Much deeper than we think

[AuCivilEng1 12,660]

1 hour ago, aubcali said:

I would compare us more with Tennessee — sleeping giant deciding to venture the desert for years.   

Dude how big of a giant are we, really? Maybe like a smaller giant. But we’re never getting to Bama, Texas,Georgia, Oklahoma, LSU, or Tennessee levels. It ain’t happening. Those programs are national brands in an increasingly money oriented sport. Auburn’s brand has become losing. That’s what everyone on this football team knows.

It’s going to take a true program builder. Like Saban or Kirby level. And I don’t see one that’s coming here.

[AUINSY 2,353]

Just now, AuCivilEng1 said:

It’s going to take a true program builder. Like Saban or Kirby level. And I don’t see one that’s coming here.

When we reclaim our title as the coaching buyout leader from Texas A&M, eventually we’ll get a coach to fall for it and come down to the plains  

[Old fan 47 831]

18 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

Horsesh$t.   Gus was the recipient of a couple of the luckiest plays ever witnessed in college football.   After going 13-1, he went 8-4 with a better team.   If 8-4 is what Auburn wanted , Gus was the man.  

Exactly. GM was not and is not any type of O guru. Our current HC, is even less than. 

[AUDub 12,028]

1 minute ago, TexasTiger said:

If it includes a coach.

If Hugh can’t win with what he builds that’s on him, but we’re paying him a good bit of money to build and he should be allowed to finish that. After that whatever.

No one here is particularly happy with his gameday decisions right now.

I’m not either, but I happen to think the Hank experiment ****** us out of a win this afternoon lol. 

[woodford 3,793]

These games bring out the worst in the little brother complex. It’s embarrassing. People are entitled to their opinion but the world is not ending (at least not in CFB terms)

[arktiger1975 760]

20 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

Horsesh$t.   Gus was the recipient of a couple of the luckiest plays ever witnessed in college football.   After going 13-1, he went 8-4 with a better team.   If 8-4 is what Auburn wanted , Gus was the man.  

I didn't say I want him back, or that it wasn't time to move on. Just saying that he did a great job of developing culture that first year after the circus act that was 2012. Morale was low, and the program had completely run amock from a discipline standpoint. Lucky plays or not, he temporarily righted the ship. 

[TexasTiger 14,606]

4 minutes ago, AUDub said:

If Hugh can’t win with what he builds that’s on him, but we’re paying him a good bit of money to build and he should be allowed to finish that. After that whatever.

No one here is particularly happy with his gameday decisions right now.

I’m not either, but I happen to think the Hank experiment ****** is out of a win this afternoon lol. 

I’m not sure of that. The play on the second interception should have never been called. The third one wasn’t one.

[Old fan 47 831]

2 minutes ago, AuCivilEng1 said:

Dude how big of a giant are we, really? Maybe like a smaller giant. But we’re never getting to Bama, Texas,Georgia, Oklahoma, LSU, or Tennessee levels. It ain’t happening. Those programs are national brands in an increasingly money oriented sport. Auburn’s brand has become losing. That’s what everyone on this football team knows.

It’s going to take a true program builder. Like Saban or Kirby level. And I don’t see one that’s coming here.

Yes, AU is a lower tier SEC team. Hell, even Vandy looks better coached and able to compete. Mark my word, we lose multiple “top recruits” from the last two years after this season. There simply isn’t anything to buy into in this program. This isn’t just a rebuild issue, it’s an issue with those on charge, being very poor at their hiring practices. Hell, Kiffin said he didn’t accept the job due to his daughter not wanting to move again from Oxford. Hire that gal, she has a lot of foresight. 

[AUDub 12,028]

Just now, TexasTiger said:

I’m not sure of that. The play on the second interception should have never been called. The third one wasn’t one.

Hank threw those balls and that happenstance could have bailed him out of his bad decision making hardly covers for those decisions. 

He’s not a D1, P5 QB and today affirmed it. He sucked. There’s no nicer way to put it. 

[Tiger Refuge 6,939]

A team reflects the attitude of its leadership. Like it or not, Freeze threw last years team under the bus for the guise of the greater good. Recruiting. Choosing better players. He continues to talk about it this year in his post game pressers. I don’t know why anyone is surprised about the lack of buy in.

[AUght2win 7,176]

29 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

Horsesh$t.   Gus was the recipient of a couple of the luckiest plays ever witnessed in college football.   After going 13-1, he went 8-4 with a better team.   If 8-4 is what Auburn wanted , Gus was the man.  

Football is never decided by 1 play. Ever. Give the man his roses. Gus did a phenomenal job early on.

[AUDub 12,028]

Just now, Tiger Refuge said:

A team reflects the attitude of its leadership. Like it or not, Freeze threw last years team under the bus for the guise of the greater good. Recruiting. Choosing better players. He continues to talk about it this year in his post game pressers. I don’t know why anyone is surprised about the lack of buy in.

People will bag on him for putting it on the players and the execution

He’s not wrong. 

[jluvah 761]

1 minute ago, AUDub said:

Hank threw those balls and that happenstance could have bailed him out of his bad decision making hardly covers for those decisions. 

He’s not a D1, P5 QB and today affirmed it. He sucked. There’s no nicer way to put it. 

We don’t have one of those on this team, unfortunately 

[AUDub 12,028]

Just now, jluvah said:

We don’t have one of those on this team, unfortunately 

I mean Peyton at least won at a B1G school. 

[Tiger Refuge 6,939]

Just now, AUDub said:

People will bag on him for putting it on the players and the execution

He’s not wrong. 

You’re right. But people can’t have their cake and eat it too. 

[AUDub 12,028]

Just now, Tiger Refuge said:

You’re right. But people can’t have their cake and eat it too. 

OK?

Hugh can’t blame bad throws and loose ball security on his players? 

[TripleDegreeTiger 281]

1 hour ago, arktiger1975 said:

That is one thing that Gus did to have such a quick turnaround- change the culture. He couldn't maintain it. But he did a great job his first year.

Gus also had the advantage of coming into his first HC season with a team full of recruits that were his or he was involved with.

[Gowebb11 10,136]

All day every Saturday for the past few years, I watch teams with considerably less history and resources put a better product on the field than us. Better conditioned, tougher, more disciplined, and better game day coaching. And increasingly mediocre to below mediocre teams march into JHS and hand our rear to us. They aren’t intimated, they expect to win in our backyard. Our confidence far exceeds our competence.  It’s sad and depressing. 

[Shoney'sPonyBoy 441]

1 hour ago, Hay Field 101 said:

Its called NIL. Those 3 letters are the ROOT of this. That is where the focus is now. Loyalty, hard work and dedication is gone. I got paid. 

Honestly I'm not sure that the transfer portal isn't the more destabilizing factor.

But I do think you're onto something.

College football now might as well be pro football.  It's actually less stable than pro b/c pro football follows a draft process and players have to honor contracts, whereas in college it's like every player is a free agent every year.

Saban couldn't adjust to the culture of pro football and neither could Spurrier.  Both of those coaches were so successful at the college game that they literally changed it.  Yet they couldn't adapt to a completely different culture in which they didn't have the leverage over the players that they did in college.

Could be that's what we're seeing.  Some coaches can adapt and others can't.

Texas is doing just fine having bought the best offensive line in the game and Arch Manning, whereas Texas A&M—who raised more booster money than Texas—is mediocre.  Auburn and Florida State are both top ten in booster money raised (uat is not), and we both suck like Kings.  Despite FSU having barely missed being in the playoffs last year.

I would imagine that with players coming and going like they do now being able to create a team chemistry is a much different skills set than it used to be.

[AUDub 12,028]

Just now, TripleDegreeTiger said:

Gus also had the advantage of coming into his first HC season with a team full of recruits that were his or he was involved with.

This.

He found the guy to complete the puzzle in Nick but the pieces were there. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 9,261]

I don’t think morals really matter in the grand scheme of college football or basketball; however, it does feel like most guys that screw up after some real success rarely get that success back. 
 

CHF likely would’ve had to work through a real ladder to get even an OM caliber job again, if Auburn’s donors didn’t operate with a complete dearth of ethics or respect for the hiring process. Hiring your buddies can result in a staff you trust and operate at a higher efficiency with. I think it can also lead to looking at guys like they’re better than they are. Durkin WAS a high level get at a point in time, but not when we got him. It’s hard to say he was that when we got him. A&M’s defense looks arguably better with mass upheaval because they have a simply better defensive mind. DJ was also obviously another sleazy hire. 
 

I think we got a guy who our main donor liked and a guy who’s politicked for the job for years. And that personality aspect hid some real red flags. And that latter aspect, also applied to the guy before CHF. If you’re talking “culture”, it has to land at the feet of the guys higher than the head coach right? 

[Tiger Refuge 6,939]

1 minute ago, AUDub said:

OK?

Hugh can’t blame bad throws and loose ball security on his players? 

I….we can just agree to disagree about how he is choosing to handle that kind of stuff publicly.

[TigerOne 1,334]

2 minutes ago, Shoney'sPonyBoy said:

Honestly I'm not sure that the transfer portal isn't the more destabilizing factor.

But I do think you're onto something.

College football now might as well be pro football.  It's actually less stable than pro b/c pro football follows a draft process and players have to honor contracts, whereas in college it's like every player is a free agent every year.

Saban couldn't adjust to the culture of pro football and neither could Spurrier.  Both of those coaches were so successful at the college game that they literally changed it.  Yet they couldn't adapt to a completely different culture in which they didn't have the leverage over the players that they did in college.

Could be that's what we're seeing.  Some coaches can adapt and others can't.

Texas is doing just fine having bought the best offensive line in the game and Arch Manning, whereas Texas A&M—who raised more booster money than Texas—is mediocre.  Auburn and Florida State are both top ten in booster money raised (uat is not), and we both suck like Kings.  Despite FSU having barely missed being in the playoffs last year.

I would imagine that with players coming and going like they do now being able to create a team chemistry is a much different skills set than it used to be.

No kidding, said this when the nil crap started. College is semi pro ball, school is just a cover. It’s amazing that so many are just now realizing this. There will be 15-20 super teams every year, and Auburn won’t be one of them. We might sneak in every once in awhile but it would be rare

[AUDub 12,028]

1 minute ago, Tiger Refuge said:

I….we can just agree to disagree about how he is choosing to handle that kind of stuff publicly.

They’re paid now. They’re pros. 

[Shoney'sPonyBoy 441]

19 minutes ago, woodford said:

These games bring out the worst in the little brother complex. It’s embarrassing. People are entitled to their opinion but the world is not ending (at least not in CFB terms)

LOL.

Nobody said the world was ending.

What people are saying is that we are worse this year than we were last year and that consequently we are likely to have a losing season this year, which is objectively true.  That doesn't mean someone has to disproportionately care about football to observe and communicate that, and it has exactly zero to do with any "little brother complex."