness like Newton and Fairley without great coaching.  An offensive line, even one this good, does not perform at this level without good coaching.  The same goes for the defensive line.  Congratulations to the coaches and players, you guys earned this with your hard work.

I have to also say how awesome it was seeing Bo Jackson on the sidelines and Pat Dye up on that podium.  Coach Dye built the foundation at Auburn for great teams like the 1993 team, the 2004 team and now this team and Bo Jackson was maybe the biggest part of that.  Both of them have remained steadfastly loyal to Auburn and both deserve to be there and enjoy this team and this season.  They built the foundation.

THE BAD
The bad is that this magical season is over.  Yes it was a tough one in some respects and some of the fun was taken out with all the Cam stuff and our bad pass defense but it was a great one.  It was unlike any other I have ever seen in almost 40 years of watching Auburn football.  Personally I still do not think this team is the best to ever play at Auburn but they have achieved more than any other team that wore the blue jerseys.  I do think this is the best offense ever at Auburn and it has been incredible watching them especially Cam Newton as he put up the greatest single season in Auburn history. 

There were so many great games and plays, so many.  It is hard to summarize them.  There was the coming out party against Arkansas State where everyone was introduced to Cam Newton.  There was the trap game in Starkville on a Thursday night against one of the best State teams maybe ever.  There was maybe the hardest hitting game I have ever seen against Clemson and the gut twisting overtime.  There was the comeback against South Carolina where Cam took flight and offensive line and defense rose up.  There were well deserved breaks against Louisiana Monroe and Chattanooga where all the guys behind the scenes got to play. 

There was the two game gauntlet of Arkansas and LSU where the team showed it could be great.  The Arkansas game was truly a once in a lifetime game.  I have never had a game just wring me out like that game.  I think it will stand for all time as the highest scoring game in Auburn history.  I will never forget making my first trip to Auburn this season for the LSU game.  I got to same Cam's signature Heisman run in person but the play that I will also never forget was Ontario McCalebb's run to win the game.  The Ole Miss game featured Auburn defending their new #1 ranking and Cam catching his first and only touchdown pass.

Finally there was Amen Corner.  Georgia had won four in a row over Auburn and Bama was the defending national champion.  I got to make the trip to the Georgia game and got to see Auburn and Cam make another huge comeback at home.  I got to soak up the incredible atmosphere at Jordan Hare one more time.  There was just something special going on at Jordan Hare this season.  The intro, the songs, the fourth quarter opening run to the student section and the parties afterward.  I will never forget sitting together with my son, my parents and my brother celebrating a win over Georgia and winning the SEC West.  Then there was the Iron Bowl and the greatest comeback in Auburn and maybe SEC history.  Down 24-0 I certainly thought it was over.  I did not think there was any way but somehow this team found a way.  I think that will be their legacy.  I think that is how Auburn people will remember them.

THE UGLY
First and foremost let me say that bowls can be a great experience.  I know many people in the Auburn family had a great experience in Arizona and watching on their television.  It may be one of their greatest experiences.  I do not want to take anything away from that.  However last night proved to me again that this system AS A WAY OF CROWNING A CHAMPION in maybe the largest sports entity outside the NFL is a complete and utter joke.  The only feeling I had immediately following the game was relief.  It was a relief that this stupid system did not take anything away from another great Auburn season.  Hopefully it never will again.

I have said it before and I will say it again:  "What if the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburg Steelers waited 40 days after the NFL championship games to play the Super Bowl? What if the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers waited 40 days after the NBA conference final series to play the NBA Finals? What if Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal waited 40 days to play a Grand Slam final after winning the semi-finals? The answer to all those questions is that it would stink and the two teams or players would NOT BE THE SAME as the ones that ended the season."

That statement was proven to be true against last night.  After five minutes it was obvious Auburn was the better team.  It was obvious if Auburn had played Oregon the week after the SEC Championship Game Auburn would have blown them out.  However like just about every other big bowl game, the passing game suffered.  Cam missed on several passes that would have blown the game wide open that he was regularly hitting in the last three games of the season.  The conference championship games are real post season games because their particpants get in through an objective system and they are played immediately following the season.  The BCS is a complete failure because its participants get into it by a completely flawed subjective system of computer and popularity polls and then they wait over a month to play it.

I am glad we won the game last night because comments like these would only have been interpreted as sour grapes if we would have lost.  I enjoyed the SEC Championship Game more and am more proud of it because of the reasons above.  It is just sad that so much is put on this completely flawed system and as I said in my last post "the only thing sadder than making these games too big is continually trying to inflate your opinion of your team and yourself by going on and on about how many of these "titles" your team can claim".  I am much more impressed with SEC championships won since 1992.  However I am happy for the players and the Auburn family because regardless of how bad the system is you want to end any season especially an undefeated one with a win.  Going 14-0 is an incredible accomplishment.  That is what the pictures in this post represent to me.

NOTE:  Will Collier said this much better than me a few years ago.  Here is the post.

THE LAST WORD
As I stated before as well the only good thing about the long layoff was Auburn getting so much attention before and after the game.  I think SportsCenter has replayed the highlights of the game over a dozen times while I have been creating this post.  That is good for Auburn.  Hopefully this coaching staff will be able to break through another problem that has plagued Auburn and that is capitalizing on seasons like this.  In the past it does not seem we got enough out of our great seasons recruiting-wise.  I hope that changes after this one.  I think Gus Malzahn staying will help a lot.

It will be awhile before Auburn will be ready to challenge for the SEC title again.  Next year will be a tough season as we lose so many players.  There is still some great talent but not enough to replace what we are losing.  Also, players like Cam Newton and Nick Fairley just do not come along very often.  On the positive side it looks like the entire coaching staff will remain intact for the third season in a row.  That is a major miracle in big time college football.  I still have my doubts about Ted Roof but this season and the way it ended guarantee he will be at Auburn for awhile.

I have mentioned a lot of names and great players here.  However I want to end this post writing about somebody I have not mentioned yet.  He played his last game for Auburn University last night.  I think he defines what the good part of sports is all about.  He came to Auburn as a star quarterback and maybe the highest ranked member of his recruiting class.  He got thrown into a bad situation his freshman year and lost a whole year of eligibility on a bad decision.  He then spent the majority of his sophomore season starting at quarterback trying to lead a team destroyed by bad coaching.  The team ended with Auburn's first losing record since 1999 and was destroyed and embarrassed by Bama 36-0.  As the starting quarterback he surely took the loss worse than most.  He then lost the starting quarterback job for good the next year and was moved to wide receiver.  It seemed he would be just another casualty of big time college football.  Surely he would transfer or fade into obscurity.  There was no way he could become an impact wide receiver playing the position the first time his junior year at an SEC school.  There is just no way...

Kodi Burns proved me and everyone else wrong.  He took the road less travelled and has become one of the greatest stories in Auburn's long and storied football history.  Pushing back his ego and the pain he must have been feeling he stood in front of the whole team and said he was staying at Auburn and he was going to support Chris Todd 100%.  He said he wanted to do whatever it took to help the team.  THAT is where I believe this trip that ended last night started.  I believe it started with Kodi Burns and this selfless act.  After that you did not hear a lot from him.  He played some wildcat and stayed in the receiver rotation but nobody really thought he was an impact player.  However he kept working and kept working...

This year he started at wide receiver and seemed to get better and better.  He avenged that awful night in Tuscaloosa in 2008 by catching two critical third down passes that were a major part of the comeback to win against Bama this year.  I think blowing a 24-0 lead hurts more than losing 36-0.  I bet nobody appreciates the win in the Iron Bowl this year more than Kodi.  That was not the end for Kodi Burns though.  The coaching staff showing that they knew how important he was to this team tried to get him a score in the SEC Championship Game but it did not work.  No, Kodi had a bigger play to make than a symbolic score in a game already decided.  The crowning moment of Kodi Burns career came when he scored Auburn's first touchdown in the national championship game with a great catch and run.  Nobody deserved it more.  Thank you Kodi Burns for starting this journey and showing us one more time why we love sports.  IT IS GREAT TO BE AN AUBURN TIGER.  WAR EAGLE.

#1 Auburn vs. #2 Oregon for the BCS National Championship

Well here we are, one day out from the big game.  I tell you right off the bat that while as I have said many times before how I hate the current college football postseason I do love all the attention Auburn is getting.  This is just great.  It is all Auburn, all the time.  It is great that we were the first national championship game to be on ESPN because wow we all know that ESPN can promote.  I can't get enough of the promos with the big "#1" next to Auburn every time.  After seeing that I am so glad that Auburn ended up #1.  Every SportsCenter has a big segment on the game with more Auburn.  We are all over websites, newspapers, etc...  Hopefully we will win the game to complete the whole thing but regardless it has been a great couple of months soaking all this up. 

Knowing it also has to really annoy LSU, Florida, Georgia and most of all Bama fans, makes it even better.  Of course, it won't be near as good if we lose but the whole deal with Bama is pretty funny.  They lay down about the best season you could possibly have last year winning everything including their first Heisman Trophy.  They then come into this year ranked #1 and now we are one game away from completely matching the feat (!!!!!!) coming back from down 24-0 to beat Bama along the way.  With a win in the big game, it just does not get better than that.

For me this game is not the end all, be all for me as an Auburn fan.  As I have said, the system has been and is a complete joke.  The 30 to 40 day lay off invalidates the system.  Any system that uses varied computer and popularity polls is completely ridiculous.  I could go on and on.  I should rather say that there is and never will be nothing legitimate about this system.  The only thing sadder than making these games too big is continually trying to inflate your opinion of your team and yourself by going on and on about how many of these "titles" your team can claim.

On the flip side though I will defend the Auburn fans that are really into finally getting into this game.  First, as I have also said before, if you have to be a part of this ridiculous system you might as well be in the best game.  Second, the only good thing about the bowl system is getting some cool matchups and Auburn vs. Oregon is a great one.  Finally, if you do not hate the system as much as me it is awesome to finally make it to this game.  The Bama fans love to pooh pooh that going on and on about how they "expect" to get to this game and it is just standard practice for them.  If that is true then those Bama fans are missing out.  They will never know how it feels to be getting to this game the first time and the game becoming the hardest ticket to get in the history of sports.  They will never know that excitement and I hate to tell them but they are missing out.

Back to the game,  I did hold a couple of these "shoe box top" monster tickets in my hand as my parents were some of the few people lucky enough to be able to get some from Auburn.  It has been incredible how the ticket prices have shot through the roof thanks to a recipe of two hungry programs and a smaller stadium.  It has to be crazy in Arizona about now.  Locals and Oregon fans are probably getting tired of hearing "War Eagle!".   There is just something special about the Auburn family and I bet it is a big party all the way to and all over Phoenix, Arizona.  The whole thing was just way too expensive for me to contemplate going to but our family plans to have a big party at our house.  Again I am very thankful that I got to go down to Jordan Hare for the LSU and Georgia games as I still think it is the best experience.

As for the game itself, I know we are the better team.  At the end of the season, nobody could have beaten Auburn.  Cam and the rest of the team were playing at such a high level.  Cam's passing was unbelievable down the stretch against Georgia, Bama and South Carolina.  That is the one thing that the layoff will probably effect.  It is also just Auburn's luck to be the first SEC team to have to play in this game against a team that has SEC speed.  Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas are not close.  On the flip side, Auburn is fast as well and bigger and stronger than Oregon.  Auburn also has one of the best to ever play college football in Cam Newton and a great supporting cast as well.  It is the best offense Auburn has ever had and a defense with some great players that has steadily improved.  I think we are the better team and I sure hope we prove it one more time.

Finally, there have been so many cool things that highlight the Auburn family that this game has brought out but I think one of the coolest has been the "Win it for..." web site.   Here is my entry...
"Win it for my Mom and Dad who both graduated from Auburn in the early 60s, who both love Auburn more than any people I have ever known, who both had to endure the Bear Bryant era and all that went with it, who loved and enjoyed Sullivan and Beasley and were there for 49-26 over Bama the year I was born,  who raised my brother and I to love Auburn as well, who both loved Pat Dye and all he did for Auburn, who sacrificed to buy our family season football tickets for the last thirty years where so many great memories have been made, who sacrificed even more so that my brother and I could also be Auburn graduates, who have stuck with Auburn through thick and thin and endured every tough loss, low point and near miss Auburn has gone through, who love watching the eagle soar before every home game, who will be there next season ready to go whether we win this game or not but who would appreciate this win more than anyone, win it for my Mom and Dad." 

WAR EAGLE.

Is Auburn Basketball Cursed?

I have tried to wait till after this glorious football season to comment on how bad basketball is going on the plains but after seeing this article on CNNSI today I figured I would go ahead.  With out further ado here is the comment on Auburn from the article:
"Auburn is projected to wind up as the worst-ever BCS-league team. According to Jerry Palm, operator of CollegeRPI.com, the Tigers are projected to finish at No. 292. The 2007-08 Oregon State team, at No. 269, holds the current (dis)honor. The worst SEC team ever was 1993-94 Tennessee, at No. 235."

You can look back at my spring post on Auburn basketball and I think I have a good grasp on how bad the program has been.  This season will officially make Auburn the worst program in the conference since the SEC went to divisions in 1992.  Auburn will pass South Carolina for the worst SEC record overall since then.  However I ended the post with these comments:
"Regardless of the reasons now, there is the new Auburn Arena and what appears to be a pretty good coaching hire. Maybe just maybe Auburn basketball can start a new legacy next season. I sure hope so. I also hope the Auburn administration and leadership will now make changes as well and at least give the basketball program decent support from here on out.

Auburn will never be a top basketball school but there is no reason it has to be the worst program in the conference. That is completely unacceptable. I look forward to next season and am actually excited about all aspects of an Auburn basketball team and program for like the first time… ever? "
 
I thought maybe just maybe Auburn could start fresh.  I knew the team would not be good but good night I did not know it would be near this bad.  First, with typical Auburn basketball luck, the team lost the only two returning players with legitimate playing time to knee injuries.  After that the team started out losing to COLUMBUS STATE in an exhibition.  They have followed that up by losing to UNC-Asheville, Samford, CAMPBELL, JACKSONVILLE STATE, and PRESBYTERIAN.  

I was there for opening night in the Auburn Arena against UNC-Asheville.  On a positive note, I love the new arena.  As someone who saw more than their fair share of games in the old Beard Eaves Mausoleum it is a huge improvement.  It is a great place to watch basketball IF we had anything resembling a decent team.  My first comments as the game began was "wow this team is really really bad".  I do not want to disrepect the kids who are working their tails off on this team but facts are facts.   

Obviously Tony Barbee will get a mulligan for this awful season but it will have an effect.  It has effectively destroyed much of the boost Auburn should have gotten from a great new facility.  I also hope Barbee has learned from his early recruiting efforts that if your recruits CANNOT QUALIFY it does not matter how good they are.  Also for the love of basketball, can we please PLEASE recruit somebody who can SHOOT THE BALL.  It is just so frustrating. 

I will end with the same thoughts as I did this spring and will continue to say...  "Auburn will never be a top basketball school but there is no reason it has to be the worst program in the conference."

Cam Newton wins the Heisman

You are looking at three fourths of the "Mount Rushmore" now of Auburn football players.  I think Tracy Rocker would be the last face but there is no doubt that these three men are there.  Also like in the picture Cam Newton might stand tallest.  My game one review was titled "A Star is Born" and certainly one was born that day but I had no idea he would become Auburn's third Heisman Trophy winner.  He certainly deserved it as he was the best player in the nation by far this season and has also cemented himself as one of the greatest players in college football history.  He became the only player in SEC history to throw for over 2000 yards and rush for over a thousand yards.  He became the leading rushing quarterback in SEC history but won his toughest games of the year by his passing.  He matched Tim Tebow's unbelievable feat of scoring 20 touchdowns both running and passing.  Finally, he has led his team to an undefeated season and an SEC championship.  We will never see another player like Cam Newton again.

Like Cam I have to give a lot of credit to his almost all senior incredible offensive line.  He would still be a great player behind a lesser line but nowhere near this good.  I also have to give a lot of credit to coach Gus Malzahn who has helped Cam reach his full potential and brought him along almost perfectly.  It is one of the greatest offensive coaching jobs I have ever seen.  Credit also has to go to a superb support cast of very talented players like Darvin Adams, Ontario McCalebb, Terrell Zachary, Mike Dyer, etc...  I still do not think I would say this is the best team in Auburn history but I will say this is the best offense in Auburn history led by maybe the greatest player in Auburn history.

I cannot say anyone is more talented than Bo Jackson but I will agree with Coach Dye who said as a quarterback Cam can influence the game more than Bo.  Each Heisman winner has an incredible story.  As I have said many times, I think everyone should real David Housel's book "Saturdays to Remember" and especially the Pat Sullivan games.  You would then get a true feel for how great a player Sullivan was.  Auburn was down-and-out for most of the decade of the 1960s.  Sullivan brought them back and led the first truly great Auburn passing offense.  Sullivan rallied the Auburn freshmen team from down 27-0 to Bama and became the last quarterback to lead Auburn to a win by more than 10 points over Bama, crushing them and Bear Bryant 49-26 in 1969.  Again, Auburn has not beaten Bama by more than 10 points since.  Sullivan only lost five regular season games in three years.  He also brought Auburn back from 17-0 to Bama in 1970 and beat Archie Manning in the famous "Battle of the Quarterbacks" in the Gator Bowl that year.  Finally in 1971 Sullivan led Auburn to an undefeated season coming into the Bama game and a win over a top five undefeated Georgia team to clinch the Heisman Trophy.  Unfortunately the wishbone offense at Bama and Oklahoma ended his career on a sour note.

Bo Jackson was the player that put it all together for Pat Dye as he built the foundation for the current Auburn football program.  Bo helped topple Bama and their ten year streak over Auburn.  He helped lead Auburn to their first SEC title since 1957 and basically the national title as well in 1983.  He then fought through injuries and adversity and kept Auburn at a high level and won the Heisman Trophy in 1985.  His career like Sullivan's also ended on a sour note after clinching the Heisman Trophy against Georgia.

Cam Newton while he has not put the time in the program that Sullivan and Jackson did has so far avoided that sour ending note that Sullivan and Jackson endured.  Let us hope he can continue that one more game.  However the whole ordeal with his father may have been one of the toughest things any Auburn player has ever endured.  There are violent horrible men who are not reviled like Cecil Newton.  The guy made a big mistake but did he deserve this?  Anybody who loves sports and has a son that plays sports at a high level will understand the punishment Cecil paid to not see his son accept the Heisman Trophy.  I thought the whole ESPN broadcast was bush league and a player from the "sacred cow" schools would not have been treated like Cam was.  For goodness sake, Mark Ingram committed NCAA violations and actually received illegal benefits (unlike Cam or his dad) and his father is a felon sitting in jail yet he was not treated anything like Cam has been treated.  The media is the most hypocritical two-faced self-righteous institution in the world.  For the record, one more time for the mediots who simply cannot get this through their heads...  Cam Newton and his dad have been THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED and they did not receive ANY EXTRA BENEFITS.  That is the difference between Cam Newton and pretty much every NCAA case he is being compared to.  TALKING about extra benefits and actually GETTING extra benefits are two different things. 

Cam's speech was termed by most as "awkward" but with all that he has been through and the pressure he was under I think he did fine.  It was not as inspirational as Bo's or as eloquent as Sullivan's but I think it was just as sincere.  I will never forget Cam Newton.  I am very thankful I was able to go to the LSU and Georgia games this year at Jordan Hare and see him play in person.  This has been a season unlike any other and he was the biggest part of it.  "Refuse 2 Lose".  War Cam Eagle.

Week 13 Review - SEC Champs

 
First, I want to give props to all the Auburn bloggers out there, even the ones I do not care for.  To blog decent stuff each week and get it out on time is definitely harder than it looks.  As always, three young kids and work make it hard for me.  Add the holidays and getting sick and it gets even harder.  My apologies to the few people who actually read this blog.  Another thing that has hurt is the lost of Jerry Hinnen at War Blog Eagle to CBS Sports.  I do not agree with Jerry a good deal of the time but I really enjoyed reading his stuff and I know how much he has enjoyed this season and it would have been great to read his thoughts about it.  It was definitely a large blow to the Auburn blogging world as nobody right now is quite as good as Jerry.  We also lost most of Will Collier behind the pay-per-read wall at Auburnsports.com.  Thank goodness we still have Andy Bitter to keep us up-to-date.  I am sure someone as good as Andy will not last long as an Auburn beat writer.

OK with that out of the way, back to the matter at hand...  Auburn is SEC champions.  A lot of people I talk with year in and year out think I am always too hard on Auburn.  I always say it is where you are coming from.  When I grade Auburn any season I grade them on whether they can first win the SEC West and then whether they can win the whole thing.  Winning the SEC West is my goal for any Auburn team any season.  If they are not playing that way I am going to say it.  Just about any team can get to a bowl game.  It is one of the greatest accomplishments in college football to win the Southeastern Conference.  This 2010 Auburn team is in that rare group and they did it in style.  Like my last post said, I thought this could game could be a trap for Auburn.  I am very glad that I was wrong.  This Auburn team came out and swept away South Carolina in the biggest rout in SEC championship game history.

I will never forget going crazy with my family when Cam connected with Darvin Adams on the tipped "Hail Mary" pass at the end of the first half.  The party was on after that.  We broke out the margaritas and Auburn provided plenty more entertainment with the game ending Tasharvan Bell touchdown interception plus Cam and the Auburn offense getting a couple more as well.  We then had the scrubs in the game with over FIVE MINUTES LEFT like it was homecoming or something???!!!???  I never saw that coming but was so happy to see it.  Even the scrubs put it to South Carolina with Barrett Trotter running and passing and Super Mario Fannin scoring the final touchdown.  It was again truly great to be an Auburn Tiger.

It is great to be in the mythical national championship game.  If you have to play in the system, as flawed as it is, you might as well play in the best game.  However no matter what happens this team is one of the all time greats in Auburn history.  The SEC is still bigger to me as it is a legitimate postseason game as opposed to a system where the two teams wait 40 days or more to play a championship game.  What if the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburg Steelers waited 40 days after the NFL championship games to play the Super Bowl?  What if the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers waited 40 days after the NBA conference final series to play the NBA Finals?  What if Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal waited 40 days to play a Grand Slam final after winning the semi-finals?  The answer to all those questions is that it would stink and the two teams or players would NOT BE THE SAME as the ones that ended the season.

I know Auburn is the better team but you never know what will happen when a team plays 40 days after its last game.  It is certainly much tougher when your team stars and coaches have to go on a two week award tour where everyone tells you how great you are and you are not working.  It will be a big challenge for this Auburn football team but these guys have met every challenge so far and I know there is no way that Oregon will present a harder challenge than being down 24-0 to Bama in Tuscaloosa. 

To end on a positive note, you have to know that Bama fans still have a sick feeling in their stomachs blowing that lead.  All I know is that I sure would if the shoe was on the other foot.  I also have to say that  Auburn vs. Oregon is just a cool matchup.  As I have grown to loathe the bowl system the only thing I can find good about it is that it occasionally gives cool matchups.  This is one of them. 

Finally, I want to say one more time, the 2010 Auburn football Tigers are the Southeastern Conference football champions.  War Eagle.