re: Where do you rank Auburn as a football program within the SEC?

Except that head to head we have a winning record against UT.

More nattys than Georgia, and more Heisman winners.

I would put us above those schools and just a step behind Florida.

Here is a fun fact: Everybody talks about how AU can't win in BR, however LSU has done just about as poorly in Auburn since the 'Cigar Game'.

That is a good point.

Our Eastern permanent opponents after 1992 were Florida and Georgia.

Bama played Tennessee and Vandy.

One year since expansion we played Bama, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida, all in the same season.

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Auburn is definitely ahead of UF.

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People forget, or didn't know, that UF was basically an SEC doormat until Spurrier got there. He not only changed UF's fortune, he changed the way the game of football was played in the SEC.

Bama
UT
Auburn
LSU
UF
UGA

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Should also be noted that AU has traditionally faced the most difficult SEC schedule by win% in just about every decade as far back as you want to look.

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This is actually true, however the difference in schedules is negligible. Here are the percentage of all SEC games played against SEC opponents that finished ranked in the Final AP Top 25 (1936-2016):

36.9%- Auburn
35.6%- Florida
34.6%- LSU
33.1%- Tennessee
32.8%- Alabama
30.9%- Georgia

In total 207 of Auburn's 561 all-time SEC games since 1936 were against conference opponents that finished the season ranked in the AP Top 25.

Georgia has actually had the easiest schedule of the BIG 6, measured this way. In total 167 of our 541 conference games have been against ranked SEC opponents. That's 40 extra ranked opponents for Auburn over the course of 81 seasons. So in essence 1 extra ranked SEC opponent every two seasons.

While that gap is decent, its difficult to say what effect its had on the two programs' overall SEC winning percentage.

Auburn's all-time SEC winning percentage is 55.5%
Auburn's all-time SEC winning percentage against ranked SEC opponents is 33.3%
Subtract those out, and Auburn's all-time SEC winning percentage against teams that did NOT finish in the Top 25 is 68.5%

Take 40 of Auburn's ranked opponents out (at a winning percentage of 33.3%) and turn them hypothetically into opponents outside the Top 25 (with a likely winning percentage of 68.5%), and it equates to 14 extra conference wins for Auburn over the span of 81 seasons.

So yes, it is true Auburn has historically played a very tough schedule. But trade Auburn's schedule with Georgia's schedule, and in all likelihood it would have only netted Auburn 14 additional SEC wins over the course of the last 81 seasons.

Would that have been enough of a boost to add an extra SEC title or two? Maybe, but in all likelihood it hasn't made much difference.

1.Alabama

2.rest of the big six. This is where you will find Auburn.

Facts hard for you bro?

Alabama


Auburn
Florida
LSU

Georgia

Tennessee

Don't freak ... lemme explain.

Bama is the no brainer so we're really talking 2-6 here and we can really only do those in tiers.

Auburn, Florida and LSU have multiple national championships plus at least one Heisman winner. Does LSU have two, one other than Cannon? I can't remember.

Georgia has a solid overall winning % plus they have a national championship and multiple Heisman winners.

Tennessee has fallen-off tremendously over the past 15 years or so. They have a great history prior to 2005 but no Heismans and they are not trending upwards IMHO ... but that's just me, nothing personal.

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1.Alabama

2.rest of the big six. This is where you will find Auburn.

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I agree with this. I would have put Tenn ahead of the rest of the big six but the last decade has not been kind and the trajectory is not looking great. I don't see a whole lot of daylight between LSU, AU, GA and FL. But the drop-off from there is pretty big, imo.

they rank about 10th.........