Scarbinsky On The Chizik-Saban Parallel

[AUChizad]

http://blog.al.com/kevin-scarbinsky/2010/01/the_chizik-saban_parallel_cont.html

The Chizik-Saban parallel continues
By Kevin Scarbinsky -- The Birmingham News
January 02, 2010, 1:42PM

Does the Auburn coach remind you of anyone here? (Hal Yeager / The Birmingham News)
Win a bowl game by surviving a comeback?
Check.
Put together a monster recruiting class?
Check.
Create the kind of buzz your program hasn't generated in years?
Check.
I first noticed the phenomenon and mentioned it about six weeks ago. Since then, the parallels between the first year of Gene Chizik at Auburn and the first year of Nick Saban at Alabama have continued to mount.
After five-star juco QB Cameron Newton signed Thursday, Rivals.com upped Auburn's recruiting ranking for the 2010 class to No. 3 in the nation.
Right behind No. 2 Alabama and No. 1 Texas.
That's the biggest difference between the progress Saban made upon arrival and the progress Chizik continues to make.
Saban was competing with an Auburn program in decline.
At the moment, Chizik is competing with an Alabama program 60 minutes away from a national championship.
That fact alone makes Chizik's work to date all the more impressive.
He's not kicking around a limping putty tat.
But of course, as Auburn fans like to point out, not everything Chizik does has something to do with Saban.
The Auburn coach's most devilish doubters will have to come up with a new way to poke fun at him.
Remember how they declared May 19 as Gene Chizik Day because of the 5-19 record he brought to Auburn?
Remember how they mock-celebrated Dec. 24 in his honor because Auburn's 7-5 regular-season record improved the coach's career mark to 12-24?
After the Outback Bowl thriller, Chizik is now 13-24.
Time to change the calendar in more ways than one.
And to go find another coach to laugh at, one whose program isn't on the rise.
Oh, by the way, I almost forgot.
Chizik finished his first Auburn season 8-5.
Saban completed Year One at Alabama 7-6.
Discuss.

[jadennis]

That's all nice, but I don't see 12-0 around the corner. 

I guess you never know, no one really saw 12-0 coming for them last year either.  If our defense improves, we could be hard to beat.  I imagine the offense to be better, if injuries don't bite the line and the next QB is at least as good at Todd (shouldn't be too hard). 

[Kaos]

That's all nice, but I don't see 12-0 around the corner. 

I guess you never know, no one really saw 12-0 coming for them last year either.  If our defense improves, we could be hard to beat.  I imagine the offense to be better, if injuries don't bite the line and the next QB is at least as good at Todd (shouldn't be too hard). 

Kodi Burns says you can go to hell.

[RWS]

Even though it was only a few years ago, the SEC is way way more down this season that it was in 2007. Really though, thats fine if you want to make the parallel. You're kind of comparing apples and oranges in that respect. I don't see Chizik having AU at a 12-0 mark next season, and I certainly don't see them in a NC game his third year. But, you have to give credit that Chizik did win 8 games in his first season. He could have just flopped around on the ground and won 3 or something....

[War Eagle!!!]

Even though it was only a few years ago, the SEC is way way more down this season that it was in 2007. Really though, thats fine if you want to make the parallel. You're kind of comparing apples and oranges in that respect. I don't see Chizik having AU at a 12-0 mark next season, and I certainly don't see them in a NC game his third year. But, you have to give credit that Chizik did win 8 games in his first season. He could have just flopped around on the ground and won 3 or something....

You're a dumb ass...

[Thrilla]

You're a dumb ass...

I sense a pattern.

[ssgaufan]

Even though it was only a few years ago, the SEC is way way more down this season that it was in 2007. Really though, thats fine if you want to make the parallel. You're kind of comparing apples and oranges in that respect. I don't see Chizik having AU at a 12-0 mark next season, and I certainly don't see them in a NC game his third year. But, you have to give credit that Chizik did win 8 games in his first season. He could have just flopped around on the ground and won 3 or something....

It's nice to see you admitting that the conference is down while bama is back.

[AuburnChopper 3.0]

It's nice to see you admitting that the conference is down while bama is back.

 

[jadennis]

Even though it was only a few years ago, the SEC is way way more down this season that it was in 2007. Really though, thats fine if you want to make the parallel. You're kind of comparing apples and oranges in that respect. I don't see Chizik having AU at a 12-0 mark next season, and I certainly don't see them in a NC game his third year. But, you have to give credit that Chizik did win 8 games in his first season. He could have just flopped around on the ground and won 3 or something....

Alabama's 2007 SEC opponents record: 66-38, faced two teams with 5 or fewer wins, 6 teams with 8+ wins.

Auburn's 2009 SEC opponents record: 66-37, faced one team with 5 or fewer wins, 5 teams with 8+ wins.

Even though the records above are about the same, I'll say Alabama played the tougher teams.  I listed the records though because "way, way more down" is too bammerish in it's overstatement to ignore.

[Token]

This is a classic Finebaum piece by the Scab. 

He riles up the Bama fans by saying Chizik is ahead of Saban during the first year.  Then, when Chiz doesn't win the next 25 out of 27 games including an SEC Championship and an appearance in the NC game, he declare that Chiz isn't as good as Saban and piss a bunch of Auburn fans off. 

He has an agenda, just like Finebaum, and I'm shocked more people can't see it for what it is.

[Jumbo]

Kodi Burns says you can go to hell I can't play Quarterback.

Fixed.

[AUsweetheart]

Even though it was only a few years ago, the SEC is way way more down this season that it was in 2007. Really though, thats fine if you want to make the parallel. You're kind of comparing apples and oranges in that respect. I don't see Chizik having AU at a 12-0 mark next season, and I certainly don't see them in a NC game his third year. But, you have to give credit that Chizik did win 8 games in his first season. He could have just flopped around on the ground and won 3 or something....

I'm putting, oh, about zero stock in this article. Any jackass can connect a few dots and make comparisons that don't really amount to anything in the end...and most importantly, the premise that emulating Saban is the truest measure of success?....well it's just fucking insulting to people that manage to think clearly. 
But please, tell me how this is apples and oranges. You do know what the phrase means right?

[RWS]

It's nice to see you admitting that the conference is down while bama is back.

There really is no way of spinning it. Now, if one is directly related to the other, who knows. It was down last year, and we did well. But then again, you look and see what Alabama did against UGA for example, and you factor in the way Alabama played, I'm not sure we wouldn't have gotten the same result. I mean, UGA had Stafford and Moreno still. We went toe-to-toe with UF, for the most part. The only reason AU sucked was because of Franklin, and then not having an OC for half the season. All of it is certainly debateable.

[AUChizad]

There really is no way of spinning it. Now, if one is directly related to the other, who knows. It was down last year, and we did well. But then again, you look and see what Alabama did against UGA for example, and you factor in the way Alabama played, I'm not sure we wouldn't have gotten the same result. I mean, UGA had Stafford and Moreno still. We went toe-to-toe with UF, for the most part. The only reason AU sucked was because of Franklin, and then not having an OC for half the season. All of it is certainly debateable.

It's like you wrote all of that without the first sentence, realized that despite your best efforts it still sounded dumb, your head nearly exploded from trying so hard, but ultimately realized you simply couldn't spin it, and finally surrendered by tagging on that first sentence.

[jadennis]

There really is no way of spinning it. Now, if one is directly related to the other, who knows. It was down last year, and we did well. But then again, you look and see what Alabama did against UGA for example, and you factor in the way Alabama played, I'm not sure we wouldn't have gotten the same result. I mean, UGA had Stafford and Moreno still. We went toe-to-toe with UF, for the most part. The only reason AU sucked was because of Franklin, and then not having an OC for half the season. All of it is certainly debateable.

Too bad the Mountain West was "up" last year though, huh.

[GH2001]

This is a classic Finebaum piece by the Scab. 

He riles up the Bama fans by saying Chizik is ahead of Saban during the first year.  Then, when Chiz doesn't win the next 25 out of 27 games including an SEC Championship and an appearance in the NC game, he declare that Chiz isn't as good as Saban and piss a bunch of Auburn fans off. 

He has an agenda, just like Finebaum, and I'm shocked more people can't see it for what it is.

THIS MAN...gets it  ^^^

[jmar]

I get the Scarbinsky thing, but someone tell me which one of these is supposed to represent Saban.

[AUChizad]

Clearly the apple = crimson = Saban.

The orange = Chizik.

Duh.

[jadennis]

That apple is too tall to be Saban.

[GH2001]

Da Skreets say Saban is at least 5'10 since he is as tall as Arenas.