Mulva;1271811 wrote:Looks like Auburn might survive this one. They'll struggle to even make a bowl this year though. I wonder how long the national title will buy Chizik.
The national title team was a perfect storm. If you go back and look at the amount lost after that team, it's amazing. Title teams usually get depleted, but that team got decimated. They lost something like 39 out of 44 players on their 2-deep (both ways). They also lost their kickers. Not that it's an excuse, but it's not really comparable to what Bama lost last year. Sure, Bama lost 8 defensive starters, but they still returned 12 starters overall. Obviously recruiting for Bama makes it much easier and Chizik still has to prove he can hang in this realm. What will tell me a lot about this Auburn team is how they develop offensively and how they improve as the year goes on. If they go 7-5, but show competitiveness late in the year, I'll think the fire is off Chizik. Fortunately for them, 2 of their 3 toughest games in the SEC come in November. They host Georgia and travel to Tuscaloosa to end the year. They get LSU, Arkansas and A&M at home and if somehow they can win 2 of those 3, they will probably win 7-8.
