Georgia Bulldogs Likely Independence Bowl-Bound; Outback Bowl Remains the Class Clown of SEC Postseason Tie-Ins
by T Kyle King on Dec 1, 2009 9:03 PM EST
in Football
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Earlier today, I was feeling pretty good about the Georgia Bulldogs' prospects for renewing their rivalry with the Clemson Tigers in the Georgia Dome, but, as the ensuing comment thread attests, the Tennessee Volunteers are likely to receive the Chick-fil-A Bowl bid because of the line of toppling dominoes set into motion by the Outback Bowl when it opted for the Auburn Tigers.
The Outback Bowl's selection is utterly indefensible, as Auburn is the weakest of the SEC's six 7-5 teams. As usual, C&F provides context and an explanation over at Team Speed Kills, where he sensibly observes:
While this is a surprise to rational people, it really shouldn't be given the Outback Bowl's history of bizarre bowl choice. Last year, the game selected 7-5 South Carolina pretty much out of necessity, though it could have gotten a better LSU team instead. The Gamecocks got waxed playing an Iowa team that they probably shouldn't have been facing.
That wasn't the first time the Outback Bowl officials made an asinine selection, either. Everyone in Bulldog Nation recalls the 1998 Kentucky Wildcats, who finished 7-4 overall and 4-4 in conference play. The 'Cats had lost in Lexington to the 'Dawgs, who finished 8-3 overall and 6-2 in SEC contests, yet Georgia ended up playing in what was then still the Peach Bowl on New Year's Eve while Kentucky spent New Year's Day in Tampa losing to the Penn St. Nittany Lions by a double-digit margin.
Why did the Outback Bowl do such a stupid thing? Probably because the co-founder of Outback Steakhouse was a University of Kentucky alumnus. I was so incensed by the snub at the time that I refused to eat at an Outback Steakhouse for the next year, and I've been back very few times since. The more rational part of my brain has decided since then that the SEC should simply scrap the Outback Bowl as one of its tie-ins.
Where does that leave us, then? Apparently, bound for the Independence Bowl, possibly to face the Texas A&M Aggies and probably to confuse Brian Cook. As C&F shrewdly noted in his headline, the Outback Bowl loves Auburn and hates American values. (I know, that's redundant. Unlike those Aussies at the Outback Bowl, I love America, and, therefore, I hate Auburn.) Tennessee fans understandably are annoyed at being passed over by the Outback Bowl and I'm nonplussed at the thought of the Bulldogs spending the holidays in Shreveport.
Still, this can be a learning experience. Hopefully, Mark Richt can use the fact that his team got an even crappier bowl game than it deserved (which is saying something) as motivation: "You don't want to go to the Independence Bowl? Well, tough, 'cause the Independence Bowl is what 7-5 gets you. If you don't want to come back here, wrap up when you tackle! If you don't want to come back here, stop somebody on third and long! If you don't want to come back here, pay your parking tickets on time and quit getting fifteen-yard penalties! If you don't want to come back here, stop throwing interceptions and don't get caught emerging from an alley! The next time you go into the locker room with a two-touchdown lead on Kentucky at home, I'm going to ask you, 'Are you going to stay focused are or you going to go back to the Independence Bowl?' You know the difference between Shreveport and New Orleans? Practice and discipline!" This is a golden opportunity for Righteously Indignant Richt to do what needs to be done.
There are two other potential upsides to playing an early bowl game in Louisiana, as well. First of all, Louisiana-Monroe just fired its head coach, so maybe they'd be interested in interviewing Willie Martinez while he was in the Pelican State. (Please?)
Also, if Georgia does face the Aggies, at least we know we wouldn't trot out any new-fangled uniforms; it was against Texas A&M in the first home game of the 1980 season that the Bulldogs wore for the first time what we now think of as their traditional togs: Wally Butts-era silver britches, Vince Dooley-designed red helmets with the oval "G," and the red jerseys they had always worn. The classics never die.
By the way, the Bulldogs won that game 42-0. I'm just saying.
Go 'Dawgs!
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WTF
Apparently the Outback Bowl doesn’t care that you LOST to 7-5 Arkansas AND 7-5 Georgia AND 7-5 Kentucky. I can see the Peach Fil
A Bowl taking UT over us, but how the hell does Music City take the Big Chickens over the Dawgs? Seriously sucks…
by RocketDawg on Dec 1, 2009 9:13 PM EST via mobile reply actions
The Music City Bowl probably would take Kentucky . . .
. . . who beat Georgia head to head, is close by, and has a history of traveling well to Nashville.
South Carolina likely would fall to the PapaJohns.com Bowl, behind us.
It makes no sense. Relative to the other 7-5 teams in the league, Tennessee deserved the Outback Bowl bid, and, when Auburn got the nod instead, it threw everything else out of whack. They do this all the time, which is why we need to dump them. The Outback Bowl is in Tampa; let them sign a deal with the Big East and the ACC. Let’s see how that does for them.
Go 'Dawgs!
I agree.
The Capital One/Citrus Bowl has historical precedent for getting the #1 SEC pick after the BCS. After that, the next pick should fall to the Cotton Bowl. Then, the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Then, the Gator Bowl. After that, the Music City/Liberty/Independence/etc. bowls could pick up the slack.
Probably because we beat two of the three 7-5 teams that had 4-4 SEC records
I have to admit, I’m stunned that we would even be considered for the Outback Bowl, let alone get the bid
And, in a related story, this week marked the 5,000th performance of the Broadway musical "Cats." It also marked the 5,000th time a guy turned to his wife and said, "What the hell is this?"
I am with Kyle
they almost lost to Arkansas and SC and played crappy all year. ALmost the whole team is comig back. CMR would do well to shape this into motivation.
“Emerging from an alley.” Thats funny right there I dont care who you are.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. ~ Albert Einstein
Thanks
“Emerging from an alley” may be the dumbest criminal charge ever, which is what makes it funny. I mean, if it’s legal to go into an alley, shouldn’t it be legal to emerge from it? If not, does that mean everyone who enters an alley has to stay there forever? That doesn’t seem practical.
In a related item, I know a criminal defense attorney who uses the “Joyce Kilmer defense” when one of his clients is charged with “manufacture of a controlled substance” on a marijuana bust. It’s one thing to get caught running a meth lab; that’s clearly the manufacture of a controlled substance, but growing pot plants? As any good Jeffersonian or Vanderbilt Agrarian could tell you, that’s precisely the opposite of “manufacturing”; that’s agriculture, and “only God can make a tree.”
Go 'Dawgs!
Remind me NOT to get arrested in UGA
The criminal code must be straight outta’ “My Cousin Vinny”
"Hollywood made a movie of my life. The film had me proposing to my wife on the football field. I would never misuse a football field that way." -Crazy Legs Hirsch
by Stuck in the Plains on Dec 2, 2009 11:28 AM EST up reply actions
So long as you aren't a football player or student
..and your crime does not involve a suspended license or underage drinking, then you’ll be fine.
HBTD
by Gen. Stoopnagle on Dec 2, 2009 11:56 AM EST up reply actions
I'm not licensed in Georgia
and, seriously, if someone could explain to me what the offense “emerging from an alley” is, I’d be much obliged…isn’t that a throwback to vagrancy laws?
"Hollywood made a movie of my life. The film had me proposing to my wife on the football field. I would never misuse a football field that way." -Crazy Legs Hirsch
by Stuck in the Plains on Dec 2, 2009 3:03 PM EST up reply actions
Way to show some class.
As C&F shrewdly noted in his headline, the Outback Bowl loves Auburn and hates American values. (I know, that’s redundant. Unlike those Aussies at the Outback Bowl, I love America, and, therefore, I hate Auburn.)
But what should I expect from you people? The same fan base of which one member ripped my Auburn paraphernalia off my car in Athens, which wasn’t cheap to replace, especially for a college student. Y’all just can’t show any class.
"We're at AUBURN. I think that says it all. We're going after the best in the country -- no matter when, what, where, how. That's how we're going to do it. We're going to work really hard to try to get that done every year -- including this one." -- Auburn University Head Football Coach Gene Chizik
Right, from the alumni and booster group that propped up two of the most crooked and unethical people associated with college football
in Pat Dye and Wayne Hall. That Auburn Creed or whatever it’s called is written in disappearing ink. Ask Tommy Tuberville. Now, get lost.
Wow, you have no idea what you're talking about.
Not to mention no respect for a fellow human being. “Get lost?” lol wow… Anyway, THE most crooked individual ever associated with college football was undoubtedly that bryant guy. No question about that. Biggest cheater to ever walk the sidelines. Secondly, I think I would know more about the beliefs outlined in the Creed than you would, seeing that I am 17 days short of being an alumnus of the University. Coach Chizik is a personification of the Creed. He upholds the values listed in it. (“I believe in a sound mind, a sound body, and a spirit that is not afraid, and in CLEAN sports that develop these qualities.”) The reason the Outback Bowl is selecting the Auburn Tigers is because it sees a program on the rise that is capable of beating anybody. They had representatives at the Iron Bowl who saw a team that can and will compete with a team like #17 Wisconsin. I guess I shouldn’t expect you to go along with any type of logic, but hey, I tried.
"We're at AUBURN. I think that says it all. We're going after the best in the country -- no matter when, what, where, how. That's how we're going to do it. We're going to work really hard to try to get that done every year -- including this one." -- Auburn University Head Football Coach Gene Chizik
Lo, the lilly white Gene Chizik.....you guys must go to church together. I guess Hall, Dye and Lowder couldn't understand the Creed.
Yeah, and don’t leave the keys in your car. It might get stolen.
That's "quaint" to think that.
The truth is, however, what it is for every bowl game. The bowl that kicks off at 11:00 AM EST on New Year’s Day wants Auburn because they think Auburn is most likely to sell out Raymond James Stadium… plain and simple. (Personally, I also think Tennessee would be just as likely to sell out the game… but obviously the Hall of Fame Outback Bowl committee doesn’t agree.)
With bowl games, it’s always about ticket sales.
by vineyarddawg on Dec 1, 2009 10:40 PM EST up reply actions
"A program on the rise this is capable of beating anybody."
You just described Tennessee and Kentucky, both of which beat Auburn. Nice criteria.
posted at the same time on my screen, but I differ to your better argument. We did separately identify 4 SEC loses from the (again, are we here again? really?) upswinging team in Auburn.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. ~ Albert Einstein
hahaha...
I noticed that! As my old roommate used to say, “If you’re gonna put it on the tee…..I’m gonna knock it out of the park.”
Posting incorrect information is far from “knocking it out of the park.”
by Jumpn_JackFlash on Dec 2, 2009 10:32 AM EST up reply actions
Did you watch much football this year?
The Tennessee-Auburn game in Knoxville was a close game where AUBURN BEAT TENNESSEE.
"is capable of beating anybody"
a) anything after that point isnt going to get any credit
b) congrats on losing to your two biggest rivals and considering a moral victory.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. ~ Albert Einstein
If the Outback acted logically AU wouldn't be there. It's not personal, as you've taken it, but rather a puzzling
choice to go with a team that arguably lost to its three biggest rivals in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia and posted a “signature win” against West Virginia.
duly noted, so make that AU lost to two of it's three bigger rivals.
It’s certainly not AU’s fault the Outback selection committee picked them.
"CLEAN sports that develop these qualities"
Then you weren’t watching your team in the iron bowl apparently…and, if clean is the barometer, how’s Pugh doing?
"Hollywood made a movie of my life. The film had me proposing to my wife on the football field. I would never misuse a football field that way." -Crazy Legs Hirsch
by Stuck in the Plains on Dec 2, 2009 11:30 AM EST up reply actions
I do not condone any vandalism of any kind... especially that of opposing fans in Athens.
With that said, however, common sense tells you to remove the magnets and/or flags from your car before you go to the game, my friend.
I remove my Georgia magnets when I park my car before going to the game in every locale that we travel to. (Shoot, I even do that in Athens.) By and large, most fans will treat your property respectably, but there is always the 1% (or, in some areas in the plains of Alabama, >1%) that will rip the magnets off your car and break your flags off of your windows.
Don’t make yourself a target. Leaving your magnets and flags out so they can be easily stolen is akin to leaving your windows rolled down with an iPod sitting on the center console. In any town in America, if you leave your car parked like that for 4 hours, some nut is going to come by and reach in and take the iPod.
I wish morons like that did not exist, and that vandalism of any kind was never proffered in any town in America. Sadly, however, such criminals do exist in this world, and conducting your actions with a modicum of common sense simply is required in this day and age.
by vineyarddawg on Dec 1, 2009 10:28 PM EST up reply actions
I guess I should remove the stickers
on my windows, except when you remove those, you cannot put them back on. I always take down my flags and magnets, but there are some things I can’t take down, obviously. Also, I have never seen an Auburn fan do anything like that, and I have gone to every game, home and away, since 2003. Therefore if it happened frequently on the part of AU fans, I would have seen it by now.
"We're at AUBURN. I think that says it all. We're going after the best in the country -- no matter when, what, where, how. That's how we're going to do it. We're going to work really hard to try to get that done every year -- including this one." -- Auburn University Head Football Coach Gene Chizik
If it wasn't flags or magnets and was something you couldn't remove from your car...
And it wasn’t cheap to replace, I have to ask what kind of stickers are you buying?
In my experience, most bumper stickers and decals require a scraper or razor blade to remove.
It troubles me to think of packs of Dawg fans roaming campus with razor blades.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
by RedCrake on Dec 1, 2009 11:54 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
oh no, never a nasty word or snide remark or indecent act by the Auburn Fans...never
So not only are you morally superior victim, but omniscient to boot. I am glad to know that you can monitor the behavior of all Auburn Fans all the time. Quite an accomplishment. Thinking that just because you haven’t seen it, it doesn’t exist proves how immature and unrealistic you are. Auburn fans have an asshole lunatic fringe of their fan base the same as any other school that do things like take stickers. and by the way, if the paraphernalia that was so expensive for you to replace was a damn sticker, how do you afford to attend all these football games you claim to have attended. Since you seem to be oblivious to it, I am going to drop you a hint. Stickers ripped off the car in the real world outside of college is nothing to get your knickers twisted over. Grow up fella. Oh and by the way, if you tailgate next to your vehicle and berate opposing teams fans (which I have seen many Auburn fans do), don’t be surprised if your vehicle takes abuse after the game by the other team’s victorious fans. It’s not right but it happens. Now start saving for those new stickers!
I think Erk Russell could have kicked Clint Eastwood and John Wayne's butts with a corn cob and one hand tied behind his back. GATA!
AUshorecm...
…I’ve been going to games in Athens (every home game) for over 10 years now and I’ve never seen a fellow Georgia fan deface a car clearly identified as belonging to the other team’s fan.
However, just because I haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
HBTD
by Gen. Stoopnagle on Dec 2, 2009 12:04 PM EST up reply actions
Also...
Keeping in mind that I go to all the games (home and away), I’d like to add that the only SEC town where I’ve ever had this happen to me is Athens.
"We're at AUBURN. I think that says it all. We're going after the best in the country -- no matter when, what, where, how. That's how we're going to do it. We're going to work really hard to try to get that done every year -- including this one." -- Auburn University Head Football Coach Gene Chizik
Well that must mean we’re all a bunch of classless dicks!
Keep the hate alive, friend!
by get swoll yunel on Dec 1, 2009 11:52 PM EST up reply actions
And the only place where I've ever had flags snapped off my car
. . . was Auburn, following the ’02 Georgia-Auburn game. Did I raise a big stink over it? No. I shrugged, bought new flags, and moved on.
I’m extremely close with way too many Auburn grads to paint them all as classless trash over one (extremely minor) incident. Perhaps you need more friends, AUshorecm.
Oh, give me a break, AUshorecm
It’s called hyperbole. I exaggerated for the sake of humor. Since you people clearly can’t take a joke, let me explain: I don’t actually think Auburn hates America. Happy now?
I’ve been going to SEC football games for longer than you’ve been alive, and I can tell you from decades of experience that no fan base in the league even comes close to being as obnoxious and classless as Auburn fans. Florida fans are the second-worst and Georgia fans are the third-worst, but the obnoxiousness and classlessness of the Florida and Georgia fan bases combined doesn’t equal half of the obnoxiousness and classlessness of Auburn fans. If you doubt that, read this comment thread.
Don’t give me that “Auburn Creed” screed. Auburn is the cheatingest program in SEC history, which is saying something. Any program that accepts Bobby Lowder’s money, names its stadium after Shug Jordan, and names its field after Pat Dye can’t claim one shred of integrity.
Finally, the Outback Bowl picked Auburn not because its 2-5 finish featuring back-to-back blown 14-0 first-quarter leads against its two biggest rivals suggests that it is an up and coming program, but because the bowl organizers believed the Tigers would sell more tickets. Proximity is a factor, fan interest is a factor, and promises of ticket sales by the athletic department are a factor . . . particularly if the Auburn athletic director, recognizing the reality that the Plainsmen justifiably might fall to the Independence Bowl, was afraid of having Gene Chizik face Iowa State in Shreveport.
I’m sorry your car was vandalized. There is no excuse for that, but neither is there any excuse for the way Auburn people behave every single time it is my misfortune to have to deal with them.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Dec 1, 2009 11:02 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I'm not going to take the time to read your novel here
with finals coming up. I have better ways to make use of my time. Enjoy beating us while you can, that’s all I have to say. That, and I’m not one of these hypothetical Auburn fans you claim are so horrible. When LSU fans told me to get out of their town I told them to drive safely. When you people bark in my face (really mature by the way) I just keep walking knowing that I’m above that.
"We're at AUBURN. I think that says it all. We're going after the best in the country -- no matter when, what, where, how. That's how we're going to do it. We're going to work really hard to try to get that done every year -- including this one." -- Auburn University Head Football Coach Gene Chizik
And we're not the hypothetical jackasses that took your stuff
You can’t paint us all with the same brush and then get your feelings hurt when we do the same.
It’s a two way street.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
by RedCrake on Dec 2, 2009 12:00 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Since you have finals coming up
you probably don’t want to hang around here on a blog full of all these Bulldog fans you’re not so fond of. We’ll understand if you want to get back to your studying.
"Enjoy beating us"
"Dum spiro spero"
by Bravely going forward on Dec 2, 2009 1:11 AM EST up reply actions
That's the spirit, AUshorecm
Since you know you’re superior to me in every way, you can come over here, make a big deal over a throwaway parenthetical joke offered in response to someone else’s joke, and pay no attention whatsoever to my response, secure in the knowledge that you’re right and I’m wrong and the specific details of my wrongness are trivial.
You just keep walking and know you’re above dealing with the storm you stirred up because we’re the ones at fault. Cognitive dissonance is a wonderful thing.
Good luck on your finals.
Go 'Dawgs!
Read this comment thread
http://www.latechbbb.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67226
Honestly, you are the only person I’ve ever seen who considers Auburn fans classless, much less the least classy fans in the conference. There are similar threads from Ball State and WVU fans from earlier this season. It must be the rivalry aspect about the game that gives you that impression, though I thought everyone got along pretty well in Athens this season.
And, in a related story, this week marked the 5,000th performance of the Broadway musical "Cats." It also marked the 5,000th time a guy turned to his wife and said, "What the hell is this?"
As I've indicated several times, you're an exception, jd is legend . . .
. . . as is JCCW Jerry and (most of the time) War Eagle Atlanta, but a few good apples don’t redeem a bad bunch.
I’m sure Auburn fans are perfectly cordial to their overmatched out-of-conference opponents. I’m sure the Gator fans were nice to the Florida International folks and we were wonderfully accommodating towards the Tennessee Tech fans. That proves nothing.
Maybe Auburn fans are the nicest folks in the world for the first ten games of the year, but I’ve been to a bunch of Georgia-Auburn games over the years, and the jerk-to-nice-guy ratio is at least twelve-to-one on a good day in my experience. The comment threads we’ve had here involving Auburn fans certainly bear that out, particularly when some of them brag at Track ‘Em Tigers about how they’re going to come over here and make asses of themselves.
I freely admit that we Georgia fans are pretty obnoxious ourselves—-I consistently rank us third in the conference in that category, behind only Auburn and Florida but well ahead of Alabama, LSU, and Tennessee—-so I’m not sugar-coating the behavior of the fan base of which I am a part (or, for that matter, my own behavior). Maybe I’ve just been unfortunate in stumbling across (or attracting) the wrong kind of Auburn fan, but, yeah, I could tell you specific stories of crass and low behavior from pretty much every Georgia-Auburn game I’ve ever attended. As always, your mileage may vary.
Go 'Dawgs!
I don't share your hatred for Auburn, Kyle
As I’m from the Gator hating generation…
But reading these back and forths between yourself and Auburn fans this season has proven one thing time and again:
Never has there been a fanbase so quick to get all butt-hurt when someone makes even a passing jab or an attempted ribbing in their general vicinity.
As irritated as I get with LSU/Tennessee/Bama/Gator fans, at least dialogue with them don’t devolve into “You are classless” crybaby whining. They can trade barbs back and forth which is what the fun of a rivalry is supposed to be about.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
Dialogue *doesn't
Or dialogueS don’t for that matter
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
I have to disagree
Florida fans are the worst, followed closely by Bama Fan. All one has to do is search You Tube to know this is true.
AU is OK. Especially after beating them 4 years in a row.
HBTD
by Gen. Stoopnagle on Dec 2, 2009 12:09 PM EST up reply actions
Money
“the Auburn athletic director, recognizing the reality that the Plainsmen justifiably might fall to the Independence Bowl, was afraid of having Gene Chizik face Iowa State in Shreveport”
The league, and the Barn particularly, want nothing whatsoever to do with a potential matchup that would cast aspersions on, or not pass the smell test, with any of their member institutions and coaches…even if that institution is the Barn
"Hollywood made a movie of my life. The film had me proposing to my wife on the football field. I would never misuse a football field that way." -Crazy Legs Hirsch
by Stuck in the Plains on Dec 2, 2009 11:34 AM EST up reply actions
You are literally the most hateful Auburn fan I have ever seen. The internet is fun, isn’t it?
"Dum spiro spero"
by Bravely going forward on Dec 2, 2009 1:01 AM EST up reply actions
You shouldn't shoot off firehoses...
…in your glass house.
HBTD
by Gen. Stoopnagle on Dec 2, 2009 11:58 AM EST up reply actions
more of the Creed in action. Maybe Chizik and Trooper didn't get a copy?
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4713440
Nothing new here. Bidness as usual at AU.
I'm pretty sure nonplussed doesn't mean what you think it means.
Unless you meant to say that Tennessee was annoyed, and you are confused.
It also means "unimpressed" . . .
. . . but I will grant that it was not the best word choice on my part. My bad.
Go 'Dawgs!
-1 for questionable usage...
…+5 for any usage whatsoever (correct or otherwise) of any word that sounds like a part of the anatomy yet means “unimpressed.”
Common Misconception
Unimpressed is not at all the definition, but you are far and away not the only one who believes that. What do SAT classes teach kids these days? (sigh)
honestly, i hated the idea of Shreveport - but now I like it
For one, I may can go to the game a see a very good friend of mine that lives just down the road. For two, after this year, I would be happy if UGA didnt go to a bowl game, but as that is impossible, the lower the better. This will force this team to suck it up they lost to Kentucky, and go out and prove the nation (like the Suga with Hawaii) the bowl folks made a big mistake,or we lose, which, frankly, wouldn’t surprise any of us and hopefully spark CMR he needs to rip the program to the ground ( I am not talking firings) and start a new, because what he is doing isnt working. I wanted to play a BIg 12 over an ACC team as well, because I want some Big 12 payback, and I am tired of Big 10 and ACC bowls to be frank (still mad we didnt play USC last year by the way).
So, I may can go to LA, good. And the bulldgogs have to man up and accept they did this to themselves and that good finally get them over the mental problems they seem to have.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. ~ Albert Einstein
That's a good way of looking at it . . .
. . . and I completely agree about the conference thing. I’d much rather play a Big 12, Pac-10, or Big East team than a Big Ten team or an ACC team other than Clemson.
Go 'Dawgs!
Per Birmingham paper, who just posted the "unoffical" list, it looks like it's A & M or Iowa State.
Iowa State has made a remarkable recovery from Chizikitis.
I'm sure the Independence Bowl picked them . . .
. . . because the absence of Gene Chizik makes them an up and coming program!
Go 'Dawgs!
The reason they are an improved team
is because they are winning with Chizik’s players. You can’t deny the man’s recruiting abilities. Auburn’s 2010 recruiting class is shaping up to be pretty damn incredible. I’m thrilled CGC is our coach. WDE
"We're at AUBURN. I think that says it all. We're going after the best in the country -- no matter when, what, where, how. That's how we're going to do it. We're going to work really hard to try to get that done every year -- including this one." -- Auburn University Head Football Coach Gene Chizik
Couldn't the reason they are improved be because of the Big 12 North being down?
OU, Kansas, Missouri… All in down years compared to Chizik’s time there.
While I admire your optimism about your coach (and I do think he’s done a pretty good job in his first year)… This first full year of recruiting is likely more impacted by the Auburn brand and a relatively successful first season than a “Chizik is awesome” mentality on the part of recruits.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
by RedCrake on Dec 2, 2009 12:04 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Just a note
OU is in the South. I just think Chizik is doing a better job than Tuberville did, especially in the latter half of his tenure. CTT got lazy on the recruiting trail. That’s why we’ve had a couple of down seasons. The theme for Auburn this year has been lack of depth. I’m willing to go out on a limb and say if it weren’t for our lack of depth we would be 10-2 right now. We were in 3 games (UK, UGA, and that school down the road) until our defense got tired and gave up late scores.
"We're at AUBURN. I think that says it all. We're going after the best in the country -- no matter when, what, where, how. That's how we're going to do it. We're going to work really hard to try to get that done every year -- including this one." -- Auburn University Head Football Coach Gene Chizik
and the lack of depth
goes back to laziness with recruiting.
"We're at AUBURN. I think that says it all. We're going after the best in the country -- no matter when, what, where, how. That's how we're going to do it. We're going to work really hard to try to get that done every year -- including this one." -- Auburn University Head Football Coach Gene Chizik
Fair enough on OU
So your guy went 2 and whatever in a division with the likes of Kansas, Mizzou, Colorado, K State, and a very down at the time Nebraska.
Surely, even in a recruiting poor state like Iowa, the recruiting genius of Mr. Chizik would have had them in a position to compete for the division title after only a couple of seasons.
Or maybe they’re better because they are being run by a former SEC coordinator. Maybe Chizik is benefitting this year from Tuberville’s players.
Or maybe we should wait more than one season to declare that a program is on the rise (Auburn) or on the decline (Georgia)
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
by RedCrake on Dec 2, 2009 1:35 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Iowa is a poor recruiting state
But it’s even worse when Iowa manages to get all the meaty recruits and your school is stuck with table scraps.
"I am so proud to be your coach." -Paul Rhoads
Oh please.
This year’s Iowa State team is not really significantly better in terms of talent than last year’s 3-9 squad. The main difference at this point is that they have a team powered more by emotion than any sort of talent, and for the first time in a while, a head coach who actually gives a shit about the program.
The Independence Bowl would have been a complete trap game for Auburn, and they know it. I mean, how would you like to face down a guy you fired less than a year ago?
"I am so proud to be your coach." -Paul Rhoads
my apologies again, apparently my hands can not keep pace with my head and my typos abound. I guess I should follow Confucius’s advice, and write my words and wait a 1000 years to then check them before publishing.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. ~ Albert Einstein
A&M and UGA should be a good game
or it could be a hideously bad game. Both schools caused many of there own misfortunes this year. A&M had horrible fumbling problems in the Colorado and Kansas game and Georgia did most of the harm to itself in the Kentucky game. A&M can rise to the occasion as seen in the Tech and t.u. game, but with 16 freshman playing we have some consistency issues.
A&M and UGA would be entertaining certainly
In the end, the result is likely the same as the UGA-ARK game…shootout for a bit, before the Dawgs superior talent takes the second half.
"Hollywood made a movie of my life. The film had me proposing to my wife on the football field. I would never misuse a football field that way." -Crazy Legs Hirsch
by Stuck in the Plains on Dec 2, 2009 11:38 AM EST up reply actions
DEFENDING OUTBACK'S SELECTION OF AUBURN
There are six SEC teams with 7-5 records, so none of them have really distinguished themselves from the pack. The article says “Auburn is the weakest of the SEC’s six 7-5 teams” but Auburn beat Tennessee in their head-to-head match-up. Similarly, Tennessee beat Kentucky, and Kentucky beat Auburn, so the “head-to-head” analysis doesn’t point to a clear pick. Tennessee is a great program, but they have played in two of the last three Outback Bowls. Auburn, on the other hand, hasn’t been to Tampa in over ten years. Georgia and Kentucky are also solid programs, but it appears from the comments above that everyone agrees these two programs were not necessarily better suited for a trip to Tampa. So where does that leave the Outback Bowl? – With the Tigers.
by Disinterested Par-tay on Dec 2, 2009 7:29 AM EST reply actions
Auburn lost 5 of their last 7
no coincidence, that was in the meat of their schedule, against talented teams. There is no reason to think that a team with a losing conference record deserves a bid against a #2/3, likely ranked, B10 team.
Auburn’s offense is fun for kids to watch, and their defense will make all the games exciting, but fundamentally sound it is not. Nor, does that team deserve a bid over a team with a better conference record. Liberty, Independence? Yes. Outback? Not in this life.
"Hollywood made a movie of my life. The film had me proposing to my wife on the football field. I would never misuse a football field that way." -Crazy Legs Hirsch
by Stuck in the Plains on Dec 2, 2009 11:42 AM EST up reply actions
While I loathe defending Tennessee
The reason Auburn is seen as a crazy pick isn’t because of the head to head argument but because Tennessee has a better conference record.
I understand what you’re getting at with Tennessee being there 2 of the last 3, but that’s what happens when a bowl generally leans towards a specific division.
If they were going to head out West, one could just as easily make an argument for Arkansas as one could for Auburn. Identical record, identical conference record.
Arkansas pasted Auburn when they were ranked #17. They also have a more intriguing figure at QB. Arkansas hung with #1 Florida and took LSU to overtime to end the season. Their only bad loss was to #2 Alabama.
They won 4 of their last 5 games.
Auburn on the other hand won 2 of their last 5 (although their schedule was a bit tougher to end) and had two bad losses (one to Arkansas).
Both played FBS competition of similar quality (Arkansas’ wins came over programs with a combined .450 winning percentage while Auburn’s came over programs with a combined .470 winning percentage). Since we Georgia fans tend to be a bit pessimistic, its worth noting in this context that Georgia’s wins against FBS competition came against teams with a combined .513 winning percentage. We also have a win over a top 10 team on our resume, but whatever.
All this is to say that bowl selections (particularly when it comes to the Outback — and certainly moreso in the case of the lower bowls) have very little to do with the quality of the team in question or their resume. It all comes down to how big the fanbase is and how it will travel. Obviously Auburn is in closer proximity to Tampa than Arkansas and thus will travel better — That’s why Auburn is the pick, because in the progression of that program 7-5 is seen as a good thing by the fans right now. Thus, they are excited and will buy lots of tickets, hotel rooms, and commemorative ticket holders. UGA fans see 7-5 this year as a colossal disaster. Thus, fewer will buy commemorative ticket holders, etc.
The Outback Bowl isn’t crazy for making this selection. The only thing that’s crazy is assuming that their selection has anything to do with Auburn’s quality compared with any of the other contenders.
Scatterbrained, out of sync, and circular logic….I know. That’s just how my brain works.
"I Run This State." - Washaun Ealey and Caleb King
As a Tampa resident, I prefer Auburn simply for the fact that they probably will travel
Even if I wouldn’t want an Auburn fan within 100 miles of Raymond James Stadium. I don’t see Georgia fans driving to Tampa in a down year (correct me if I’m wrong). I do see Auburn fans driving to Tampa since they see this as a positive year and have not been to Tampa lately. The Outback Bowl is more concerned with filling the building than picking the next best team in the SEC, especially when the SEC’s contract puts the Outback, Peach and Cotton on the same level. If there was an actual ranking of the bowls for bids 3-5, maybe the outcomes are different.
mlmintampa
UF C/O 06
I would agree with that.
Georgia fans are not likely to travel well to Tampa for an 11:00 AM game on New Year’s Day. For a prime time game on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta, however, you could sell 100,000 tickets.
They sure as **** won’t travel to Shreveport, either… no doubt about that. Even Nashville is a stretch.
by vineyarddawg on Dec 2, 2009 12:12 PM EST up reply actions
The Outback Bowl is run by d*****bags
I feel your pain. If it makes you feel any better, they are equally asinine in filling the other slot. Last year they hosed my Northwestern Wildcats for Iowa, even though we beat Iowa (at Iowa) and had a better overall record. Extra painful because, judging by this thread, our esteem for Iowa is almost exactly equivlent to yours for Auburn. and while Iowa got to knock over the tomato can that was last year’s S. Car. team, we got windburn watching Jeremy Maclin run by us for Missouri and we still haven’t won a bowl since the Truman Administration.
I haven’t eaten there since. Although they probably haven’t noticed, since I’d never eaten there before.
Northwestern's upcoming bowl bid
Would you feel a little better if the aforementioned d*****bags selected your Wildcats for the game this year?
by Disinterested Par-tay on Dec 2, 2009 8:53 PM EST reply actions
I'd feel even better if you wired me a million dollars
But I’m not holding my breath on that either.
Auburn = 100% Class Act
No I’m not a regular here and no I won’t respond after this post. I only happened upon this blog when I did a search for “Auburn Outback Bowl” and your interesting (cough) post was one of the Google hits.
I love how you equate hate for Auburn to love of American values. Especially given all the illicit actions of Bulldog players over the last few years and the classless actions of Georgia fans in Athens the last few… well, actually the classless actions in Athens have gone on pretty much forever.
Why did the Outback Bowl pick Auburn? Well, here are a few words from the horse’s mouth himself which might give you a hint:
“When we heard of the Auburn fans chanting at the end of Friday’s game ’It’s great to be an Auburn Tiger’ we knew there was something special about the excitement around this football team. The Tigers have everything we are looking for in a New Year’s Day team – They are a tough, exciting, extremely well coached program and have what might be the best fans in college football.”
—Jim McVay, Outback Bowl President & CEO
I’m so proud to be one of those Tiger fans. Win or lose, we’re a class act. Georgia? Not so much….
And now I’m out of here. Smells a bit in this place. (And I don’t think it’s just the stench of sour grapes — the BS needs to trucked out of here from time to time when it gets too high.)
War Eagle!
(oh, and enjoy Shreveport)
:D
by Great 2B an AU Tiger! on Dec 4, 2009 10:44 AM EST reply actions
Wow!
I thought the internet was strictly confined to our plane (or plain) of existence, but, apparently, Dawg Sports is accessible in alternate realities, as well!
Cool! We here on the planet Earth send our best wishes to the mirror universe in which Spock has a beard, the Federation is evil, Auburn is classy, bowl representatives are honest when they claim to have picked a team due to “the excitement around this football team” from “what might be the best fans in college football” rather than due to financial considerations, and it’s sour grapes for a Georgia fan to point out that a Tennessee team that beat the Bulldogs badly was more deserving of a January 1 bowl berth than an Auburn team that the Bulldogs beat!
It’s good to know that there are some constants, though. Even in Great 2B an AU Tiger!‘s universe, Auburn fans still can’t take a joke.
Thanks for the good wishes, though. We will enjoy Shreveport, because, unlike Auburn fans, we realize that 7-5 is a poor record that deserves no better than the Independence Bowl. I hope you enjoy your longest losing streak to Georgia since the 1940s!
Go 'Dawgs!
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