The State of Auburn Football
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December 15, 2006 by
Prior to finding out that the Huskers would face Auburn in the Cotton Bowl most Husker fans probably paid little attention to the program in Alabama. It’s not been considered one of the grand powerhouses in the history of college football like Notre Dame, USC, Oklahoma, Nebraska, or Alabama. Nevertheless, the Tigers have a pretty impressive winning tradition that spans decades.
Much as the Huskers winning tradition was built (or rebuilt) in the 1960’s Auburn’s winning tradition goes back to the 1950’s. Auburn finished in the AP top 20 five times between 1953 and 1958 including a national championship in 1957. After seven straight winning seasons in the 50’s, Auburn ran off eight winning seasons in the 1960’s with four top 20 finishes. The Tigers had seven winning seasons in the 1970’s and five top 20 finishes. Auburn then put together 8 straight winning seasons in the 1980’s including four first place finishes in the SEC and seven top fifteen finishes in the AP poll. The 1990’s saw six winning seasons, all of which included top 25 rankings to end the year. That decade also included a perfect 11-0 season in 1993 while the program was on probation, followed by a 9-1-1 season also during a probation year.
This decade Auburn is off to a perfect start with a winning season every year. The Tigers have finished in the Top 25 in all but two seasons this decade (similar to Nebraska). The Tigers went a perfect 13-0 in 2004 but were shut out of the national title. The Tigers have won their division in four of the last seven seasons. The reason for all this review is that it seems Auburn as a program is underrated. While it has yet to achieve to the degree that the aforementioned programs have over their long history, it’s clear that they are a program built to win over the long haul. Add to that the ability to recruit top ten classes in recent years and this may be a program on the verge of exploding.
Exactly how good this year’s team will be determined in the Cotton Bowl. Will the Tigers once again be a top ten program? Can they generate enough offense to compliment a stout defense? I’ll save those questions for another day, but Husker fans should treasure this matchup. Auburn has not only a team, but a program worthy of admiration and a win should taste as sweet as one over Michigan, Tennessee, or any other national power. It’s certainly better than Boise State.
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Tigre De Tejas Dec 28 06
Winning Percentages since 1982
Team Wins Losses Ties Winning %
Nebraska 252 59 1 80.77%
Miami-FL 243 58 0 80.73%
Florida St. 243 62 4 78.64%
Michigan 228 72 5 74.75%
Florida 227 75 4 74.18%
Ohio St. 226 75 5 73.86%
Tennessee 224 75 7 73.20%
Oklahoma 215 83 4 71.19%
Auburn 213 82 5 71.00%
Penn State 211 88 2 70.10%
I chose 1982, as it was the year that Pat Dye's first rebuilt team played, it was his 2nd season. Notice the absence of Alabama, Notre Dame, and USC from this listing. Also note Auburn leads the series with Florida, Florida State, Tennessee. Alabama leads the AU series by six games. Over the past 50 years, Auburn is #8 in winning percentage. By what basis are all these other schools national powers, but not Auburn?
Some food for thought. War Eagle!
steve Dec 29 06
Tigre, thanks for the great (and flattering to Nebraska) look at winning percentages. The one clear distinction between Auburn and the other teams listed and named is that the others have all won national championships and Auburn hadn't been able to get over that hump since many of us have been alive. Once Auburn breaks through (and it sure seems like only a matter of time), their prestige as a "name brand" college football team will skyrocket. It was night and day the way Nebraska was regarded prior to the early 1990's and then since. Right or wrong, people like to measure teams by the number of national titles they've won.