AubieJeff

Two things: First, it's a graduate assistant moving up. That's good for the GA and speaks well of the experience he has gained. GAs are SUPPOSED to move around. Second, I am not sure I trust an article authored by someone not careful enough to even spell-check their own work. Vacany? Really?

That is precisely correctTideFan8x5. Also, if Bigsby had not gotten cranked up against MSST in the second half, we could possibly have been 3-7 with a loss against them and without the blown ref calls.

Reasons why we're stuck with Gus until the end of the 2021 season: 1) The sheer cost of the buyout at this time. 21.45 million dollars* is a HUGE buyout in the best of times, let alone in the time of this pandemic (which I'll get to in a minute). But if a single wealthy fan or booster pays for the buyout, that person will have outsized influence on who the next coach will be. If the buyout is spread out among several wealthy boosters, the politics of managing all the various demands of multiple boosters would be a nightmare. *Beginning in the 2021 season, the buyout will drop to $16,200,000. 2) The cost of a new contract coupled with the buyout would be staggering. We're faced with two choices here: A) Lure a low-cost, and thus likely a low-ability, poor-to-bad history coach, and push our team down further. B) Spend the huge number of dollars to bring in a proven coach, but run the risk of politics keeping him from coaching as he needs to. We wind up with "Chizik/Malzahn #3" and will wind up back in this exact same spot we're in right now. But the dollars would have to be huge for any reputable coach to take the job because it is the "Auburn job", after all. 3) 2020: it's all about the optics. With many people unemployed, the optics of a buyout just don't work. Let's say the buyout is executed, and a new coach is brought in. If we use an even lower salary to bring in a coach, and don't count incentives (let's say a four year contract worth $20 million), we're looking at a cost of $41,450,000 just to change coaches. The flak Auburn would get would be incredible. 4) 2020, part two: until the pandemic stuff is over and real games, real recruiting, all that, comes back to our lives, we will stand pat with the devil we know rather than risk it on the devil we don't. It's hard to say who a good coach would be until our lives, and especially training, practices, and recruiting, and operating with full staffs, go back to normal. So those are my thoughts for the day. I hope I'm wrong, but that's where I think Auburn is right now with the coaching situation.

I don't blame the young man one bit, especially given how Nix was the anointed starter with no true quarterback comparison ever happening. Gus' refusal to move beyond Nix, even when Nix is not productive, is a good reason for him to move on. Side note: I was on the Gus bus when he first came to Auburn. I think we need to bite the bullet with the payout of the contract and get a true coach. We've ridden the cusp of excellence for so long, always "this close" but never quite getting there. But I guess we could definitely be worse off.

I dont blame the young man one but, especially given how Nix was the anointed starter with no true quarterback comparison ever happening. Gus' refusal to move beyond Nix, even when Nix is not productive, is a good reason for him to move on. Side note: I was in the Gus bus when he first came to Auburn. I think we need to bite the bullet with the payout of the contract and get a true coach. We've ridden the cusp of excellence for so long, always "this close" but never quite getting there. But I guess we could definitely be worse off.

I was thinking the same as your analysis, War Eagle 14-0. However, I am calling a closer score, 27-23. I'm a bit concerned about our secondary, still. If we can shut down the run, and force Trask to throw for interceptions, we will be good. And we need to hold on to the ball better, at least better than we did with MS St.

Exactly. As an Auburn fan, however, I was thrilled to see Alabama jump over Clemson. And not because it was Clemson, but out of a sense of equity. Look at the quality of teams and strength of wins Alabama has compared to Clemson. While I don't think we will win the Iron Bowl, I think we have a decent shot against the Tide at Jordan-Hare this year. Oh, and wouldn't it would be awesome if Bama is number 1 by the time we play, both undefeated? Of course we have to jump over Florida, LSU, and Georgia, and not discount the unranked opponents we play.

So Oregon and Texas A&M are nobody? And Kentucky is somebody? You are delusional. I respect Florida but not their resume. We have one of the strongest resumes in all of college football right now. Beginning this week and every other week thereafter we are playing ranked teams, giving us a tougher schedule than anybody else in the SEC in my opinion, except, perhaps, South Carolina.