Aren't we really about what we expected?

[jadennis]

Before the year started, I thought 7-5 would be decent progress from 5-7 last year.

Knowing there would be ups and downs, growing pains with a new staff, and depth issues throughout the year, I thought winning 8 or more would be a really big surprise.

Here's how I broke it down:

I figured 4 "likely" wins: La Tech, Mississippi State, Ball State, and Furman.

I figured 2-2 against these four: West Virginia, @ Tennessee, @ Arkansas, and Kentucky.

I hope for 1-3 against these four: LSU, Ole Miss, @ Georgia, and Alabama.

That would be 7-5. 

With a back-loaded schedule and no depth on the team, it's no surprise that most of the wins have come early.   Just because we started 5-0 and could end 2-5 doesn't mean we went from being a good team to being a bad team. 

It means we were a 7-5 team all along...looking good against poor teams, and not looking so good against good teams.  That's what a 7-5 team does, and that's likely what we are. 

[Kaos]

http://www.tigersx.com/ks/the-magic-number-for-gene-chizik-7/

From August.

Auburn hasn't played a "good" team yet.  That's the problem.

[Townhallsavoy]

No. 

That's the problem.  We've been BETTER than we expected. 

Before the season, I figured we'd lose to West Virginia or Tennessee.  Probably both.  That'd put us at worst 3-2 going into the Arkansas game, and I thought that would be our big test.  If we got by Arkansas, we'd be establishing ourselves as an up and coming program.  If we didn't, we'd be right where a low level team should be with a new coach/system.  After that, I fully expected us to beat Kentucky and head into the meat of our schedule hoping for an upset against one of the big four.

Instead, we came out roaring.  5-0.  1 game to go until being bowl eligible. 

Then Arkansas beat the glasses off of Malzahn and blew the Roof off of our house.  Then Kentucky changed our mindset from "surprised" to "lack of talent is the reason." 

It isn't so much that we're right where we expected to be.  It's more so that we were better and allowed it to drop off.  A good team with depth issues doesn't lose to Kentucky.  They lose nail biters to LSU and say "well, we just didn't have the depth." 

It's almost a crutch for Chizik to have started off so well.  At least in my book.

[jadennis]

No. 

That's the problem.  We've been BETTER than we expected. 

Before the season, I figured we'd lose to West Virginia or Tennessee.  Probably both.  That'd put us at worst 3-2 going into the Arkansas game, and I thought that would be our big test.  If we got by Arkansas, we'd be establishing ourselves as an up and coming program.  If we didn't, we'd be right where a low level team should be with a new coach/system.  After that, I fully expected us to beat Kentucky and head into the meat of our schedule hoping for an upset against one of the big four.

Instead, we came out roaring.  5-0.  1 game to go until being bowl eligible. 

Then Arkansas beat the glasses off of Malzahn and blew the Roof off of our house.  Then Kentucky changed our mindset from "surprised" to "lack of talent is the reason." 

It isn't so much that we're right where we expected to be.  It's more so that we were better and allowed it to drop off.  A good team with depth issues doesn't lose to Kentucky.  They lose nail biters to LSU and say "well, we just didn't have the depth." 

It's almost a crutch for Chizik to have started off so well.  At least in my book.

To me, everything you just described is exactly what I expected in getting to 7-5.  I figured there would be ups and downs.  It would be inconsistent, we'd win a game here or there we didn't expect to win, and lose some we don't expect to lose.  I didn't expect us to necessarily be 5-0.  But to be 5-2 is about what I expected at this point, I just figured we'd get there by being 2-1, then 3-1, then 3-2, then 4-2, then 5-2, or something like that.  The fact that the wins and losses have been grouped together (5 wins, then 2 losses), doesn't really change anything for me...it just happen to come out that way instead of the back and forth I listed above.

But the season being 5-2 at the start and 2-3 down the stretch is still, in my opinion, what a lot of us expected.  We just lost sight of that because the 5 part of "5-2" happen to all come in a row to start the year.  Maybe that got a lot of us changing our expectations, but it probably shouldn't have. 

To me, it's disappointing, but if someone had offered me 5-2 to start the year, I would have taken it.

[Townhallsavoy]

To me, everything you just described is exactly what I expected in getting to 7-5.  I figured there would be ups and downs.  It would be inconsistent, we'd win a game here or there we didn't expect to win, and lose some we don't expect to lose.  I didn't expect us to necessarily be 5-0.  But to be 5-2 is about what I expected at this point, I just figured we'd get there by being 2-1, then 3-1, then 3-2, then 4-2, then 5-2, or something like that.  The fact that the wins and losses have been grouped together (5 wins, then 2 losses), doesn't really change anything for me...it just happen to come out that way instead of the back and forth I listed above.

But the season being 5-2 at the start and 2-3 down the stretch is still, in my opinion, what a lot of us expected.  We just lost sight of that because the 5 part of "5-2" happen to all come in a row to start the year.  Maybe that got a lot of us changing our expectations, but it probably shouldn't have. 

To me, it's disappointing, but if someone had offered me 5-2 to start the year, I would have taken it.

Yes, 5-2 is glorious for this team.  It's great and exactly where we'd like to be. 

But, wait, shit.  It isn't.  You know why?  34-3 at one point against Arkansas.  21-14 with no hope against Kentucky. 

I expected this coaching staff to work their magic and have us ready to play in every game.  I expected to lose the tough ones with my post game attitude being "dad-gummit, we just didn't have the players or experience to win." 

Instead, I'm looking at the games remembering the alleviation I felt when Tony Franklin packed his shit up and left town.  The performances have been that bad - Tony Franklin bad.  Hell, I'm still waiting on one of the coaches to say "I'm a dumbass." 

This weekend is big.  We better pick it up and give LSU a run for their money.  If we get blown out again, I'm going to wonder what the hell this coaching staff is doing.

[ibelonginprison]

To me, it's disappointing, but if someone had offered me 5-2 to start the year, I would have taken it.

Yup.  In July if you gave me that I would have jumped up and down.

We'll see how we finish.  To me losing won't be the worst issue, being murdered and having our bodies drug around like lifeless corpses is what is so humiliating.

If we can put up a good fight here and there, then I'll be alright. 

Still miss Tubby... but still like what Chizik is doing.

[RWS]

If we get blown out again, I'm going to wonder what the hell this coaching staff is doing.

Planning pie/watermelon eating contests and riding in limos? Perhaps they should have spent a little more time watching film this offseason.

[Godfather]

Planning pie/watermelon eating contests and riding in limos? Perhaps they should have spent a little more time watching film this offseason.

[jmar]

I thought eight total was possible with or without a bowl win added. I recall State starting 5-0 and running into an AU grinder some years ago. We are neither as good as the first five nor as bad as the last two. I guess you only suck as bad as your last loss.
 
I think Malzahn is just what AU needs. I'm not so sure many can prop up this defense though. However, you make your adjustments and then worry about whether you have enough in the tank afterwards. Playing it vanilla might work for a quarter. This D is thin, inexperienced and way too small for the SEC. The O-line are gamers but seem to have a knack for screwing up at key intervals. Tate is very solid but there are few other go-to guys in the line-up. We know who's behind the curtain.

It can be said that defenses have caught up with the spread but the ability to execute can overcome some of the problems.The staff is recruiting speed. Still, it almost seems that the team is overcoming several years of sanctions, which makes me re-think my previous view about prior recruiting classes and the staff that wouldn't.
 

[AUChizad]

We are neither as good as the first five nor as bad as the last two.

There is great wisdom in this.

[jmar]

There is great wisdom in this.

Yeah that was a real doozy huh?
Took me less than four hours on that one.