They're pretty complacent about success. It's almost a "well were better than average, that's good enough, don't you feel good about Auburn? Send us a donation today, War Eagle". And ill say it again, it's not just athletics. It's the entire damn campus. Too many folks on the board of directors cut from the same cloth with the same old money ties to Auburn that they've been dealing with for 30 years. It's going to take a president that is willing to not accept mediocrity in anything to change.
Hammer. Nail. Bingo.
I'm all for the nice, laid-back, mannerly, Southern gentleman howdy ma'am opening doors sweet tea support the team way of life. But at some point all that is beside the point when it comes to winning and success.
What a lot of those "support the team, yay!" people don't have a clue about is how the success or failure of the football team affects the entire university. Argue about that if you wish but it's true. You don't just miss out on a top quarterback or linebacker or DB for a couple of recruiting classes. It permeates through high school players down to 10th, 9th, 8th grades. It affects donations to other colleges in the university: business, arts, and so forth. It ripples through the business community even if they still do business with you: 'Good guy. His football team sucks, though." And it affects daily social life, from kids in school to folks in church (sadly) on Sunday mornings, to everything in between.
When Alabama floundered in the post-Stallings era it affected the university and its reputation. Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione, Mike Shula and (interim) Kines had some success but also spectacular WTF moments: DuBose's affair, Fran being the outsider and leaving, Mike Price (whew!) and then Shula's hangdog placeholder status. During that time they won thanks to the history of Alabama still attracting top players, but they didn't win championships and that's what Alabama shoots for EVERY year.
Not every 3-4 years, not every decade, not every 50 f$#*$#g years. EVERY year. Realistic? Not really, by logic. But if you don't expect the best success possible all the time then you get stuck with mediocrity and the "Yay, team anyway! They played hard! Wo'Iggles!" mentality. And anything worse is Vandy or Kentucky where no one gives you the time of day and 8-4 is a reason to be ecstatic (see Vandy, previous coach now at PSU). And that mentality permeates the university, the fans, the alumni, and it's not a recipe for success.
So until they get someone to change that mentality and really stoke the fires, and IMO right now the top five to do that would be Saban, Meyer, Briles, Petrino and maybe Tom Herman at Houston, things may not change.
