What is Auburn's football program capable of?

Expect 9 wins a year and having a real shot at the SEC Championship 1 out of 4 years.

We should be able to get to at least a Wisconsin or Michigan State (sans this year) level of success.

We make average a verb.

Auburn has a history of recruiting the panhandle of Florida and the state of Georgia. We've had pipelines to major programs in South Florida as well.

Alabama as a state puts out a good amount of talent for its population. We've always been able to snag a few top recruits here and there.

Biggest difficulty for Auburn (and many SEC schools) is bringing in top flight quarterbacks, but I don't think Auburn really needs a 5 star gunslinger to be successful.

We are a storied program and are tied in the league for most Heisman winners (Florida - 3). Alabama would have to win Monday night to tie us in most undefeated seasons as an SEC school since 1980. We have rich traditions and fierce, reputable rivalry games. We have a history of putting players in the NFL. You can find numerous quotes from over the years about how intimidating Jordan Hare is and how loud our passionate fanbase is.

We have the money for top facilities and are starting to build towards being a top tier program in that regard.

Auburn should win the SEC West once every 4 years and win 9-10 games every year. Maybe a 7-8 win season once in a blue moon in obvious rebuilding years. More so, we should be a competitive, competent, and intimidating team to play every week of the season. Every team should expect a 60 minute battle with us.

I sincerely believe that if Auburn ever got a "Saban" level coach, they could experience a similar level of success that Alabama has right now. I also think LSU, Florida, and Georgia are other programs that could as well if that counts for any measuring sticks.

EDIT - Just realized that if you go back to 1979, Alabama and Auburn are tied with 3 undefeated seasons. But I made the cutoff at 1980 because frick them, that's why.

Pat Dye is still involved and his puppet Jacobs has been around since the 1980s. Jacobs has a longer tenure as AD than Dye did, which must make him feel legendary. I don't think we can reach our full potential until changes are made at the top.

ETA: the power grip a few have on Auburn is our biggest burden. It took the Great Recession for Bobby Lowders bank to collapse and for him to become inconsistent. Dye is old but still dabbles in our current affairs and Jacobs seems to be invincible.

9-11 wins a year. With an SEC Champ every 3-4 years. Is that too much to ask for?