Two years after a BCS title, could Auburn’s Chizik get fired?
Brian VanGorder (right) watches his career path take a discernible downturn. (AP photo)
Even as Auburn was en route to the BCS title, there was something unreal about the journey. Not that the 2010 Tigers weren’t the nation’s best team. But you wondered how they got that way.
This is a reference to Cam Newton, but not in the way you’d think. Nearly two years after it was reported that Newton’s dad had sought $180,000 to send his son to Mississippi State, we await the first bit of evidence that Auburn paid, or even offered, anything beyond a scholarship. The NCAA investigated at length and found nothing untoward. So far as can be discerned, Auburn won with Newton fair and square. That said …
Newton blew across the Plains in the time it takes to change, er, planes at Hartsfield-Jackson. (OK, slight exaggeration. But only slight.) He arrived from Blinn Junior College in January 2010, took his team to 14-0 the next January and, Heisman Trophy in tow, was gone. He was an Auburn student-athlete for roughly a year.
Auburn began its championship run ranked 22nd in the Associated Press preseason poll — one spot ahead of Georgia, six spots behind Georgia Tech. The Tigers were 8-5 in the season before Newton, 8-5 in the season after Newton. Today they’re 1-4, the victory coming in overtime against Louisiana-Monroe. They just lost 24-7 at home to an Arkansas team that was outscored by 100 points in its two previous SEC games. Which brings us to the other part of the disconnect.
The 2010 national championship was won by Gene Chizik’s team. Is Gene Chizik a national championship coach?
Counting two seasons at Iowa State, his career record is 36-33. His record without Cam Newton is 22-33. His record before Cam Newton was 13-24. His record since Cam Newton is 9-9.
A BCS title should buy a coach a long honeymoon, but let’s remember that Chizik works at Auburn. Where Terry Bowden resigned under pressure 11 months after he’d led the Tigers to the SEC championship game. Where school officials were moved to take a clandestine flight to Sellersburg, Ind., to woo Bobby Petrino, then of Louisville, to fill the head-coaching position occupied by Tommy Tuberville. Where Tuberville himself was gone four years after an undefeated season.
Things happen faster in the win-or-else SEC, and Auburn occupies the epicenter of Football Gone Wild. The Georgia-Georgia Tech relationship has been described as clean, old-fashioned hate. There’s nothing clean or old-fashioned about the feelings Auburn and Alabama have toward one another. Theirs is the dirtiest form of loathing, updated daily.
Alabama again reigns over college football. It has won two of the past three BCS titles and is in Position A to claim yet another. For one year, Newton and Chizik and Auburn usurped Nick Saban’s throne, but that year seems now — heck, it seemed so even then — as the one-off to end all one-offs.
So today we ask: Could the coach who claimed a national championship in January 2011 get fired before 2012 is done? Anywhere else, you’d say no. Auburn, however, is not anywhere else, and this is among the worst Auburn teams ever. It ranks 113th among 120 FBS teams in total offense, 117th in scoring, 110th in passing efficiency, 75th in total defense and dead last in turnover margin. This with a new offensive coordinator (the overmatched Scott Loeffler) and a new defensive coordinator (Brian VanGorder, of whom you’ve heard).
According to Rivals.com, Auburn’s signing classes from 2010 through 2012 ranked fourth, seventh and 10th nationally. Continuity, alas, has gone missing. Nick Fairley, who won the 2010 Lombardi Trophy, arrived as a JUCO transfer and left for the NFL after two seasons. Running back Michael Dyer was the offensive MVP of the BCS title game and was kicked off the squad 361 days later. Auburn has begun each of Chizik’s four seasons with a different quarterback; the latest, sophomore Kiehl Frazier, has thrown eight interceptions against two touchdown passes.
The Tigers’ next two games are at Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. (They’re a six-point underdog against the Rebels.) If Auburn loses both, it could well finish 0-8 in SEC play — two years after going 8-0. The SEC has seen all manner of strangeness, but such a plunge would have no precedent. Then again, Auburn’s rise to No. 1 didn’t have many antecedents, either. Yes, Herschel Walker lifted Georgia from 6-5 to an unbeaten national championship in his first collegiate season, but he stuck around a couple of more years and the Bulldogs stayed really good. And nobody wondered if Vince Dooley, who’d won three SEC titles before Herschel, could actually coach.
The former Auburn coach Pat Dye, who seldom makes a lick of sense, recently claimed he wouldn’t trade Chizik “for 10 Sabans.” If Chizik keeps losing, Auburn might soon swap him for one Bobby Petrino.
By Mark Bradley
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
403 comments Add your comment
Under The Bleachers
October 10th, 2012
3:09 pm
North Ga Dawg
They have signed some great talent, but arrest, suspensions and academics has caused a third of them to never see the field, the other two thirds are not getting coached very well and VanGorder will haul tail as soon as the season is over.
dick whiskey
October 10th, 2012
3:13 pm
sans hershel dooley was just a good coach certainly not great,and chiziks record without scam and fairley speaks for itself mediocre
Jacket Detective
October 10th, 2012
3:13 pm
Misery loves company.
I think Tech has a better chance of righting the ship through having rid ourselves of the cancer by way of an operation called firing.
Under The Bleachers
October 10th, 2012
3:13 pm
Sounds like the “Truth” is All In and has his feelings hurt.
By the way, Auburn has signed some Top 10 classes but take away non admissions, arrest, suspensions, dismissals and those Top 10 classes resemble more of a top 40 type class.
JRW7
October 10th, 2012
3:15 pm
I’m a DAWG, I don’t have time to worry about AUBURN, we have enough trouble at UGA with CMR! Seems to me that most DAWG fans are real happy with 10 wins per year beating below average teams. FIRE them both!!!
Jacket Detective
October 10th, 2012
3:16 pm
Off topic but Maryland has hired a heck of a D coordinator named Stewart.
Failing program immediately turned around.
And look what the two new coordinators are doing for the Falcons.
Great job Mike to hire them.
JB
October 10th, 2012
3:16 pm
Petrino healed, rested, relaxed, driving only 4 wheels and ready. Got to be in the back of All diehards minds on the Plains. They have lusted after him for a while, and me thinks with the attraction to that Campus by the talent within 150 miles of that Campus, He could win there quick, big and often. And the Sleeze factor down there means little. We all scratch our heads why the Russian got hired at a pedigree SEC power with like 4 wins at a no name ,I think we all know why. The Auburn Mafia, now out of business I’m told( thus the record) wanted him bad. He was family.
Big Crimson 75
October 10th, 2012
3:17 pm
Is Van Gorder ever gonna shave that 70s porn stasche?
Under The Bleachers
October 10th, 2012
3:17 pm
Look at the empty seats on the background of the photo at the top.
Empty seats means slow cleats and money getting beat.
Jacket Detective
October 10th, 2012
3:18 pm
Dawg fans.
U missed your chance to rid yourselves of CMR by beating Tech in 2009.
Hey maybe we are losing intentionally so you’ll never be free of mediocre CMR.
Hollywould
October 10th, 2012
3:20 pm
Still all in the family/ at least we don’t egg and roll our qb’s house or come on these blogs demanding that Richt be fired because every year the delusional leg humpers think they are the best. War Eagle!
Jacket Detective
October 10th, 2012
3:22 pm
U folks are a riot.
Keep the comedy coming.
What just happened here?
October 10th, 2012
3:22 pm
Russell Wilson is starting in the NFL – and thriving I might add – we had him on campus and somehow he slipped away – word on the street was he didn’t feel like he was a good fit for the offense Auburn wanted to run – hmmmmm – smh – WHEN YOU HAVE RUSSELL WILSON ON THE HOOK, YOU SCRAP WHATEVER OFFENSE YOU HAVE AND DESIGN AN OFFENSE AROUND HIS SKILLS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD – Cam saved Chizik on the first go ’round – Russell could have saved him on the 2nd
JB
October 10th, 2012
3:23 pm
Van Gordor the only well paid guy I know who didn’t get hurt in the housing bubble. He rents everywhere he goes.
LHarding Dawg
October 10th, 2012
3:24 pm
“The Truth” wouldn’t know the truth if it was tattooed on his azz.
Under The Bleachers
October 10th, 2012
3:25 pm
Hollywould
Yeah in Auburn they just home invade you why waste time with egging and TPing a house.
Jacket Detective
October 10th, 2012
3:25 pm
@JB.
Smart man.
JB
October 10th, 2012
3:26 pm
I think he gets another year. Dooley won’t. Richt is a lifer. He’ll be the only coach in UGA history other than Dooley to replace the shingles on his house in Athens. We’re stuck.
Jacket Detective
October 10th, 2012
3:27 pm
This is the funniest Bradley’s blog has been in a good while.
Yall keep the insults coming, ya hear.
Under The Bleachers
October 10th, 2012
3:27 pm
Big Crimson 75
Those recruits moms love that 70’s looking mustache
Big Crimson 75
October 10th, 2012
3:28 pm
Ummmmmmmmmmmm…
Russell Wilson is the one of the worst rated QBs in the NFL.
His QB rating is 33.9%. That’s below Matt Cassel!!
He has a top 3 Defense, a top 3 RB & the replacement refs to thank for Seattle hanging on at .500!
Go Jackets
October 10th, 2012
3:28 pm
Would love for Aubumm to take Fish Fry off our hands.
JB
October 10th, 2012
3:28 pm
I think the Russian thought Van Gordor would be a bigger help than he has been, although I know nothing about their roster.
Long-time Dawg
October 10th, 2012
3:28 pm
He won that title because the school bought him the players. Buy him some more or show him the door.
Long-time Dawg
October 10th, 2012
3:29 pm
And btw, CMR is a blue-light special right now.
Under The Bleachers
October 10th, 2012
3:30 pm
The dog track in shorter is not generating enough money as the bingo casino did to support the players lifestyle at auburn. I guess a sack is worth only a free trifecta quick pick these days.
Big Crimson 75
October 10th, 2012
3:31 pm
Fact is, Whiskey ponied up the coin for Wilson.
Yes, they do it in the Big 10 also.
LakeDawg
October 10th, 2012
3:31 pm
AU made a mistake firing Tuberville. You never know for sure, but Chizdick seemed a bad hire at the time. If he had been hired at UGA, he could relax and be guaranteed 7-8 years, no matter how he did.
JB
October 10th, 2012
3:32 pm
I don’t think the school was involved with the cash…….Lowder guy and the Victory Land Dog track guy are the suspects
Under The Bleachers
October 10th, 2012
3:34 pm
Pat Dye was either drunk or drinking while on Finebaum yesterday, the rambling monologue was embarrassing for the Auburn Family.
JB
October 10th, 2012
3:34 pm
Where did the phrase ” The Auburn Way” come from???
Tony Not Tiger
October 10th, 2012
3:34 pm
Auburn might be more attractive to better coaches if it weren’t in that black hole of nowhere of a burg. GOSH that place is forlorn. Plus, they can’t settle on a mascot: War Eagle? Tigers?? Plainsmen??? Well, what is it? It’s 2012, already, and they can’t settle it. And that “loveliest village” thing they always talk about, that line is from a poem about a village in Scotland or Ireland named Auburn, not in a Godforsaken place that like east central Alabama! The Tide owns our state and rightly so. Auburn needs to re-hire Bowden, he at least knows what he’s getting into.
Big Crimson 75
October 10th, 2012
3:34 pm
Go Jackets
October 10th, 2012
3:28 pm
Would love for Aubumm to take Fish Fry off our hands.
——–
According to GTbob, Aubie had the Brinks truck backed up on North Ave to sign Johnson before Chisik.
Of course, the Sain World understood that was a battle between Chisik & Gil.
Shug
October 10th, 2012
3:36 pm
Before Auburn becomes respectable again, it must atone for its sins.
JB
October 10th, 2012
3:38 pm
They will give him another year and by that time Petrino will have saved his marriage and rebuilt an orphanage and his PR will be fine. I’d almost bet the house on it.
Hollywould
October 10th, 2012
3:39 pm
Under/ invasion had nothing to do with a football game. Classy leghumpers doing their thing but believe what u want. Most leghumpers are so in denial they do it anyway.
JB
October 10th, 2012
3:41 pm
Tubbs going to Arkansas I bet.
Delbert D.
October 10th, 2012
3:42 pm
There all a bunch of looosers. I’ll say it again, looosers! They deserve to looose. What is the blog about? I better go back and read it.
Under The Bleachers
October 10th, 2012
3:43 pm
Hollywould,
You are right it was done by criminal elements of the drug infested pay for play, grade changing Auburn Football program. The inmates running the prison.
rogue wave
October 10th, 2012
3:43 pm
The most rogue program in America folks.
pb
October 10th, 2012
3:44 pm
Hey Under the Bleachers,
Got to remember Pat Dye is pretty old, and he had some serious health issues a few years ago. Maybe has mental lapses because of it, so give the guy a break…
RTR22
October 10th, 2012
3:45 pm
Hire Troopa, the biggest clown on the sidelines……
John
October 10th, 2012
3:46 pm
There are plenty of non Division I college football programs in Georgia to go watch on Saturdays. Clark Atlanta, Morehouse, Point, Shorter, Valdosta State, West Georgia, Fort Valley State and LaGrange all play every week and Mercer and Reinhardt come on board next year. It’s a whole lot cheaper, no scandals involved, and a lot of fun.
Under The Bleachers
October 10th, 2012
3:46 pm
Just wait to the week of the UGA/Auburn game and repost/update the stats and records, and the Auburn fans will be long gone.
65 ship players and not on probation.
October 10th, 2012
3:47 pm
Getting beat by an average of 41-10 against your last 5 top 10 teams get you and nice pay raise.
Big Crimson 75
October 10th, 2012
3:49 pm
Sorry Ruby, you’re not welcome back.
We’ve got another Foster on board, Robert.
He’s better anyway & no extra mouths to feed.
PMC
October 10th, 2012
3:50 pm
It’s interesting that a coach that managed to build a team good enough to win the first national championship at a school in 50 something years could be ushered out 2 years later as unfit, when in an adjacent state in the same league a coach that had been there for over a decade without ever even playing for a national title seemingly has nothing to worry about.
Paul in NH
October 10th, 2012
3:50 pm
How the heck do you replace Ted Roof as DC and have your defense get worse?
Hollywould
October 10th, 2012
3:52 pm
Under/ some fans will be gone, not me. I support them all the way unlike your demented fan base. And once agian for the 1000th time show some proof on paying somebody. You can’t/almost 4 time for your meds.
Mark Bradley
October 10th, 2012
3:52 pm
Would not have thought it possible, Paul. But I can’t believe a team with Roof as DC won a championship.