It's not too much to ask for consistency.
Dye had it: 5-6, 9-3, 11-1, 9-4, 8-4, 10-2, 9-1, 10-2, 10-2, 8-3, 5-6, 5-6
(The last two were the result of Donald Watkins and the Bama REC Cabal taking him down).
A BAD year under Dye was an eight-win season. He couldn't win the enchilada, but 1983 was the best Auburn team I've ever seen. It would beat 2013, beat 2004 and possibly even take out 2010. His 1986 team was a Kerwin Bell freak moustache hair from playing for it all. The 1988 team was a cajun earthquake from playing Notre Dame -- and beating the living fuck out of Lou Holtz -- for the title.
Bowden was close and I really thought he'd end up being like his Daddy and building a program for the long haul. 11-0, 9-1-1, 8-4, 8-4, 10-3, 3-8 dumpster fire and the axe.
Tuberville had it: 5-6, 9-4, 7-5 (crazy 9-11 season), 9-4, 8-5, 13-0, 9-3, 11-2, 9-4, 5-7 and Jacobs says GTFO!
A BAD Tuberville team was 7-8 wins. Every team but his first and his offensively confused last was in the fight all season long pretty much.
Chizik lost it: 8-5, 14-0, 8-5, 3-8 dumpster fire and GTFO!
And now Gus: 12-2, 8-5, the current utter debacle...
What do we have in common there? Jacobs.
Came in on the heels of the Housel bungle from the telemarketing side, no experience and at the beck and call of boosters. On the hunt for Tuberville at the direction of said boosters from the jump. Isolated Tuberville and made his job more difficult than it had to be. Interfered and was part of Chizik leaving in 2004, allegedly because he told him there was no future and it was a matter of time before Tuberville was out. Fucked up Muschamp's deal and ran him off. Then HIRED Chizik. Then threw the axe at him.
I think he meddles. I think it hurts the program.
Dye knew coming in that he needed to also be the AD to get it done. We were always second fiddle in this state when Shug was at the helm and I think that was key for Auburn to be a regular contender.
So if this sequence of feast/famine continues we will suffer through this season, win 8 in 2016 and compete for the title in 2017. Then we drop off to 8 or 9 wins in 2018 before either duplicating that number of wins or shitting the bed the following year.
It's obvious that we will not have a dynasty at Auburn with that trend.
The wild card is getting that one special player to provide that
lightning in a bottle the media is so fond of saying. We might lack in the development phase but have some of the best talent scouts in the game.
Uncle Miltie, I salute you!