Auburn falls completely out of the Associated Press Top 25 poll and is not even included in the "Others receiving votes" area.

The latter category is for teams hovering around that maybe could slide back in, grab a crappy bowl game, possibly finish ranked between Nos. 15-25 at the end of the year. The 8-5 teams, etc.

Auburn is so bad they're not even in that "Others" category. They also fell completely out of the Coaches Poll (which is really a BS poll, even worse than the AP poll).

Here's the poll: https://collegefootball.ap.org/poll


I see them winning the Liberty game but none of the others. Ole Miss might be a possibility, maybe, but it's on the road and I think their QB will torch the secondary.

Nah ole miss will embarrass Gus. I'm not even referring to them as AU anymore

My slimmest sliver of hope is about as slim as can be regarding Ole Miss, but after Saturday it's more razor-edge thin to the point of "Is that a sliver?"

Other Liberty, maybe, I think they'll likely lose out.

Yoy're right Clem...Auburn's season is toast. Liberty is the only game they have left they will win. They sure as hell aren't going to a bowl game unless they surprise someone. There is no way Gus survives this poor season.

Liberty beat Troy yesterday

The only thing bright in the rest of AU's season is they can/could get a lot of game experience for some of the bench sitters. I'd personally like to see some different quarterback play.

Never seen a program with so much do so little.... Maybe Aubie will turn it around, That chit yesterday embarrassed the whole state...

Well,we'll take solace in that...

Agree. They have a ton of talent down there. Truly incredible how poorly they have played.

Y'all speak of talent and I honestly don't know. I don't keep up with recruiting because college game is different than high school and it doesn't always transfer over. But what has any Auburn offensive player, including the field goal kicker, ever done on the college level to prove their talent? In high school, when the player is bigger, faster, and stronger than everyone else it's easy. But in college, where everyone is big, fast, and strong, then the talented shine. Who on Auburns offense has had that shine moment? Chandler Cox? I would agree with that. Who else? If theyre not being developed to their potential, then the talent is unknown. Auburn has an OL that played only one year of high school football. Only saw one year of football before getting a scholarship. This is aimed at Auburn but really applies to all schools. Until that player displays talent, it's unknown. Ironically, the most physically gifted athletes i have ever known had one major limiting factor on their "talent": they couldn't THINK!

Auburn lacks talent in a huge way. Coaching and players both

I've given up trying to figure out Auburn's issues with talent, recruiting it, developing it and/or watching some of it fall into disarray.

I think one thing that bothers me most is they don't have a consistent running game. They supposedly have four backs right now who can run and/or/were All-State or All-Something. But without an OL you can't have an effective running game. And by effective I mean KNOWING you need to run it for 2 yards for a first, or make a drive to break the opponnent's will, or do anything whatsoever inside the 5- or 10-yard line.

Inside the 10, your opponent better think "Damn, they absolutely can run so we have to be ready for anything." Auburn cannot do that. They can get a run now and then, or a burst, but they cannot line up and on a 14-play drive covering 83 yards have nine or 10 of those being runs that make your opponent suffer.

Alabama CAN do it. I listened to the game last night driving home and it was, honestly, quite enjoyable to hear about three RBs interchanging and running over people mixed in with some passing. You have to plan for both and be ready for both.

With Auburn, you don't have to do that this season. They talk about playing "tough Auburn football" and all that, but they don't.


And having watched great, multi-back teams through the Dye era and then with Bowden and Tuberville, it's really damned frustrating. I don't want "3-yards and a cloud of dust," but when you NEED 3 yards and can't get it then you're in trouble.

Not the whole state. Maybe 1/10th. Maybe.

They've got plenty of 4*'s and some 5*'s. I think it's 85% coaching problems.

Tubs could take a bench full of 3*'s and make em play like 5's. Gus turns 4*s and what few 5's into 1 or 2's

Didn't embarrass me even a little.

I think it's rather humorous.

You're dang right about that! Them stars only means they have potential but no guarantee. With Tubs, a 3 star was almost a guarantee.

The decommits will be flowing rapidly in next few months away from auburn. I mean why would you go play there in the shape it's in?

No love for dem Gadas?. Oh well me and jmudler still love them!

I used to believe that a top recruit might want to come into a program struggling and then be able to showcase his abilities better because he'd probably get more playing time in his frosh or sophomore season.

Now, not so much. If you know a program is really struggling, like at Nebraska, or has some players but something crazy is going on, like at Auburn, then you'd probably go elsewhere.

Thus the reason for not prolonging a coaching hire when things really go south because it potentially can have a ripple effect for years. Case in point is Chizik and pulling the trigger on him when they did. If Auburn had kept him "because a nice guy!" and had another 3-9 or 4-8 season it could've been even worse.

Same with Mike Shula. Nice guy. Fomer player. But if you don't see amenable progress after four seasons, even with NCAA stuff, and have a chance to invest in someone like Saban to right the ship, then you fire the coach and hire someone you believe is better. The investment in Saban is clear proof that a successful football program (or basketball, like at Kentucky) can affect the entire university, donations, building plans and so forth.

I don't believe AU will fire Gus this year. It's not impossible but I don't think it'll happen. But another season like this one in 2019 and he's toast.

I've heard the argument about going to a school for early playing time. Like them or not but Alabama is the premier team.. They play a lot of freshmen. The way college football is now, everyone plays freshmen. Does a school really want these freshmen that want early playing time but just aren't good enough to get playing time at another school? Seems that school would be getting the 2nd or even 3 rd level of players and not the top level.

Look at the number of offensive linemen auburn has signed over the past 4 years in comparison to Alabama or Georgia or anybody else. (Not the star ratings just the number of bodies). It’s like they just kinda forgot they needed them. I don’t think they are exceptionally talented anywhere other than the defensive line.

It seems to me that the auburn coaching staff is very poor at evaluating high school players and they are lazy as recruiters. They will always have a player like Nix that is going to auburn because his daddy did, but they seem to target 3 or 4- 5* players that may not be deserving of the 5* ranking. Cowart is a prime example, highly rated, but most coaching staffs didn't offer him a spot in the recruiting class. There are a lot of 3 or 4 star players that are better than some 5 star players, but the coaching staff has to have their own recruiting list, not some sports writers list.

If you are talking about Byron Cowart, he was the #3 player in the nation in the 2015 recruiting cycle and had offers from every school in the nation. Even though he didn't pan out, it was a pretty big deal at the time that Auburn was able to pull him in.


Isn't he at Maryland now?

The problem with Tubs was he was getting the same results as Malzahn.

Tubbs (10 seasons 85-40 overall 52-30 in the SEC).

Avg 8 - 4 overall 5 - 3 in the SEC.

Gus (5 full seasons 45 - 22 overall 25 - 15 in the SEC.

Avg 8 - 4 overall 5 - 3 in the SEC.


I think Tommy's endearment to most Auburn fans was more in regards to his success vs Alabama in his 10 years

Yep...

Yea, and he did that with Alabama on probation, down 22 players on scholarship.

Doesn't matter though, does it? Alabama won a natty over Texas after knocking out the starting quarterback. Does it make that any less of a win? Should that have an asterisk beside it because there was a deer-eyed freshman QB the rest of the game?

Alabama still got solid players during that run. Y'all always say the players come to Alabama to play for Alabama and not because of anything else. So by that, Alabama had top talent even at a depleted level, right? Or was the talent then really chitty and not worthy of the jersey, thus making AU's wins irrelevant?

Y'all do realize that Ole Miss defensively is horrible, right? Completely all over the map as far as consistency goes. Giving up huge yardage to all kinds of teams. Consistent poor tacking and out of position problems.
Ole Miss has the ability to allow Auburn, who is sucking at offense, look impressive,unless something drastically changes.
Could easily be a game where whoever scores last wins.

Liberty and Ole Miss are winnable.Not to be arrogant obnoxious Bama fan but does perception of Auburn's issues seem worse because of the tall ringwearing midget coaching UA? Someone should show Gus film of Dye's O lines it may help.

Watched a little of the UT-AU game today on replay.

IMO there's no chemistry between Stidham and Slayton. Not sure what's up or if anything is, but when your QB and big WR aren't on the same page 100% then that ain't good.

We may find out at some point that there's something internal with Stidham, hailed as the Golden Boy Savior, that didn't ring true with the rest of the team. Dunno. Who knows? We're on the outside.

As for the OL, they're just not SEC caliber IMO. Center is the most important part of the offense next to the QB, and they have redshirt freshman at center. It's not for lack of effort with the line. I think they're just overwhelmed, confused in the heat of the moment, frustrated, young - yes, this - and it's just all crashed around them.

Stidham reportedly said they plan to surprise people the rest of the season. IMO they've already truly suprised the chit out of everyone.

Yea too late for that shucks.

Clem,
Wasn't it Slayton that dropped the guaranteed TD pass while in stride Saturday?

Yes

Yes. Also was overthrown.

AU's offense is consistently inconsistent.

Seems like I remember Stidham hitting someone right in the bread basket on a deep ball that would have been a for sure TD. Either way, this loss was not due to 1 single play or 1 single player. This whole system is a clusterphuck right now from the top all the way down..... especially at the top.

Correct. Stidham is making some passes that are being dropped, and he's overthrowing some that are "Daymnnn, he missed that?"

Auburn had a players-only meeting last week and aired it out they said.
Every D coach in the league now knows Gus' formations for his HS trick plays and he doesn't have a RB or QB that will make the difference. No Nick Marshall, no Cam, no Kerrion....

Lotta good that talk did.

What you reckon the outcome would have been like if they hadn't held that meeting

The same

Herb Hand killed us on the recruiting of OL. Don't know what Stidhams problems are but most of the time he misses open recievers.