re: Why can't Auburn maintain success.

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Too many programs around us with more natural advantages.

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Really?!?!?!?! I'm all ears..

Natural as in the University of............. Every HS Coach has a dream of coaching for their flagship State School, even if they didn't attend college there. Same with most of the HS administration and towns people. There is a lot of pressure on a kid not to attend the University of ...........

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I don't think the # plays/game affects our defense, but you are probably onto something with practice.

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Totally agree re: pace of the game. It may lead to more yardage given up, but in the context of a game in which you run a lot of plays that would make sense. I don't think more plays in a game means anything relative to yards per play defensively. As the stats noted, Alabama ran more plays the last 2 years than a lot of the "spread" teams did.

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This year, the lack of offense really hurt the defense because there were so many 3-outs.

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Yea, Auburn's defense was clearly an average to above average unit by year end.

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What programs and what advantages?

You're almost the same distance from Atlanta as Athens.

You're almost the same distance from Mobile as Tuscaloosa.

You're significantly closer to Tallahassee than both Tuscaloosa and Athens.

Geographically, you're in great position to access two of the most fertile recruiting areas in the nation. I'd say that's a natural advantage.

You've won SEC and national titles more recently than both Florida and Georgia.

Historically, you're on a par with both UF & UGA in terms of conference and national titles and have won them more recent success than both of those programs.
Your facilities (both athletic and academic) are top notch.

Sorry, but Alabama is the only program around you that could be considered to have more natural advantages - and even then that advantage is really only their tradition of success based on a string of highly successful coaches.

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I'd like to see Randy's response to this.

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Seriously? You think Auburn has the same amount of clout and exposure to a kid from Atlanta as UGA? Being the state school is a huge deal.

LSU, Florida, Bama, and UGA all have big advantages over Auburn. We are an ag school in the country with a subdued bar scene in a state that produces moderate talent trying to recruit young black men. That's not an easy sell.

What school in a comparable situation to Auburn (#2 school in a mediocre state) has had our success?

Our recent yo-yo trend is puzzling for sure.

What Auburn was under Tuberville is probably right on par for what we should expect. Usually solid, almost always competitive, occasionally really good, occasionally pretty bad.

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Define what you mean by "better program for sure".

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More SEC titles, more wins, more conference wins, more head to head wins, more perfect seasons.

Yea you got your title in 92 we were just as good in 04 and got screwed in 83 as well. 93 was also awesome.

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Auburn has been great at times, but why can't it maintain the success it's had in recent seasons? Auburn has the talent to be successful which is why it's frustrating.

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Proves how flukey AU's success is.

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If you carve out the 1990s, then you're talking about 13 years that just happen to include the tenures of two of the only three Bama coaches (Ears Whitworth being the third) to have losing records against Auburn since the series resumed after WWII.

83-86 Perkins 2-2
87-89 Curry 0-3
90-97 Stallings 5-3
98-02 DuBose 2-1
01-02 Fran 1-1
03-06 Shula 0-4

It's far more accurate to say that Auburn dominate Curry and Shula - which they did. Other coaches during that window were 50/50 or better.

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Ok well if we are allowed to eliminate two coaches from a program to help our arguments I'll take out Bear and Saban, since you know you would have a losing record against Auburn without those two coaches...

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RandySavage

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Thanks for the response, very reasonable.

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Proves how flukey AU's success is.

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A Dawg would give their left nut to taste some of that flukey success.