AUBURN - Worst Team in the SEC?

Malhzan is feeling the heat ...

   

      At first blush, it is almost impossible for Alabama fans not to laugh at where the Auburn Tigers are going. The destination could be last place in the SEC. They might be the worst team in the SEC right now. No, that is incorrect. They are the crummiest team in the SEC.  Alabama was going to beat AU before the Gus Bus blew an engine. It might have been better for the Tide to have the Tigers at the top of their game to bet ready for the SEC game and the CFP game/games. The battle for who is not the worst team in the SEC might have already been played. The Tigers knocked Arkansas around. I bet if that game were played this weekend Arkansas would be the winner. Ole Miss is lurking in the shadows to win that title as well. Auburn should beat Ole Miss. Of course, they should have beaten Tennessee. Can Ole Miss score enough points to whip the Tigers? I doubt it. 

     Tennessee fans are bragging the win at Auburn was a signature win. I am not ready to say that yet. If Auburn continues to crash, that game might just be a slightly better team winning. If Tua is well for the Tennessee game we can all see how much better the Tide is than Auburn. The differences between the in-state rivals seems to be growing at a time when AU fans thought the gap had closed. Engaging in a little math with a friend (okay, she´s a bookie) the numbers showed Bama as a near 40 point favorite. She did throw in a caveat. It could be worse. 

      Will the Tigers quit on Malhzan? He clearly is not inspiring a lot of confidence. They could declare this season null and void and move on to next year. The main question in my mind is how many might transfer. Great times lead to transfers when players understand they aren´t going to get much playing time. A program in trouble will have the same problem. Players want to be at a winner. If that observation is correct then the Tigers may have some real problems in the future.

       The Auburn of today can probably beat Ole Miss.  It is not a certainty.  How about Texas A&M? I´d say no.  Georgia in Athens? Nope. Liberty? Sure, but they beat Troy. And then the finale. Can Auburn beat Alabama? Highly improbable. That means Auburn could be looking at three or even four more losses.  The Tigers are looking a five wins, and they need six wins to be bowl eligible. Six wins are possible. That might make them bowl eligible because right now their are only seventy two teams with enough wins. The wheels come completely off if AU loses to Ole Miss. Who would have thought the team which beat Washington could be this bad? 

    

Around the Southeastern Conference...
Auburn takes a nosedive
State regains credibility
Kentucky loses a squeaker
A&M shows some life
´Bama could have scored 75 points

  Saturday was an interesting day in the SEC. Weekend six of the college football season brought the good, the bad, and ugly. Hereś my take about the SEC from a round ball manś perspective.

1, Kentucky lost to Texas A&M.  Look for more Wildcat losses. No doubt, Kentucky has improved, and they are lucky to play in the B Flight of the SEC. If they played in the West they would be just above hapless Ole Miss. Trending: Schedule may save a 9 win season.

2.   LSU lost to Florida. I believe that the Tigers are in for some more sad Saturdays. Coach O has the Tigers playing better than last year. The Bengals started a tough four-game stretch in the SEC with that loss to Florida. It is possible the Purple and Gold will lose the next three games. Welcome back to mediocrity. The Tigers would like to beat Georgia, but if you ask LSU fans who they really want to beat, the name Çrimson Tide will mean the most. Trending: LSU is on the cusp to a complete meltdown.

3. Auburn lost to Mississippi State and a whole lot more. Auburn lost their second SEC game and any chance to make it to SEC Championship game. They also lost faith in their quarterback and their head coach. As one Auburn fan told me, ¨we can do anything about Gus for at least two years. His buyout would be 39 million. Perhaps they can get Tim Cook from Apple to write a check. AU made some critical mistakes. They got enough questionable calls to keep the Auburn broadcasting crews with enough subject matter to last a season or two. I thought the AU defense was pretty bad. After a while, you would think someone would have noticed that State wasn´t passing much. Oh well, War Damn Eagle. Trending: Say hello to Georgia, Texas A&M, and Alabama. Say goodbye to their season.

4. Arkansas lost big to Bama but found hope. Alabama trounced the Razorbacks, but showed their fan base they had a lot of heart. The Hogs scored 30 points which were at least enough to give the Hogs hope for a brighter day. For Tide fans, giving up 30 was pretty scary. Crowning the Tide the best team in the nation might be a bit premature. If the defense comes around that will probably be true. The Tide´s linebackers and secondary looked pretty bad in my opinion. Trevon Diggs injury reminds me of the Eddie Jackson loss. The could have scored eighty. How often do you see a team on the wrong side of the time of possession and win by three touchdowns?

5. Missouri lost to South Carolina. In a road game, Mizzou saw a last moment field goal dash their upset hopes. Missouri shows me they can score. I don´t think they can defend. Look for a pretty high scoring shootout in TTown this Saturday. Georgia is going to win the Eastern Division. Second place is still wide-open.

   Those were the games that have some impact on the rest of the season from my seat in the living room.