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By DAVE HOOKER
saturdaydownsouth.com
Auburn beat Alabama last season, but can the Tigers actually supplant the Crimson Tide as the premier team in the SEC West? That depends on who you ask.
Opinions vary among those that know both programs well. Relatively speaking, Auburn has held its own against Alabama recently. Since Gus Malzahn was named the Tigersā head coach in 2013, the Tigers are 2-3 against the Crimson Tide. In that span, Alabama has won two national titles and reached the College Football Playoff each season since its inception in 2014. While the head-to-head record is close and Auburn won the SEC West last season, the overall achievements donāt compare.
āNo one can beat Sabanās Alabama consistently,ā said Chuck Oliver of Southern Sports Today and 680 The Fan. āEven the back-to-back (wins over Alabama in 2014 and 2015) with Ole Miss and (coach Hugh) Freeze, there was an onside kick, a tipped-by-three-guys touchdown pass, just goofy stuff and it still took all 60 minutes to wrap it up.ā
Team vs. Sabanās Alabama
Arkansas 0-11
Auburn 4-7
Florida 1-6
Georgia 1-4
Kentucky 0-4
LSU 3-9
Miss State 1-10
Missouri 0-2
Ole Miss 2-9
South Carolina 1-1
Tennessee 0-11
Texas A&M 1-5
Vanderbilt 0-3
Beating Saban consistently has indeed proven difficult, if not impossible. However, former Auburn offensive lineman Cole Cubelic believes the Tigers can surpass Alabama as the preeminent power in the SEC West.
āI donāt see why not,ā said Cubelic of WJOX. āThe contrast in style helps Auburn in this matchup. If the Auburn offensive line develops, itās a very winnable game again this fall. As long as recruiting stays where it has been, Auburn should be in the mix in the (SEC) West.ā
Former Alabama fullback Baron Huber, who has also served in various media roles, said Auburnās offensive style gives the Tigers a chance.
āGus Malzahn has the type of offense, when clicking, that can make a rough day for any team in the country, if he has the right quarterback,ā Huber said. āI think it would be hard for Auburn, or anybody for that matter, to beat Alabama consistently given the level that coach Saban recruits.ā
Cubelic said continued offensive line development and quarterback depth must be built at Auburn to surpass the Tide. It also wouldnāt hurt Auburnās cause if Alabama came back to the pack. Some have questioned if Alabama can keep up its recent pace given the vast number of coaches it has lost to other coaching staffs.
āThatās starting to legitimately affect the quality of the on-field product,ā Oliver said. āNot only is Saban better than any other head coach at finding and hiring new position coaches and coordinators, but of all the things he does at the top level thatās what he does even better than anything else. But even he canāt be expected to turn an ace, or six, every single hand and thatās what itās turning into. Thatās the Bama version of that tiny opening in the Death Star in the first Star Wars.ā
Huber pointed out that one of Alabamaās coaching losses actually hurts the Tigers. Kirby Smart left Bama as its defensive coordinator to become the head coach at Georgia in 2016. He has since become a force in recruiting, especially in the Atlanta area. That has historically been a key recruiting territory for Auburn. With Alabama and other schools also targeting the Atlanta area, Smart and Georgia just make it more difficult for the Tigers to pluck top prospects from there. Auburn fans wonāt like to hear this, but Huber believes the Tigers need to essentially know their role.
āI think Auburn needs to be realistic about expectations and be comfortable with themselves,ā Huber said. āLooking at everyone else and constantly measuring (themselves against Alabama) is only going to breed instability.ā
Certainly, thatās an understandable assessment by Huber. However, Auburn fans and administrators likely wonāt see it that way after Malzahn received a new contract that will pay him $49 million over seven years. How can Malzahn live up to that contract? There might be only one way.
āSaban has to retire, if itās going to be anything more than a, āHey, we beat Bama! ā¦ cool,'ā Oliver said.
Said Huber, āI honestly donāt see anyone surpassing Alabama in the West for a while. Yes, Alabama didnāt win their division this year, but I think most people would recognize that Alabama was the best team in the league. The national championship proved that.ā
saturdaydownsouth.com
Auburn beat Alabama last season, but can the Tigers actually supplant the Crimson Tide as the premier team in the SEC West? That depends on who you ask.
Opinions vary among those that know both programs well. Relatively speaking, Auburn has held its own against Alabama recently. Since Gus Malzahn was named the Tigersā head coach in 2013, the Tigers are 2-3 against the Crimson Tide. In that span, Alabama has won two national titles and reached the College Football Playoff each season since its inception in 2014. While the head-to-head record is close and Auburn won the SEC West last season, the overall achievements donāt compare.
āNo one can beat Sabanās Alabama consistently,ā said Chuck Oliver of Southern Sports Today and 680 The Fan. āEven the back-to-back (wins over Alabama in 2014 and 2015) with Ole Miss and (coach Hugh) Freeze, there was an onside kick, a tipped-by-three-guys touchdown pass, just goofy stuff and it still took all 60 minutes to wrap it up.ā
Team vs. Sabanās Alabama
Arkansas 0-11
Auburn 4-7
Florida 1-6
Georgia 1-4
Kentucky 0-4
LSU 3-9
Miss State 1-10
Missouri 0-2
Ole Miss 2-9
South Carolina 1-1
Tennessee 0-11
Texas A&M 1-5
Vanderbilt 0-3
Beating Saban consistently has indeed proven difficult, if not impossible. However, former Auburn offensive lineman Cole Cubelic believes the Tigers can surpass Alabama as the preeminent power in the SEC West.
āI donāt see why not,ā said Cubelic of WJOX. āThe contrast in style helps Auburn in this matchup. If the Auburn offensive line develops, itās a very winnable game again this fall. As long as recruiting stays where it has been, Auburn should be in the mix in the (SEC) West.ā
Former Alabama fullback Baron Huber, who has also served in various media roles, said Auburnās offensive style gives the Tigers a chance.
āGus Malzahn has the type of offense, when clicking, that can make a rough day for any team in the country, if he has the right quarterback,ā Huber said. āI think it would be hard for Auburn, or anybody for that matter, to beat Alabama consistently given the level that coach Saban recruits.ā
Cubelic said continued offensive line development and quarterback depth must be built at Auburn to surpass the Tide. It also wouldnāt hurt Auburnās cause if Alabama came back to the pack. Some have questioned if Alabama can keep up its recent pace given the vast number of coaches it has lost to other coaching staffs.
āThatās starting to legitimately affect the quality of the on-field product,ā Oliver said. āNot only is Saban better than any other head coach at finding and hiring new position coaches and coordinators, but of all the things he does at the top level thatās what he does even better than anything else. But even he canāt be expected to turn an ace, or six, every single hand and thatās what itās turning into. Thatās the Bama version of that tiny opening in the Death Star in the first Star Wars.ā
Huber pointed out that one of Alabamaās coaching losses actually hurts the Tigers. Kirby Smart left Bama as its defensive coordinator to become the head coach at Georgia in 2016. He has since become a force in recruiting, especially in the Atlanta area. That has historically been a key recruiting territory for Auburn. With Alabama and other schools also targeting the Atlanta area, Smart and Georgia just make it more difficult for the Tigers to pluck top prospects from there. Auburn fans wonāt like to hear this, but Huber believes the Tigers need to essentially know their role.
āI think Auburn needs to be realistic about expectations and be comfortable with themselves,ā Huber said. āLooking at everyone else and constantly measuring (themselves against Alabama) is only going to breed instability.ā
Certainly, thatās an understandable assessment by Huber. However, Auburn fans and administrators likely wonāt see it that way after Malzahn received a new contract that will pay him $49 million over seven years. How can Malzahn live up to that contract? There might be only one way.
āSaban has to retire, if itās going to be anything more than a, āHey, we beat Bama! ā¦ cool,'ā Oliver said.
Said Huber, āI honestly donāt see anyone surpassing Alabama in the West for a while. Yes, Alabama didnāt win their division this year, but I think most people would recognize that Alabama was the best team in the league. The national championship proved that.ā
