re: Is there any rational explanation for Auburn's inability to sustain success?

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Is there any rational explanation for Auburn's inability to sustain success?

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I've asked myself this question before.

Auburn may be the biggest conundrum in all of college football history because I can think back to the 60s and 70s, have heard stories of the 40s and 50s ... they've been doing this forever.

Don't get me wrong. As a Gamecock fan I'm jealous of their accomplishments as a program on the gridiron. But Auburn, as a program, is hard to figure out.

Auburn would be the football king of their state in any other state but theirs. I've got this buddy of mine, close friend actually, he's younger than me but we talk, served together, he was a butter bar wben he first got to Bragg, came in as the Hughes Award winner from Auburn, top ROTC grad in the country at the time ... great guy. Whenever Auburn and SC plays we use it as an excuse to get together with our wives. They live in Peachtree City. Anyways, he and I have pontificated on the subject many times, both of our programs.

Football traditions, programs, reasons ... it's a head scratcher.

Back when I was on the speaking tour I used to tell Clubs we'd never take over this state until we started hating Clemson as much as they hate us ... start taking it to ridiculous levels like they do. But I'm not sure that's the solution.


Figuring out Auburn is even tougher.

In state rivalries are all the same - yet they are all different. But I think the instate rivalries play a part in everything, in a symbiotic way somehow.

Pretty simple really.....
Aubie is gonna Aubie. They excel at it. It is what they are known for. Their jealousy and hate know no bounds. They will take a buffoon of a high school coach and give him $49 Million dollars if he can beat their two biggest rivals, despite the fact that overall he is about average, he has never developed his own skill player, and cannot find success without going to a jr. college and finding someone who already has the skills necessary to win. Every year they talk like this is the big one, setting expectations they can never fulfill and by the fifth game into the year they are talking about cutting ties with the high paid snake oil salesman and going after some big name that will drag them back into notoriety. It is a yearly tradition. It is almost as magical as when Phat Phil Fulmer used to wear his orange Tennessee shirt on the sideline with his tittie sweat making it look like a giant jack o-latern...it is what makes the SEC a unique and magical conference. They are never gonna change.

We've always been sort of cyclical. most years we have a good team. Every 3-4 years we have a great team. About every 6 years we have a team thats absolute shite.

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It's hard to sustain when you have a large instate school that has been consistently cheating since about that same time start with Stallings. They have been on probation constantly for that entire period followed by the giant ponzi scheme that has been the Saban era. That hurts your instate talent and recruiting and your team goes up and down depending on who the other school is paying next and if you need them.

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Blame Bama for your school being shite. Y'all are the
most cheating MF's ever.

They just have a systemic problem with seeing what their rival across the state is doing, freaking out, and then cutting corners rather than doing things the right way which allow for the foundation of sustained success. Objectively we can all agree that Auburn probably has the worst history with cheating in the SEC, but other top team’s haven’t been much better in this regard, and let’s assume Alabama’s is just as bad for the sake of this conversation. So by “cutting corners” I’m not really talking about cheating in the traditional sense. Saban’s process is cliche as hell but it makes sense and explains that program’s approach to success. To use a cliche, Alabama is the Vegas gambler who has amassed some cash playing blackjack one hand at a time. Playing the odds, occasionally making a big bet when the feeling is right. In everything they do, it just seems Auburn is the guy over there putting his life savings on double zeros on roulette. Sometimes that works.

boogs are the red-headed step children of the SEC.

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jimdog

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...they have the greatest home field advantage in America.

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Their home field advantage is good, but overrated. They are 8-9 in their last 17 at home vs P5 schools since the end of 2014. That is not an aberration. They were 18-11 from 2008 til the 2014 A&M game. That is 26-20 since 2008. If they think they have a chance they get excited and create a good atmosphere. If things aren't going well they often don't even show up. If you remove the 3 undefeated home years they are 14-20 vs P5 teams at home in 7+ of the last 10+ years.

Gus at Auburn is like Houston Nutt at Arky.

5 win season
7-8 win season
7-8 win season hot seat
Wins west with 9-10 wins and gets destroyed in championship game. Loses bowl to inferior opponent. Finish 10-4 or 9-5.
Massive hype for next year
Shits bed

Repeat

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List of schools with major ncaa sanctions:

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Interesting. What time span does the list cover, and how did Miami avoid making it? Could you provide a link?