Auburn/ SEC Mid-Season Thoughts

Say WHAAAT?

• The Good News: There isn't a team on the planet outside of the NFL that Auburn couldn't beat.
• The Bad News: There isn't a team in the SEC outside of Vanderbilt that couldn't beat Auburn.
• The Good News: It's up to Auburn which of the above things happens. Pre-season, there was a lot of talk comparing this team to the 2004 team. Incredibly talented offense, stubborn defense, and essentially abusing every team they played. With half of this season gone, I have to disagree, but don't worry Auburn fans, my conclusion is just as good. This team reminds me more of the 1993 Auburn team to this point in the season. Sufficiently talented, but inconsistent. The difference between the 1993 team and the 2004 team (other than probation) was that the 2004 team won by overpowering teams on offense and playing shut down D. The 1993 team won by..... well however they could. Close wins against Ole Miss and Vandy, but big wins against highly ranked Florida and defending champs Alabama. This Auburn team wins, and that mindset is what's going to keep the bad news above from happening. The toughest part of our schedule is ahead of us and anything could happen in these next six games, but this team has given us no reason to believe it can't be something special.
• Oh No! There Goes Tokyo! It is becoming more and more clear that Cam Newton is in fact a prehistoric creature who rose from the sea to wreak havoc on the SEC. Cam for Heisman is no longer a pipe dream, it's a very real possibility. If he continues to play the way he has since the second half of the Clemson game, Auburn always has a chance to win. There really is no answer for Cam when he's on his game. Cam dares you to drop back into coverage. Don't think for a moment this won't happen. He also dares you to put eight men in the box.

Don't think for a moment that this won't happen.

• Defense: Eh. Need some improvement gentlemen. I'm going to throw out a theory about our pass defense and y'all feel free to rip it to pieces down in the comments section. Of course the coverage leaves something to be desired. But am I the only one who can read our blitzes like a book? Like a children's book? And I know if I can read it, then people who coach and play football for a living/scholarship can read it. Sure enough, whenever we show blitz, I call it, the quarterback audibles, we blitz the same hole we showed blitz, and the o-line picks it up. It just doesn't seem to be working quite right. But you know, that's just, like, my opinion, man.
• Bama: Hooray for Brahsome Garcia and all, but this really doesn't change a darn thing for us. We still can't afford to lose one game if we want to make it to Atlanta. Still though, hooray.
• The Mad Hatter: His existence terrifies me. The man clearly sold his soul to the devil, then double-crossed the devil and instead sold his soul for a lifetime supply of G.I. Joe sized hats. That, people, takes balls. But not as much as he's shown over the last two weeks. The clock management disaster turned miracle had Tennessee fans dancing in the streets (and even making a scene in front of Hamilton's in Auburn) before having their world crushed a minute later. I'm certainly no Tennessee fan but that was sad to watch, if only because we as Auburn fans have been there before. Then there was the botched fake field goal turned successful fake field goal by inches. If Arkansas is the one team most likely to beat us straight up before Alabama, then LSU is the team I'm most scared will fall ass-backward into beating us.
• Speaking of Tennessee and Florida: The SEC East is just a different kind of down this year. The West has three teams in the top 10 and four in the top 12. That's just scary. I always felt that Auburn is traditionally an East team, but this is one of the first times I really wished we were there.

That's all I've got for now, but stay tuned around here, there's going to be plenty of excitement for the next few weeks!

War Damn Eagle!