When Auburn University athletic director Jay Jacobs lured Gene Chizik away from Iowa State University in late 2008 to become the head coach for The Auburn Tigers, there was considerable head scratching by many people. Jacobs had fired longtime Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville who had only suffered two losing seasons in his decade long stint with The Tigers. Jacobs and the boosters were afraid that The Tigers would not be able to keep up with The Alabama Crimson Tide since Nick Saban became the head coach of The Tide in 2007. Jacobs fired Tuberville right after Auburn lost to Alabama 36-0 in The Iron Bowl. The loss marked Auburn’s first loss to The Tide since 2001.
Chizik stepped in and in his first season as Tigers head coach in 2009, Auburn finished the season with a record of 8-5 which was highlighted by an Outback Bowl victory over The Northwestern Wildcats. Chizik lost to Saban that season in The Iron Bowl 26-21. The game was at Auburn and it gave Tiger fans hope that they wouldn’t be doormats to Saban and Alabama.
Then came the courtship of former Florida Gators quarterback Cam Newton. Newton left The Gators and attended Blinn Community College where he won a national title. There was plenty of scrutiny hanging around Newton’s eligibility after reports surfaced that his father Cecil had orchestrated a “pay-for-play” system in which Newton would only sign a letter of intent to play for the team that offered the largest amount of money for his services. The findings were reported to The Southeastern Conference by The Mississippi State Bulldogs who are one of Auburn’s rivals in The SEC West. Newton was cleared of any wrongdoing and in his lone season at Auburn, The Tigers went 14-0 to win The BCS Championship.
After losing Newton and defensive tackle Nick Fairley to The National Football League, Chizik and The Tigers took a step back in 2011 as they finished the season with a record of 8-5.
Now in 2012, The Tigers have posted a 1-4 record so far while going 0-3 in The SEC. The Tigers have only scored over 20 points in one game this season which was a 31-28 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. Out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams The Tigers are currently 115th in total offense. The Tigers offense has struggled mightily this season after offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn left after last season to become the head coach of The Arkansas State Red Wolves. Sophomore quarterback Kiehl Frazier has struggled as he has thrown eight interceptions on the season while only throwing two touchdowns. Frazier was benched during last Saturday’s home loss to loss to The Arkansas Razorbacks in favor of junior quarterback Clint Moseley. Defensively, Auburn only has one interception this season which was recorded by senior linebacker Daren Bates.
The Tigers have struggled to win ball games and the schedule win only get tougher. Auburn will hit the road for consecutive road games against The Ole Miss Rebels and The Vanderbilt Commodores before returning to Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on SEC newcomer The Texas A&M Aggies who are currently ranked 22nd in the country. Two of Auburn’s last three games of the season will pit them against The Georgia Bulldogs and The Tide which could go a long way in determining Chizik’s fate. At 1-4, The Tigers schedule isn’t easy and they could finish the season under .500 which means no bowl game which will make the fans of Auburn restless.
While Chizik was undefeated with Newton, he is only 17-14 during his tenure at Auburn without him. Chizik’s hiring at Auburn raised eyebrows due to his 5-19 record with The Iowa State Cyclones. Chizik claimed that it was difficult win in Ames, but his successor at Iowa State, Paul Rhoads has posted a winning record there while leading The Cyclones to two bowl appearances.
Hands down The SEC is the toughest conference in all of college football. When you’re on top it is ultra tough to remain there unless you’re Saban and Alabama. Since Saban arrived at Alabama in 2007, The Crimson Tide have posted a record of 60-12. Even though The Tigers won The BCS Championship in 2010, the fan base expects them to do what ‘Bama does which is keep the machine the going. Since posting a 7-6 record in his first season in Tuscaloosa, Saban has never lost more than three games in a season. Saban has sent multiple first-round picks each season to The NFL during his tenure at Alabama as he is able to maintain success at Alabama. Chizik is finding out now that winning a national championship doesn’t always present job security. Former Tennessee Volunteers head coach Phillip Fulmer was The BCS Championship in 1998 and his 17-year record at Tennessee was 152-52. Fulmer only posted two losing seasons for The Vols, but his inability to defeat Florida, Georgia and Alabama, along with losing the recruiting battle to these SEC rivals ultimately cost Fulmer his job. Unfortunately for Chizik, he could find out that The SEC is all about what have you done for me lately.
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