AUBURN LOOKS THEIR OWN FUTURE IN THE EYE THIS WEEKEND... 

Or as it Ka-Boom

        Our best buddy, Auburn, hosts the Ole Miss Rebels this weekend.  For one game, I’d bet that every single Alabama fan will lay aside their feelings about Aubie and become a Tiger cheerleader. If Auburn beats the Rebels, it will allow Alabama to control their own destiny in the West. Ole Miss has four tough games left on their schedule. Auburn, Arkansas, LSU, and Mississippi State remain for the Rebels. I don’t think that the Rebels can get through that stretch without  a loss.  Ole Miss  has Auburn and State on the road. The question that all enquiring Tide minds want to know is – does Auburn actually have a chance to beat the Rebels? Common sense tells us they don’t. The words common sense doesn’t seem to apply to Auburn do they? It wouldn’t surprise if the Tigers, frustrated by their performances this season, actually pulls one off.  Whether it is good or bad it seems that Auburn does something totally unexpected every year. Will it be a gift for arch-rival Alabama?

         A Tiger loss will send Auburn fans into a suicidal state, or whatever comes after an already existing suicidal state. The question in my mind is whether the Tigers have already braced themselves for a one season game, and I’m not talking Ole Miss. The only way that Auburn can retain any semblance of pride is to beat Alabama. To beat Alabama, the Tigers have to beat Ole Miss. Why do I say that? If Ole Miss beats the Tigers this weekend, the Gus bus will pack it up for the season. An Ole Miss loss will give the Tigers a record of 4-4, and be decided underdog in three of their last four games. If you are an Auburn fan you have to consider that the Tigers are going to have a losing season. The Ole Miss game is the most important game the Tigers have left on their schedule.  A loss could set off a catastrophic wave for losses to Georgia, Texas A&M, and ‘Bama.  The Gus bus is running on fumes and is in bad need for a decent win.

       Auburn has once again found a way to ruin a season. I’ve talked with many Auburn fans and they seemed stunned this could happen. They are not happy with Gus, and not happy about the quarterback change. They need to be unhappy with a defense that finds new and ingenious ways to miss tackles. That is simply the truth, and having a poor defense is not an Auburn tradition. When I think about Auburn I always think about hard playing defense. Auburn must win this weekend to give their fans any belief in Malzhan’s future. Will Muschamp hasn’t been exactly sterling either, has he?  All of what has happened this season is so Auburn. Despite all the problems they’ve had, they might just beat Ole Miss. Ole Miss is playing to get to Atlanta. Auburn will be playing to just survive. Another Auburn loss may set the stage for more misery that could last for years. Would Auburn fire Malzhan? A better question might be whether they can afford to fire him. Auburn’s best bet now is to be the spoiler. 




UPDATE:  On Friday I talked at length with a very influential Auburn Alum, who  played football at Auburn. It was an eye-opening conversation. Topic number one was Duke Williams and how other players came to question the unequal treatment between Williams and other players. This apparently became a big issue between some players and Malzhan. Topic number two was the future of Auburn football and Gus Malzhan. Let me be crystal clear that no one is suggesting replacing him regardless of how the season ends. But big donors are very unhappy. Topic number three was Carl Lawson and how his return would really help the Tigers. Lawson is not expected to play this weekend, and his future playing time is literally day to day. Topic number four was how Malzhan could have completely misread the AU Quarterback situation. The real fear among Auburn fans is that they can't understand why Auburn has been so underachieving. I think it would be fair to say that many Tiger fans are afraid that they are on the brink of a season in complete collapse.