Leveling The Playing Field
After a sluggish first half, the tigers of Auburn went on to 55-20 win over New Mexico State Saturday night. But this only came after being upset the previous two Saturday’s. Auburn was expected to start off 4-0, but instead have just gone to 2-2. So far, despite winning moderately impressively Saturday night, Auburn has had a disappointing season.
But this is not just another blog about Auburn’s early season woes. Auburn is not the only team who has had early season woes, and is not the only team to be upset. Nor is South Florida and Mississippi State, the teams who upset Auburn this year, the only teams to cause an upset. Notre Dame, perhaps the school with the richest tradition in college football, is 0-4. Michigan is just 2-2, one of their loses being to Division IAA school, Appalachian State. However just this weekend they defeated top-ten ranked Penn State. Nebraska, another school with great tradition, beat the once push-over Ball State by only one point. Kentucky beat Louisville who was at the time ranked in the top ten, and then beat Arkansas, a team with high pre-season hopes. The combined records of what was at one time perhaps the two worst teams in the SEC, Mississippi State and Kentucky, is 7-1- the only loss being a Mississippi State loss to number two ranked LSU.
So what does all of this tell us? Well, for one it tells us that college football is unpredictable. But beyond just this, it is also telling us that the playing field, if you will, is being leveled. South Florida is now ranked in the top 25 and is doing good. Ten years ago they were hardly heard of. Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, and Florida St. are no longer the only teams competing for national titles. The BSC system does not really recognize it and adjust to help the little schools, but in all reality, the South Florida’s, Rutgers’, and Boise State’s are in some respect, taking the place of the Notre Dame’s and the like. This is not to say that all of these teams are right now competing for national titles, or that the schools listed above them never will again. This simply shows that the playing field is being leveled- similar to how it is in college basketball.
The reason for this is probably the recruiting rules which level the playing field itself, as well as make it harder to cheat and get away with it. And beyond this, the South Florida’s and the like of college football are doing many things in their power to raise money, get a better name for themselves, and gain media attention. The combined record of Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, and Florida State is 7-8. Out of these teams, the team with the best record is Alabama- perhaps the team with the least expectations. South Florida, Rutgers, Boise State, and Central Florida combine for a record of 10-2.
Still, despite these numbers and despite the general purpose of this blog, let us not over-state these facts. Notre Dame, despite their poor record of 0-4, is still Notre Dame. The first set of teams mentioned do play tougher schedules, and do play in tougher conferences. We can give, and I believe that last year was a good example, the "smaller" teams too much credit, at least in part of the human voting. Two things are obvious. For one, the playing field of college football, is, to some reasonable degree being leveled. But the once power-house teams will not go down for good without a fight. Alabama will still carry on its name for a while anyway, and because of that, they are more easily criticized when they do not live up to the name that they won under the days of Bear Bryant.
So what do we need in all of this? We need a system that gives the little teams a chance to prove themselves. Even if they fail the test, as they may, we need a system that does give them that chance. Voters should not be left guessing if their record is as good as it is because of their week schedule, or because of their great improvement, or somewhere in the middle. I feel it is obvious that it comes from both. But, the question then becomes where you draw the line. This is one more reason for some sort of playoff. It does not have to be long, and it does not have to have as many teams as the college basketball playoffs, or anywhere near it. We need some system that gives more than two teams a chance.
If we can adjust, this "leveling" can be a good thing. It makes college football much more exiting. Teams with one or two or possibly one day soon even three loses might be able to win the national title. It will also be very hard to go undefeated- making it something special as it is in the NFL. The college football field is being leveled- no pun intended.
What Do You Think?
September 24, 2007
Ryan Hampton
Monday, September 24, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Is Bama Back?
Last Saturday Alabama pulled off a win against Arkansas with a final drive down the field in less than two minutes of game clock, and with no timeouts. Not only did Alabama defeat a respectable team in this, but John Parker Wilson showed signs of a great quarterback, and the team showed guts and effort in their final drive. Is this a sign that finally, now under Nick Saban, that Alabama is back?
Alabama did show signs of being a pretty good football team, but let’s not rush into calling them "back" whatever "back" is supposed to mean. Wasn’t this said after they defeated Florida in 2005? They then lost to LSU and arch-rival Auburn at the end of the year, and went 6-7 the following year. That was hardly back, if back is considered to being in national power and consistently contending for national championships, so should we call them back now?
We should not take anything away from Alabama- they did defeat Arkansas, who was a ranked team. But out of the little I have seen from Alabama, I’m not so sure if they have proven me a whole lot. Western Carolina was a push over. So what that they beat them big. That is expected, or at least, it should be. Vanderbuilt is Vanderbuilt. They may not be the push over that they were, but they are not a great team. Beating Vanderbuilt by 14 points should be expected. So, Arkansas was supposed to be the big test, to see if they were back.
Well they did win the test, if winning the test means winning the game. But there are still questions in both Alabama’s offence and defense, as well as their special teams. The win at the end might could give them confidence, but then again, we can’t assume that. Many times, a drive that Alabama makes will make the quarterbacks career. But there are plenty of times it does not. Cox hit an open man on fourth and fifteen against Georgia, on the road, in 2005, and Auburn went on to win 32-31. Cox is obviously not a great quarterback. He had the drive against Kansas St. just some two and a half weeks ago, but is obviously not a great quarterback. Not to take away the talent from Alabama, but they did catch brakes on that final drive- and they did blow a twenty-one point lead.
Now they have Georgia. Their schedule works good for them with how each game leads into another. They have a good chance at beating Georgia and a good chance at beating Florida St. They can win all the games left on their schedule, although LSU will be a really hard one. But there are several they can lose as well.
Is Alabama back? We really don’t know. We don’t know much more now than we did a week ago. If they lost, it would probably show that they weren’t. But they won. They showed potential, but they also showed some problems. Alabama does have talent- it is not as if they are 3-0 on a really young team. Talent is there. Only time will tell if they are, indeed, "back."
What do you think?
God Bless America
Pray For Our Troops
September 19, 2007
Ryan Hampton
Alabama did show signs of being a pretty good football team, but let’s not rush into calling them "back" whatever "back" is supposed to mean. Wasn’t this said after they defeated Florida in 2005? They then lost to LSU and arch-rival Auburn at the end of the year, and went 6-7 the following year. That was hardly back, if back is considered to being in national power and consistently contending for national championships, so should we call them back now?
We should not take anything away from Alabama- they did defeat Arkansas, who was a ranked team. But out of the little I have seen from Alabama, I’m not so sure if they have proven me a whole lot. Western Carolina was a push over. So what that they beat them big. That is expected, or at least, it should be. Vanderbuilt is Vanderbuilt. They may not be the push over that they were, but they are not a great team. Beating Vanderbuilt by 14 points should be expected. So, Arkansas was supposed to be the big test, to see if they were back.
Well they did win the test, if winning the test means winning the game. But there are still questions in both Alabama’s offence and defense, as well as their special teams. The win at the end might could give them confidence, but then again, we can’t assume that. Many times, a drive that Alabama makes will make the quarterbacks career. But there are plenty of times it does not. Cox hit an open man on fourth and fifteen against Georgia, on the road, in 2005, and Auburn went on to win 32-31. Cox is obviously not a great quarterback. He had the drive against Kansas St. just some two and a half weeks ago, but is obviously not a great quarterback. Not to take away the talent from Alabama, but they did catch brakes on that final drive- and they did blow a twenty-one point lead.
Now they have Georgia. Their schedule works good for them with how each game leads into another. They have a good chance at beating Georgia and a good chance at beating Florida St. They can win all the games left on their schedule, although LSU will be a really hard one. But there are several they can lose as well.
Is Alabama back? We really don’t know. We don’t know much more now than we did a week ago. If they lost, it would probably show that they weren’t. But they won. They showed potential, but they also showed some problems. Alabama does have talent- it is not as if they are 3-0 on a really young team. Talent is there. Only time will tell if they are, indeed, "back."
What do you think?
God Bless America
Pray For Our Troops
September 19, 2007
Ryan Hampton
Sunday, September 16, 2007
So Should Auburn Worry?
Should Auburn Worry?
It seems Alabama is back, and it seems as if Auburn is back too- to being a mediocre program and that "other team in Alabama." After the tigers went on a 36-5 run, including an undefeated season, and going to bowl games the past seven years, and beating Alabama for five years straight, Auburn has now lost two straight games- both at home, and both to unranked teams. Brandon Cox is throwing as many interceptions as he is pass yardage it seems, and Joe Paterno could probably walk backwards faster than Cox can run. The stout defense can only be stout so long. As it was Saturday, they will eventually give up the touchdown. It does not take many points to beat Auburn.
And Alabama seems to be on their way to a sure Iron Bowl victory- to break Auburn’s streak of five in a row. Shouldn’t Auburn worry?
Maybe. I wrote a blog Friday, before Auburn’s upsetting loss to Mississippi St., that Auburn should not worry. But after the ugly defeat, isn’t this time to worry. After all, I said that if Auburn loses to Mississippi St. on Saturday, as they did, that there may be reason to worry.
But I still, to a degree, hold to my original premise that there is hope and potential in Auburn- even in their offense. The problem is that they are not showing it. We are now three games into the season for Auburn and most other teams, and Auburn is not showing off the potential that they have- at least not consistently.
But there is hope. There certainly, as Saturday showed, should be a sense of urgency on apart of the Auburn coaches to find out what they need to do in order to make their team effective. But it is not good for the players, coaches, or fans to worry. Auburn has three tight ends- all of whom are naturally good athletes. The problem is that they do not hold onto the ball good enough. This is a mental mistake that should be worked on in practice. Dropped passes are costing Auburn the games almost as much as Brandon Cox’s poor passes. The receivers are the same way.
The hope lies in that the tight ends and receivers would catch the football, and a young man named Kody Burns. Unless there is a major surprise on the plains, Kody Burns represents the future of Auburn quarterbacks through 2010. If he gets a lot of experience the next few weeks, it is possible he could win his place as the starter sometime this year. If nothing else, the threat could force Cox to play harder to keep his position.
There is still hope for Auburn. They won’t win a national championship, and it is very unlikely of winning an SEC championship. But they can beat Alabama. They can go to a bowl game. Furthermore, they could be back to how they have been the previous three years in just a year or two. They have young running backs. A young and talented quarterback. Good young tight ends. And a young offensive line that will only get better. All this not to mention a great and young kicking game, with a great defense with much depth, and all the recruiting that they will get through the next couple of years. There should be a sense of urgency to make changes for the better at Auburn- particularly on offense- but there should not be panic. There is still hope, and Auburn should remember that.
What do you think?
God bless America
Support our troops.
September 16, 2007
Ryan Hampton
It seems Alabama is back, and it seems as if Auburn is back too- to being a mediocre program and that "other team in Alabama." After the tigers went on a 36-5 run, including an undefeated season, and going to bowl games the past seven years, and beating Alabama for five years straight, Auburn has now lost two straight games- both at home, and both to unranked teams. Brandon Cox is throwing as many interceptions as he is pass yardage it seems, and Joe Paterno could probably walk backwards faster than Cox can run. The stout defense can only be stout so long. As it was Saturday, they will eventually give up the touchdown. It does not take many points to beat Auburn.
And Alabama seems to be on their way to a sure Iron Bowl victory- to break Auburn’s streak of five in a row. Shouldn’t Auburn worry?
Maybe. I wrote a blog Friday, before Auburn’s upsetting loss to Mississippi St., that Auburn should not worry. But after the ugly defeat, isn’t this time to worry. After all, I said that if Auburn loses to Mississippi St. on Saturday, as they did, that there may be reason to worry.
But I still, to a degree, hold to my original premise that there is hope and potential in Auburn- even in their offense. The problem is that they are not showing it. We are now three games into the season for Auburn and most other teams, and Auburn is not showing off the potential that they have- at least not consistently.
But there is hope. There certainly, as Saturday showed, should be a sense of urgency on apart of the Auburn coaches to find out what they need to do in order to make their team effective. But it is not good for the players, coaches, or fans to worry. Auburn has three tight ends- all of whom are naturally good athletes. The problem is that they do not hold onto the ball good enough. This is a mental mistake that should be worked on in practice. Dropped passes are costing Auburn the games almost as much as Brandon Cox’s poor passes. The receivers are the same way.
The hope lies in that the tight ends and receivers would catch the football, and a young man named Kody Burns. Unless there is a major surprise on the plains, Kody Burns represents the future of Auburn quarterbacks through 2010. If he gets a lot of experience the next few weeks, it is possible he could win his place as the starter sometime this year. If nothing else, the threat could force Cox to play harder to keep his position.
There is still hope for Auburn. They won’t win a national championship, and it is very unlikely of winning an SEC championship. But they can beat Alabama. They can go to a bowl game. Furthermore, they could be back to how they have been the previous three years in just a year or two. They have young running backs. A young and talented quarterback. Good young tight ends. And a young offensive line that will only get better. All this not to mention a great and young kicking game, with a great defense with much depth, and all the recruiting that they will get through the next couple of years. There should be a sense of urgency to make changes for the better at Auburn- particularly on offense- but there should not be panic. There is still hope, and Auburn should remember that.
What do you think?
God bless America
Support our troops.
September 16, 2007
Ryan Hampton
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Despite Loss, Auburn Should Not Worry
[This was written two days ago originally, and may seem irrelavent now, after Auburn's 19-14 loss to Mississippi St. A follow up blog will be issued sometime in the week].
Last Saturday Auburn was upset by South Florida in overtime by a score of 26-23. Since then, radio talk shows, television, and other forms of communication that carry sports news, have been talking about how poor Auburn seems to be this year. Whether they blame it on the coaching staff, the offensive line, or the former Hewitt Trussville Husky, Brandon Cox, they are constantly criticizing Auburn at some level. Alabama rejoice that now, not only is Alabama supposedly "back," but Auburn is too- to a mediocre level as "that other school in Alabama." Tiger fans are worried themselves that this could be true.
Although there is a lot of improvement Auburn can and should make, and although they are not what they were in 2004 or 2005, there is not too much reason to really worry if you’re an Auburn fan. Only time will tell for sure what will happen, but if the past of Tommy Tubberville is any indication, the Tigers should still have at least a decent team. Auburn started off 0-2 in 2003, going on to finish the year 8-5 (including those loses), and undefeated the next year. Auburn lost their home opener in 2005 to Georgia Tech, but went on to have the best SEC record in the SEC, at 7-1, and defeated SEC champions Georgia and arch-rival Alabama. In 2006, Auburn fought and clawed their way to win eleven games. Along the way, they played close to mediocre teams such as South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Alabama, and got whipped at home by Arkansas and Georgia. Still, this was the same Tiger team who defeated LSU, Nebraska, and as the only team to do so, national champions Florida.
So what should that tell us? It should tell us that Auburn lost some key points on their team, and have not found out exactly how to fill in those gaps yet. However, it usually starts coming at about this time of year that they do. All they need is to find themselves, and this Auburn team could be a dangerous team in the SEC and in the nation.And perhaps the Mississippi St. game could not come at a better time. This is a game that is more than just a scrimmage, unlike Western Carolina or Ball St., but is a game that they should win. If they do win, they get confidence, get back to a plus .500 record, and start off well in the SEC. But perhaps beyond all of that, if this game is not a nail-biter, they have a game in which they can find themselves- especially on offense.So far, the offense has clicked, but to the exception of one quarter, it has not clicked on all cylinders all at the same time. In the second quarter of the South Florida game, to the exception of a Brandon Cox interception, the offense looked like the offense of 2004. They could run and pass efficiently. All they need now is consistency.Auburn has an offensive line that will only get better. Auburn has two good running backs that will only get better. Mario Fannin shows problems with hanging onto the football, and Ben Tate shows signs of over running his blockers. They are both young running backs, and will only get better. Auburn has one of the best tight-end cores in the conference, and possibly the nation. Auburn does have talented wide receivers, they just show signs of mental mistakes that come at the beginning of the year.
Auburn’s biggest concern on offense is their quarterback. But this is the same quarterback who started off 20-5 as a starter. With the defense and special teams behind him, and an offense that will only get better, there is not reason why he can not lead Auburn to another seven or eight wins anyway, and to yet another bowl game, and possibly a sixth straight victory over arch-rival Alabama. If Auburn loses this Saturday to Mississippi St., then there is reason to worry. But as of now, I don’t think that there is too much reason to. Auburn has too much talent behind them to have a season with any less than eight wins- even with a tough schedule. Besides, they were only predicted to win eight or nine games anyway. For a fairly young team such as Auburn, losing to decent teams such as South Florida should be accepted perhaps even expected. Because of Auburn’s talent the past three years, though, it wasn’t.
But whatever the outcome of this season is, and the games Saturday are, may I leave you with a big War Eagle! Even if Auburn loses, no one can take away that Auburn spirit.
What do you think?
Pray for our Troops.
God Bless America
September 14,
2007Ryan Hampton
Last Saturday Auburn was upset by South Florida in overtime by a score of 26-23. Since then, radio talk shows, television, and other forms of communication that carry sports news, have been talking about how poor Auburn seems to be this year. Whether they blame it on the coaching staff, the offensive line, or the former Hewitt Trussville Husky, Brandon Cox, they are constantly criticizing Auburn at some level. Alabama rejoice that now, not only is Alabama supposedly "back," but Auburn is too- to a mediocre level as "that other school in Alabama." Tiger fans are worried themselves that this could be true.
Although there is a lot of improvement Auburn can and should make, and although they are not what they were in 2004 or 2005, there is not too much reason to really worry if you’re an Auburn fan. Only time will tell for sure what will happen, but if the past of Tommy Tubberville is any indication, the Tigers should still have at least a decent team. Auburn started off 0-2 in 2003, going on to finish the year 8-5 (including those loses), and undefeated the next year. Auburn lost their home opener in 2005 to Georgia Tech, but went on to have the best SEC record in the SEC, at 7-1, and defeated SEC champions Georgia and arch-rival Alabama. In 2006, Auburn fought and clawed their way to win eleven games. Along the way, they played close to mediocre teams such as South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Alabama, and got whipped at home by Arkansas and Georgia. Still, this was the same Tiger team who defeated LSU, Nebraska, and as the only team to do so, national champions Florida.
So what should that tell us? It should tell us that Auburn lost some key points on their team, and have not found out exactly how to fill in those gaps yet. However, it usually starts coming at about this time of year that they do. All they need is to find themselves, and this Auburn team could be a dangerous team in the SEC and in the nation.And perhaps the Mississippi St. game could not come at a better time. This is a game that is more than just a scrimmage, unlike Western Carolina or Ball St., but is a game that they should win. If they do win, they get confidence, get back to a plus .500 record, and start off well in the SEC. But perhaps beyond all of that, if this game is not a nail-biter, they have a game in which they can find themselves- especially on offense.So far, the offense has clicked, but to the exception of one quarter, it has not clicked on all cylinders all at the same time. In the second quarter of the South Florida game, to the exception of a Brandon Cox interception, the offense looked like the offense of 2004. They could run and pass efficiently. All they need now is consistency.Auburn has an offensive line that will only get better. Auburn has two good running backs that will only get better. Mario Fannin shows problems with hanging onto the football, and Ben Tate shows signs of over running his blockers. They are both young running backs, and will only get better. Auburn has one of the best tight-end cores in the conference, and possibly the nation. Auburn does have talented wide receivers, they just show signs of mental mistakes that come at the beginning of the year.
Auburn’s biggest concern on offense is their quarterback. But this is the same quarterback who started off 20-5 as a starter. With the defense and special teams behind him, and an offense that will only get better, there is not reason why he can not lead Auburn to another seven or eight wins anyway, and to yet another bowl game, and possibly a sixth straight victory over arch-rival Alabama. If Auburn loses this Saturday to Mississippi St., then there is reason to worry. But as of now, I don’t think that there is too much reason to. Auburn has too much talent behind them to have a season with any less than eight wins- even with a tough schedule. Besides, they were only predicted to win eight or nine games anyway. For a fairly young team such as Auburn, losing to decent teams such as South Florida should be accepted perhaps even expected. Because of Auburn’s talent the past three years, though, it wasn’t.
But whatever the outcome of this season is, and the games Saturday are, may I leave you with a big War Eagle! Even if Auburn loses, no one can take away that Auburn spirit.
What do you think?
Pray for our Troops.
God Bless America
September 14,
2007Ryan Hampton
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