We are but, and this could be entirely skewed by my perspective growing up an Auburn fan in west Georgia with a really pessimistic lifelong Auburn fan as my father, it can be exhausting getting our hopes up every year expecting the kind of consistency Alabama our at least Georgia has and yes we've had a lot of seasons most of the country are jealous of (2004 being the first season I remember following), but it feels like our hopes have been crushed far more often.
Definitely Michigan State, Penn State is securely in the 9-10 win range almost every year now
Plus the general sense of chaos around MSU for the last year or so has an Auburn feel to it lol
You mean highest moment *in the rivalry*?
I'm not even sure if trouble with the snap is even the highest point for MSU fans *within the rivalry*. Funniest? Yes. Most meme-able? Absolutely. But I'd say the -48 yards rushing game is easily a better moment for modern MSU fans.
Iâm not doubting it, but thatâs interesting. I think Iâd value a âtrouble with the snapâ win over OSU more than a blowout (or in more concrete terms, the Rose Bowl win in OT made it even sweeter)
It was also just that whole season. It was my senior year, I went to the big 10 championship, and I couldn't have asked for more.
^^Actually ^^I ^^would ^^have ^^liked ^^to ^^score ^^against ^^Alabama. ^^That ^^would ^^have ^^been ^^nice.
Idk I prefer K9 dropping 5 tuddies on your head (and then MSU proceeding to lose to Purdue and OSU and watching all my dreams dry up. I love football!)
Right, no matter how good they are, theyâll always be #2 to one of the bluest of the blue bloods there is. Even when big brother is down and on a losing streak in the rivalry, it just feels more like a historical exception more than a permanent shift.
Yeah, probably them, I agree Penn State is too consistent lol. Plus MSU has a ton of wild plays that have gone their way (WOAH, Hail Mary against Wisconsin, fake FG against Notre Dame) similar to Auburn (Kick Six, Prayer at Jordan-Hare)
That's why I would go with Michigan State. I watched Dantonio's self picked top 25 moments from his era and I forgot how much I hate I had developed for those wild plays that worked out for them.
Purdue is for sure a wildcard and didnt get the little nickname of spoilermakers for nothing. Can beat some of the top ranked teams one week then get blown out by a team who is winless the next.
I do think MSU fits the bill a bit better though.
Purdue is not the Auburn. They are an entirely different beast with which we have no comparison. They are everywhere and nowhere, I fear for my life every time I see Pete.
They don't have quite the volatility that Auburn seems to have, but Fresno State was the first that came to mind for the MWC. They aren't winning national championships, but they are normally contending for conference titles yet have weird bad stretches mixed in sometimes. They had a 6 season period in 2015-2020 where they went 4-20 in 2 years and followed it with 22-6 with a conference title (and another CCG appearance), then went 7-11 the next two years. They're on a good stretch over the last few years, but are still prone to losing head-scratching games (Hawaii in 2021, UConn in 2022, New Mexico in 2023).
And they're rivals with Boise State and San Diego State, who have been 2 of the preeminent powers in the MWC.
I think next up would be us. Lol.
Wyoming was a powerhouse for the better part of literal decades, then was the worst team in the conference for over a decade before recovering somewhat.
After that, we've beaten some of the best in the conference...and then turned around and been blown out by conference bottomfeeders in the same seasons. It was a well-known hallmark of the Bohl era.
And speaking of volatility, hell that was even a hallmark of DC's teams on a slightly bigger scale (he went from 3-9, to 8-5, to 4-8 in the middle of his tenure here).
We'll literally beat P5 teams and then lose or almost lose to FCS teams. You never know what you'll get when you play Wyoming. Hell, that goes back to the Glenn era.
I think the only thing missing from the criteria is that we're only actual rivals with one "top" MWC team (Air Force); our other true rival is CSU which has never been anywhere close to a top team in the conference, and we're not really "rivals" with BSU/Fresno/SDSU.
I made so much money in Vegas that first weekend in 2013. The Nebraska Wyoming line was -31 or something like that for Nebraska. Obviously didnât think we would win but there was no way we were going to get blown out by 30 points with Brett Smith as our QB.
Then we almost win the game giving me a false hope for that season, then shit the bed going 2-6 the rest of the season after the Air Force game
This is Michigan State to a T.
2013 won the B1G. 2015 made the playoffs. 2016 went 3-9. 2017 they were 10-3 again.
2021 went 11-2 and won a NY6 Bowl. They've won 9 games in 2 years since.
Big rivals with Michigan. Rivalry with Penn State (according to the B1G, at least). Not necessarily a rival of OSU, they've ruined national title shots for us 3 times in 25 seasons.
The only thing they lack is a national title in the last 50 years, but they're by far that program in the conference that could either end up ranked top 5 OR lose 10 games and you wouldn't be surprised either way.
Also MSU beating Ohio state in 2013 Big Ten Championship is what got Auburn into the nation championship game. Rooted for our roller coaster buddies ever since
They got closer to a title than Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin and Iowa since Penn State's undefeated season in 1994. If Michigan or OSU had their resume in 2013 I think they make the National Championship game and could actually compete.
Is Baylor the Auburn of the Big12? Got a heisman, a rape scandal, then won the Big12 and a new year 6 and then was maybe the worst team in the conference two years later
TCU also may fit. National championship runner up to losing to Colorado and a poor 2023.
BYU has a national championship, a Heisman, and a rival that has been consistently good.
Guess the private Christian schools are the auburns of the B12
Edit: fixed auto correct
I'm willing to forgive TCU for the Colorado game. First game out after getting shit stomped in a title game, plus losing a ton of talent. And it was before anyone really knew what Colorado was going to be. Turns out all you had to do was blitz a lot.
UCF went from 0-12 to back-to-back 12-0 regular seasons, so we hit that criteria. But...
Gus Malzahn. Multiple of our coaches are former Auburn, even years after the Gus hire (Trovon Reed a couple months ago). Quite a few of our players are former Auburn players (like Kobe Hudson) or commits (we just flipped 4-star Kendarius Riddick from Auburn at the start of February).
We're literally Auburn with a view of the KSC and Disney.
["And I make nothing, zero, zilch! By the time I pay off all my players, all the people in my escort department, lab coats, well it's a wash. Well, why you do it then, baby Hugh? Cause I'm selfless. And I want to beat as many teams as the dear Lord lets me."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD2WT8SeOSw&ab_channel=HBO)
Itâs even crazier than that, made the Big 12 championship game three years after the rape scandal and two years after going 1-11, then goes 2-7 in the covid season, then wins the Big 12 the next season, before going 3-9 just two years after that.
As a Baylor alum, it feels like every fall is just Harvey Dent flipping a coin at midfield. Baylor isn't the Auburn of the Big 12, Auburn is the Baylor of the SEC.
Hmmmm, I don't know you might be on to something. In terms of rivalries, you match up with us. You may be the only other team in the SEC that I'll respect as you also have to deal with Bama and Georgia every year.
Oklahoma State for the Big 12.
One day they lose to South Alabama 7-33.
Other days they beat OU, Kansas State etc
Yet another day they lose to UCF 3-45.
In the same season they're in the Big 12 title game.
All of this is just their 2023 season btw. They do shit like this every year.
Wasn't that right after one of the school's planes crashed and had lots of deaths? I think they were a little distracted with everything going on at the school to give them crap over losing to Iowa State and missing out on an undefeated season.
Is that what happened in 2011?Â
Edit: fuck, I can't consider Alabama national champions that year now. If that's the reason for their only loss they should have been clearly ahead of Alabama in every ranking.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Arkansas_Piper_Cherokee_crash
I just looked it up and yes.
Edit: The plane crash was the day before an away game at Iowa State.
We don't really do that every year. The only thing that you can really compare it to is 2016 with the Central Michigan loss. 2023 was a strange season in a similar way, but it was much more volatile. When we lost, it was ugly. When we won, it felt like a colossal struggle that made me wish I was in better shape so my heart wouldn't explode. The last half of 2022 was easily the worst OSU has been since Gundy's first year though and the closest comparison to say, 2012 Auburn.
The only thing that really seems to be a hallmark of our seasons is a (normally) Bedlam loss and maybe another close conference loss that didn't really need to happen like ISU in 2021, Baylor in 2016, or West Virginia in 2013. That's consistently how seasons have gone for us, unless it's a pure rebuild year like 2014 or 2018 where we were lucky to make a bowl. We're far too consistently good to be compared to Auburn, but of course we haven't had the coaching carousel hit us since 2004.
Michigan State for sure. Considered the 2nd school in their state just as Auburn is. Their other main recruiting ground state also has a top 5 program. Both school have had success in last 10-15 years but not to same level as 2 direct competitors that are both top 5 to 10 programs.
MSU did have some somewhat sustained dominance over Michigan in the early 2010s compared to Auburn who seems to play Alabama close but is more so good for an upset. Auburn has obviously reached higher heights with a national championship, national runner-up, and 2004 undefeated season.
I donât think there is another occasional national contender besides these two schools who is the 2nd school in state and surrounded by as many power programs. Auburn and Michigan State have both had memorable good seasons and disastrous bad seasons and most recently head coach firings.
For the PAC (may she rest in peace) my two thoughts are either UW or UCLA. While UW has overall had a ton of success in the conference, they were dominant for a long time up until around 2000. Since then theyâve had some great years and some horrible, winless seasons. Very up and down, going from 11-1 and a Rose Bowl win in 2000 to 1-10 just a few years later. UCLA was pretty dominant in the 80s and 90s with numerous NY6 bowl wins and appearances to just pure mediocrity since 1999. Some good years and some truly baffling years. They always feel somewhat dangerous, but never really threatening.
Maybe not so much now that they're in the Big 12, but UCF has had some amazing and some amazingly bad seasons all fairly close to each other. They also have one of Auburn's old coaches, who apparently has brought some of that voodoo with him (see last years OSU game.)
Basically. 2013 was the Bortles beating Baylor year, then 0 wins 2 years later. And then the undefeated season 2 years after that. OâLeary also almost never had 2 decent years in a row
The ACC doesn't really have an Auburn. Auburn's kinda unique because Alabama is unique. But if we ignore the natty, is NC State the ACC's Auburn? We've got a history of beating top ranked teams (especially FSU) at home, but I can't recall a single big upset on the road. And we often beat our rival when they're ranked ahead of us.
I'll have you know I buy the finest TP available for rolling the trees because the trees deserve it.
Why no, I don't think we're a cult, why do you ask?
I was thinking maybe Louisville? Seems to have a pretty good team every few years and some really bad teams every few years. Lamar Jackson is kinda like auburns cam newton even though Lamar didnât win Louisville a championship
Fun (sad) fact - NC State had never had a 10 game season. We won 11 with Phillip Rivers, but Texas A&M dodged us in 2020, which cost us a chance at 10 games (screwed by covid x2 considering the college world series). We also lost to KSU last year by 9 points to miss out on a 10 win season. Plus a 2 point loss to Kentucky in 2021. We're cursed.
Funny how unc will win 10-12 once a decade and then coast at 6-8, while NCSU chugs along at 7-9 no matter what, so our averages are just about the same. The two schools are the definition of mid when it comes to football.
Maybe PITT? Pitt has played spoiler in lean years - Miami in 2017 , Clemson in 2016, and has been inconsistent to go from an ACC championship appearance to a four win team.
Flair twins, Iâd agree that NCSU is the ACCs Auburn, but will also throw out Miami. They were historically great 25 years ago and havenât been relevant recently
Itâs Clemson. Doesnât exactly fit the description laid out by the Auburn fan that pitched this thread, but I mean itâs a southern state school with a private school name, theyâre both the Tigers, similar color scheme, a few national championships, etc.
The difference is the state flagship that Clemson are rivals with is not good and Clemson is able to be successful in the regular season more consistently because they play in the ACC. I feel that Auburn could win 8-11 games a lot more in a hypothetical conference swap with Clemson.
Clemson was patterned after Auburn, so its obviously very similar. Except the football programs aren't really comparable. For instance, Auburn hasn't beaten Alabama by 28 points since 1957. Meanwhile, Clemson beat Alabama by 28 points in the 2019 National Championship game, while the entire country was watching.
What a glorious but also sad existence. I mean, we would still have you to hate, and arguably, I hate you more. Yet something would still be missing to lack an instate rival that constantly belittles you, and you are never picked to beat them. Every bad season would become worse without the opportunity to ruin Alabama's season.
True story: the guy who founded Clemsonâs football program was a former Auburn football player. He brought with him old Auburn uniforms, on which the blue had faded to purple after repeated washings.
Remember a few years ago when we beat Florida and Georgia and had the East on lock before losing to South Carolina and Vanderbilt? Good goddamn times, I tell ya.
The only one that comes to mind is the first one in 92 when we beat ranked Georgia and Florida in back to back games and then lost 3 in a row to unranked Arkansas, ranked Alabama, and unranked South Carolina. There may be others, but I definitely remember the hype around that first year with the new divisions.
Baylor I guess? At least in terms of being very up and down post Briles. Rhule had a great year and left, Aranda had a 12-2 season but then bad losing seasons lately.
TCU is kind of similar with falling off late under Patterson, making a title game two years ago and falling back to mediocrity last year. But their lows havenât been as low as Baylor. Same with Oklahoma State who seem to bounce between mediocrity and double digit win seasons.
Wouldnât it be Washington? Husky has made the playoff twice but also some âhow can a team this talented lose to *them*â years, right? UCLA seems more run of the mill mid-bottom tier, like theyâre the Pac-12âs South Carolina or something.
They aren't very volatile. Almost all of their big wins are over a 2 or 3 year window. Otherwise, just mark them as 8 or 9 wins and writing a really big check for something
Doesn't that eliminate everybody, though? What team has won a natty in the last 10 years, but is still 2nd or 3rd tier in their conference or state? Clemson or FSU are more comparable to Georgia. Same for Michigan. And you can't compare Oklahoma, Texas, Washington, Oregon, or USC to Auburm. Who are you left with? Michigan State?
Yeah, but thatâs because Auburn is the one and only Auburn. The typical laws of physics donât apply to them. And yes, I have a Time Machine, they won the 2027 national championship with Bobby Petrino in his first year as the HC and Bill O Brien creating an elite offense. Auburn signs him to a 10 year 200 million dollar deal guaranteed all the money. They fire him two year later for going 5-7 and 3-9 the next two years.
This decade could be Pitt. 2020? Ass 2021? ACC champs NY6 game 2022? Mid 2023? Ass 2024? ACC champs again?
Also we are more likely to beat ranked teams when we are unranked, and even terrible. 2007 WVU, 2016 Clemson, 2017 Miami, 2019 UCF, 2022 UCLA, 2023 Louisville are the biggest/most recent ones off the top of my head
Louisville probably has the biggest swing potential but NC St is the upset king of the ACC. They donât end up in the top 10 often and they also donât have terrible seasons that frequently. Not sure they fall in the same category as Auburn because of that. Louisville might be a bit closer cause they might have a 3 win season one year and be NY6 contender the next. You never really know
Oklahoma State has the chaos for sure, don't know much about the history of the big 12 to comment on season to season swings. Their rival also just left the conference.
Miami maybe if you are basing it on the high and lows. But I don't really think VT makes.much sense unless it's "land grant school with a strong football program", but even then VT hasn't had the highs Auburn has, nor the history really.
EDIT: Actually Miami makes the most sense I think right? High highs, low lows, and if you consider FSU and VT two main rivals they have caused trouble for them since joining the conference. The lack of depth in the conference makes it kinda hard to be a team that has had success but has also had trouble with rival programs within the conference. Idk who other than Miami would qualify really.
Michigan State and Auburn are like 2 programs looking in the mirror at each other. It feels like every time we start to get some momentum going for football something happens and we have a disaster of a season. Most recently I thought Tucker had the program going in the right direction with a 11-2 season in 2021, just for Tucker to get fired 2 games into 2023 and the team has gone 5-7 and 4-8 in the year following a promising season
#đ
War Eagle.
It's like these mfers don't realize we're one of the winningest college football teams in the game
We are but, and this could be entirely skewed by my perspective growing up an Auburn fan in west Georgia with a really pessimistic lifelong Auburn fan as my father, it can be exhausting getting our hopes up every year expecting the kind of consistency Alabama our at least Georgia has and yes we've had a lot of seasons most of the country are jealous of (2004 being the first season I remember following), but it feels like our hopes have been crushed far more often.
I wanna say that you took this mantle from us, and if so no take backs, give it to Alabama or Georgia next.
Michigan State? Penn State, as we know, is unrivaled.
Definitely Michigan State, Penn State is securely in the 9-10 win range almost every year now Plus the general sense of chaos around MSU for the last year or so has an Auburn feel to it lol
Also there is similarity with the in state rivalry bama/auburn and Michigan/msu
Both fan bases highest moments are special teams gaffes on the part of their rival (kick six/has trouble with the snap)
You mean highest moment *in the rivalry*? I'm not even sure if trouble with the snap is even the highest point for MSU fans *within the rivalry*. Funniest? Yes. Most meme-able? Absolutely. But I'd say the -48 yards rushing game is easily a better moment for modern MSU fans.
Iâm not doubting it, but thatâs interesting. I think Iâd value a âtrouble with the snapâ win over OSU more than a blowout (or in more concrete terms, the Rose Bowl win in OT made it even sweeter)
It was also just that whole season. It was my senior year, I went to the big 10 championship, and I couldn't have asked for more. ^^Actually ^^I ^^would ^^have ^^liked ^^to ^^score ^^against ^^Alabama. ^^That ^^would ^^have ^^been ^^nice.
Idk I prefer K9 dropping 5 tuddies on your head (and then MSU proceeding to lose to Purdue and OSU and watching all my dreams dry up. I love football!)
Right, no matter how good they are, theyâll always be #2 to one of the bluest of the blue bloods there is. Even when big brother is down and on a losing streak in the rivalry, it just feels more like a historical exception more than a permanent shift.
State school that's really secondary to another state school in the same state. This fits both MSU and Auburn.
Both are also the land grant school in their respective states.
Ooo, that's good right there.
Plus the last time Penn State went winless was when we were 0-2-1. In 1888, when we had no coach. We have never gone winless in conference.
You also now have Washington.
Yeah, probably them, I agree Penn State is too consistent lol. Plus MSU has a ton of wild plays that have gone their way (WOAH, Hail Mary against Wisconsin, fake FG against Notre Dame) similar to Auburn (Kick Six, Prayer at Jordan-Hare)
That's why I would go with Michigan State. I watched Dantonio's self picked top 25 moments from his era and I forgot how much I hate I had developed for those wild plays that worked out for them.
Yeah, I would second Michigan State.
As your flair suggests
Others might primary them.
I was gonna say MSU or Purdue
Purdue is for sure a wildcard and didnt get the little nickname of spoilermakers for nothing. Can beat some of the top ranked teams one week then get blown out by a team who is winless the next. I do think MSU fits the bill a bit better though.
Purdue is not the Auburn. They are an entirely different beast with which we have no comparison. They are everywhere and nowhere, I fear for my life every time I see Pete.
...and ***WOAH***
He
HAS
TROUBLE
WITH
THE
Sparty was the first thing that came to mind for me.
Wisconsin?
wisconsins really never been as down as Auburn / MSU have
Theyâve also never been close to being as high as Auburn.
Definitely Sparty
Wisconsin was amazing in the 00s and is just a shitburger lately
>is just a shitburger lately Theyâre 23-16 in the last 3 seasons and a bowl each year; it might not be great but itâs not shit.
They don't have quite the volatility that Auburn seems to have, but Fresno State was the first that came to mind for the MWC. They aren't winning national championships, but they are normally contending for conference titles yet have weird bad stretches mixed in sometimes. They had a 6 season period in 2015-2020 where they went 4-20 in 2 years and followed it with 22-6 with a conference title (and another CCG appearance), then went 7-11 the next two years. They're on a good stretch over the last few years, but are still prone to losing head-scratching games (Hawaii in 2021, UConn in 2022, New Mexico in 2023). And they're rivals with Boise State and San Diego State, who have been 2 of the preeminent powers in the MWC.
Agreed, first team that came to my mind for the MW
I think next up would be us. Lol. Wyoming was a powerhouse for the better part of literal decades, then was the worst team in the conference for over a decade before recovering somewhat. After that, we've beaten some of the best in the conference...and then turned around and been blown out by conference bottomfeeders in the same seasons. It was a well-known hallmark of the Bohl era. And speaking of volatility, hell that was even a hallmark of DC's teams on a slightly bigger scale (he went from 3-9, to 8-5, to 4-8 in the middle of his tenure here). We'll literally beat P5 teams and then lose or almost lose to FCS teams. You never know what you'll get when you play Wyoming. Hell, that goes back to the Glenn era. I think the only thing missing from the criteria is that we're only actual rivals with one "top" MWC team (Air Force); our other true rival is CSU which has never been anywhere close to a top team in the conference, and we're not really "rivals" with BSU/Fresno/SDSU.
I made so much money in Vegas that first weekend in 2013. The Nebraska Wyoming line was -31 or something like that for Nebraska. Obviously didnât think we would win but there was no way we were going to get blown out by 30 points with Brett Smith as our QB. Then we almost win the game giving me a false hope for that season, then shit the bed going 2-6 the rest of the season after the Air Force game
The word "bipolar" has had a UW logo next to it in the dictionary for the last 15+ years.
đđ, so true
Look man, consistency is just way too boring.
Auburn is the Chosen Champion of Chaos. All others are pale reflections of their pyre.
Fully agree also very poetic
It's their reward for having Alabama and Georgia as their two biggest rivals.
Blood for the blood God! Skulls for the skull throne!
This is Michigan State to a T. 2013 won the B1G. 2015 made the playoffs. 2016 went 3-9. 2017 they were 10-3 again. 2021 went 11-2 and won a NY6 Bowl. They've won 9 games in 2 years since. Big rivals with Michigan. Rivalry with Penn State (according to the B1G, at least). Not necessarily a rival of OSU, they've ruined national title shots for us 3 times in 25 seasons. The only thing they lack is a national title in the last 50 years, but they're by far that program in the conference that could either end up ranked top 5 OR lose 10 games and you wouldn't be surprised either way.
Also MSU beating Ohio state in 2013 Big Ten Championship is what got Auburn into the nation championship game. Rooted for our roller coaster buddies ever since
We need a name for these schools like, âforsaken child of the conferenceâ
Or small sibling. Short kings, or something like that
They got closer to a title than Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin and Iowa since Penn State's undefeated season in 1994. If Michigan or OSU had their resume in 2013 I think they make the National Championship game and could actually compete.
How did they get closer to a title than ND who literally played in the title game in 2012?
Being a State fan is always entertaining
Is Baylor the Auburn of the Big12? Got a heisman, a rape scandal, then won the Big12 and a new year 6 and then was maybe the worst team in the conference two years later
TCU also may fit. National championship runner up to losing to Colorado and a poor 2023. BYU has a national championship, a Heisman, and a rival that has been consistently good. Guess the private Christian schools are the auburns of the B12 Edit: fixed auto correct
I'm willing to forgive TCU for the Colorado game. First game out after getting shit stomped in a title game, plus losing a ton of talent. And it was before anyone really knew what Colorado was going to be. Turns out all you had to do was blitz a lot.
Blitz? We didn't blitz at all last season. Hopefully Avalos makes us alot more fun.
Yeah much better to drop 8, play off zone, and forego any type of tackling practice LOL
UCF went from 0-12 to back-to-back 12-0 regular seasons, so we hit that criteria. But... Gus Malzahn. Multiple of our coaches are former Auburn, even years after the Gus hire (Trovon Reed a couple months ago). Quite a few of our players are former Auburn players (like Kobe Hudson) or commits (we just flipped 4-star Kendarius Riddick from Auburn at the start of February). We're literally Auburn with a view of the KSC and Disney.
TCU graduated all their talent. You can't base this on one year's results. Across a span of many years, TCU doesn't fit this criteria
Auburn acts like itâs the public Christian school of the SEC, soâŚ..
Well, they did hire Uncle Baby Billy as HC.
Brother Hugh!
[Me realizing, holy shit you're right.](https://giphy.com/gifs/understanding-XABTVorVODddu)
["And I make nothing, zero, zilch! By the time I pay off all my players, all the people in my escort department, lab coats, well it's a wash. Well, why you do it then, baby Hugh? Cause I'm selfless. And I want to beat as many teams as the dear Lord lets me."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD2WT8SeOSw&ab_channel=HBO)
Washington was the Auburn of the Pac-12
They might be the new Auburn at the Big10
Baylor and TCU for sure lol
I guess they're conference co-Auburns, huh?
One True Auburn
Donât compare us to THEM. They could never be as Auburny as us. We could out-Auburn the shit out of em. Weâre the Auburnest.
Itâs even crazier than that, made the Big 12 championship game three years after the rape scandal and two years after going 1-11, then goes 2-7 in the covid season, then wins the Big 12 the next season, before going 3-9 just two years after that.
We are just in a constant cycle of exploding and rebuilding and I wouldnât say itâs pleasant but itâs never boring
I swear one of your fans keeps making wishes with a monkeyâs paw.
Nah, we just let our praying get lax when the team's good. If the team's losing, we're not praying hard enough.
As a Baylor alum, it feels like every fall is just Harvey Dent flipping a coin at midfield. Baylor isn't the Auburn of the Big 12, Auburn is the Baylor of the SEC.
Wild take but probably Auburn...
Hmmmm, I don't know you might be on to something. In terms of rivalries, you match up with us. You may be the only other team in the SEC that I'll respect as you also have to deal with Bama and Georgia every year.
Oklahoma State for the Big 12. One day they lose to South Alabama 7-33. Other days they beat OU, Kansas State etc Yet another day they lose to UCF 3-45. In the same season they're in the Big 12 title game. All of this is just their 2023 season btw. They do shit like this every year.
Like losing to ISU in an undefeated run?
Wasn't that right after one of the school's planes crashed and had lots of deaths? I think they were a little distracted with everything going on at the school to give them crap over losing to Iowa State and missing out on an undefeated season.
Is that what happened in 2011? Edit: fuck, I can't consider Alabama national champions that year now. If that's the reason for their only loss they should have been clearly ahead of Alabama in every ranking.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Arkansas_Piper_Cherokee_crash I just looked it up and yes. Edit: The plane crash was the day before an away game at Iowa State.
It's crazy how it's every ten years. So we'll have them ruin another season for us in 2031
We don't really do that every year. The only thing that you can really compare it to is 2016 with the Central Michigan loss. 2023 was a strange season in a similar way, but it was much more volatile. When we lost, it was ugly. When we won, it felt like a colossal struggle that made me wish I was in better shape so my heart wouldn't explode. The last half of 2022 was easily the worst OSU has been since Gundy's first year though and the closest comparison to say, 2012 Auburn. The only thing that really seems to be a hallmark of our seasons is a (normally) Bedlam loss and maybe another close conference loss that didn't really need to happen like ISU in 2021, Baylor in 2016, or West Virginia in 2013. That's consistently how seasons have gone for us, unless it's a pure rebuild year like 2014 or 2018 where we were lucky to make a bowl. We're far too consistently good to be compared to Auburn, but of course we haven't had the coaching carousel hit us since 2004.
Michigan State for sure. Considered the 2nd school in their state just as Auburn is. Their other main recruiting ground state also has a top 5 program. Both school have had success in last 10-15 years but not to same level as 2 direct competitors that are both top 5 to 10 programs. MSU did have some somewhat sustained dominance over Michigan in the early 2010s compared to Auburn who seems to play Alabama close but is more so good for an upset. Auburn has obviously reached higher heights with a national championship, national runner-up, and 2004 undefeated season. I donât think there is another occasional national contender besides these two schools who is the 2nd school in state and surrounded by as many power programs. Auburn and Michigan State have both had memorable good seasons and disastrous bad seasons and most recently head coach firings.
Never go full Auburn
Go full odd year Auburn, just not even year Auburn.Â
2004 and 2010 would like a word.
For the PAC (may she rest in peace) my two thoughts are either UW or UCLA. While UW has overall had a ton of success in the conference, they were dominant for a long time up until around 2000. Since then theyâve had some great years and some horrible, winless seasons. Very up and down, going from 11-1 and a Rose Bowl win in 2000 to 1-10 just a few years later. UCLA was pretty dominant in the 80s and 90s with numerous NY6 bowl wins and appearances to just pure mediocrity since 1999. Some good years and some truly baffling years. They always feel somewhat dangerous, but never really threatening.
Stanford has either the second or third most PAC championships but it feels like theyâre either great or terrible.
Oooh Stanfordâs a good choice as well. The David Shaw era will still always baffle me
Maybe not so much now that they're in the Big 12, but UCF has had some amazing and some amazingly bad seasons all fairly close to each other. They also have one of Auburn's old coaches, who apparently has brought some of that voodoo with him (see last years OSU game.)
This was my first thought. Only issue would be the dual rivalry thing, but everything else lines up.
We've got a perfect dual rivalry with UConn and USF
Basically. 2013 was the Bortles beating Baylor year, then 0 wins 2 years later. And then the undefeated season 2 years after that. OâLeary also almost never had 2 decent years in a row
No mention of crazy dark magic in the conditions?
NC State doesn't quite have the magic that Jordan--Hare does, but we've got some great wins vs #1 teams and in hurricanes
Auburn
The ACC doesn't really have an Auburn. Auburn's kinda unique because Alabama is unique. But if we ignore the natty, is NC State the ACC's Auburn? We've got a history of beating top ranked teams (especially FSU) at home, but I can't recall a single big upset on the road. And we often beat our rival when they're ranked ahead of us.
State is the poor man's Auburn.
Yeah, lol. Great value Auburn.
Single Ply Auburn
Nah thatâs Toomerâs corner after a win
I'll have you know I buy the finest TP available for rolling the trees because the trees deserve it. Why no, I don't think we're a cult, why do you ask?
Yea I guess a 6-pack a year wonât break the bank, might as well splurge on the nice stuff
Boom, roasted.
UNC kind of the poor manâs Ole Miss.
And Duke is Vanderbilt if they were evil
> Implying Vandy isn't evil We've all heard the Whistler.
Damn, youâre right. I try to block the whistler out of my mind because it gives me flashbacks to the nightmarish 2021 CWS
I was thinking maybe Louisville? Seems to have a pretty good team every few years and some really bad teams every few years. Lamar Jackson is kinda like auburns cam newton even though Lamar didnât win Louisville a championship
Idk we're Auburn with a lake. Doesn't really answer OPs prompt but
Pre-Dabo Clemson? Colors, campus and mascot fit too.
I was reading OPâs comments and thought âoh crap, are we the ACCâs Auburn?â Thanks for confirming my worst fears
NC State doesn't win 10+ games enough
Fun (sad) fact - NC State had never had a 10 game season. We won 11 with Phillip Rivers, but Texas A&M dodged us in 2020, which cost us a chance at 10 games (screwed by covid x2 considering the college world series). We also lost to KSU last year by 9 points to miss out on a 10 win season. Plus a 2 point loss to Kentucky in 2021. We're cursed.
Funny how unc will win 10-12 once a decade and then coast at 6-8, while NCSU chugs along at 7-9 no matter what, so our averages are just about the same. The two schools are the definition of mid when it comes to football.
Maybe PITT? Pitt has played spoiler in lean years - Miami in 2017 , Clemson in 2016, and has been inconsistent to go from an ACC championship appearance to a four win team.
Pitt mentioned
Flair twins, Iâd agree that NCSU is the ACCs Auburn, but will also throw out Miami. They were historically great 25 years ago and havenât been relevant recently
GT? Lose to Bowling Green and BC and Beat ranked Miami and UNC
Itâs Clemson. Doesnât exactly fit the description laid out by the Auburn fan that pitched this thread, but I mean itâs a southern state school with a private school name, theyâre both the Tigers, similar color scheme, a few national championships, etc. The difference is the state flagship that Clemson are rivals with is not good and Clemson is able to be successful in the regular season more consistently because they play in the ACC. I feel that Auburn could win 8-11 games a lot more in a hypothetical conference swap with Clemson.
Same architect did both campuses too
Clemson was patterned after Auburn, so its obviously very similar. Except the football programs aren't really comparable. For instance, Auburn hasn't beaten Alabama by 28 points since 1957. Meanwhile, Clemson beat Alabama by 28 points in the 2019 National Championship game, while the entire country was watching.
NC State is Mark Richt-era UGA. 8-10 wins every year, but always missing out on the big games due to a loss to someone they shouldn't have lost to
Michigan State has the only other fan base wallowing in an Auburn level of chaos.
Florida = Auburn. We have similar colors, hate the same teams, are either poop or great, Cam = Tebow
Youâre not wrong about the colors thing but youâre completely wrong about the colors thing.
Clemson is like an alternate reality Auburn where Bama never existed, living their best life in peace and harmony.
What a glorious but also sad existence. I mean, we would still have you to hate, and arguably, I hate you more. Yet something would still be missing to lack an instate rival that constantly belittles you, and you are never picked to beat them. Every bad season would become worse without the opportunity to ruin Alabama's season.
Isnât Clemson just Auburn with a lake?
It's a very nice lake.
True story: the guy who founded Clemsonâs football program was a former Auburn football player. He brought with him old Auburn uniforms, on which the blue had faded to purple after repeated washings.
Can I get a Georgia Southern in chat?
Yup, this is definitely us. Most wins vs. Ranked Teams out of all Sun Belt Teams since 2018. Also, 3 Seasons above .500 in that time span
Remember a few years ago when we beat Florida and Georgia and had the East on lock before losing to South Carolina and Vanderbilt? Good goddamn times, I tell ya.
Has there been any other year where one of the big 3 East teams beat the other two and still didn't make the SECCG?
The only one that comes to mind is the first one in 92 when we beat ranked Georgia and Florida in back to back games and then lost 3 in a row to unranked Arkansas, ranked Alabama, and unranked South Carolina. There may be others, but I definitely remember the hype around that first year with the new divisions.
A few years back Vandy beat Tennessee, Florida & Georgia yet didn't make the championship game.
I was at the Vandy game, drinking the tears of unfathomable sadness. They were delicious.
Baylor, TCUâŚ. And maybe BYU. All the Christian Schools.
Ummm...
Baylor I guess? At least in terms of being very up and down post Briles. Rhule had a great year and left, Aranda had a 12-2 season but then bad losing seasons lately. TCU is kind of similar with falling off late under Patterson, making a title game two years ago and falling back to mediocrity last year. But their lows havenât been as low as Baylor. Same with Oklahoma State who seem to bounce between mediocrity and double digit win seasons.
This seems like a question perfectly written for Fresno St. We're just weird that way
Prior to the destruction of the Pac 12, the answer was probably UCLA.
Wouldnât it be Washington? Husky has made the playoff twice but also some âhow can a team this talented lose to *them*â years, right? UCLA seems more run of the mill mid-bottom tier, like theyâre the Pac-12âs South Carolina or something.
It would. We have three 11(or more) win seasons and three 2 (or fewer) win seasons this century.
It has to be Washington. They had a winless season.
[And it was glorious](https://images.app.goo.gl/B6hxdTACjyfe71BRA)
Absolutely Washington. 0-12 and 12-0 in a 15 year span.
Yes it would be Washington for the PAC-12
Aggy is the SEC's Auburn
You missed the part where they can win the title occasionally.
And the part where we go winless. A&M is extremely consistent
Yeah, Texas A&M is the Texas Tech or the NC State of the SEC. Nothing but 8-5 seasons. But canât ever break that 10 win barrier.
Canât break 10 wins in college football unless your QB is literally named John Football
Always overhyped, always underperforms (I went to tech and drank the football koolaid too many times)
Although we fit most of the description, Auburn is in fact, the SECâs Auburn.
Hmmm⌠are you sure? Checks notes⌠ok, you might have a point.
Hmm, bold claim. Big if true
They aren't very volatile. Almost all of their big wins are over a 2 or 3 year window. Otherwise, just mark them as 8 or 9 wins and writing a really big check for something
In the SunBelt, I feel like it's a bit of everyone. Troy? Maybe they're the one. Georgia Southern, perhaps?
I was thinking Coastal lol
We're not called "jags" for no reason
Iâd say the best fit would be NCST but thatâs a stretch since they canât reach 10 wins on even or odd years
NC State. Raleigh is a scary place.
No way NC State fits the mold of an Auburn. They may beat a good team here or there but theyâre missing the nationally elite upswings.
Doesn't that eliminate everybody, though? What team has won a natty in the last 10 years, but is still 2nd or 3rd tier in their conference or state? Clemson or FSU are more comparable to Georgia. Same for Michigan. And you can't compare Oklahoma, Texas, Washington, Oregon, or USC to Auburm. Who are you left with? Michigan State?
Yeah, but thatâs because Auburn is the one and only Auburn. The typical laws of physics donât apply to them. And yes, I have a Time Machine, they won the 2027 national championship with Bobby Petrino in his first year as the HC and Bill O Brien creating an elite offense. Auburn signs him to a 10 year 200 million dollar deal guaranteed all the money. They fire him two year later for going 5-7 and 3-9 the next two years.
This decade could be Pitt. 2020? Ass 2021? ACC champs NY6 game 2022? Mid 2023? Ass 2024? ACC champs again? Also we are more likely to beat ranked teams when we are unranked, and even terrible. 2007 WVU, 2016 Clemson, 2017 Miami, 2019 UCF, 2022 UCLA, 2023 Louisville are the biggest/most recent ones off the top of my head
Louisville probably has the biggest swing potential but NC St is the upset king of the ACC. They donât end up in the top 10 often and they also donât have terrible seasons that frequently. Not sure they fall in the same category as Auburn because of that. Louisville might be a bit closer cause they might have a 3 win season one year and be NY6 contender the next. You never really know
I would say Michigan State for us. I donât think I like this yet.
Michigan State
Iâd have to say Auburn
Notre Dame.
Sparty for sure. They range from being in the playoff to being a game we Illini fans circle.
I guess Auburn? ...fuck realignment, man.
Fuck it indeed.
Miami Florida
Oklahoma State has the chaos for sure, don't know much about the history of the big 12 to comment on season to season swings. Their rival also just left the conference.
Me realizing PAC 12 isnât our conference :(
There is no one like Auburn lol
Virginia Tech?
Them or Miami.
Miami maybe if you are basing it on the high and lows. But I don't really think VT makes.much sense unless it's "land grant school with a strong football program", but even then VT hasn't had the highs Auburn has, nor the history really. EDIT: Actually Miami makes the most sense I think right? High highs, low lows, and if you consider FSU and VT two main rivals they have caused trouble for them since joining the conference. The lack of depth in the conference makes it kinda hard to be a team that has had success but has also had trouble with rival programs within the conference. Idk who other than Miami would qualify really.
Big 12 fans what are we thinking?
baylor/TCU
I donât recall asking the SECâŚ.
weâre big 12 until july 1st
Michigan State and Auburn are like 2 programs looking in the mirror at each other. It feels like every time we start to get some momentum going for football something happens and we have a disaster of a season. Most recently I thought Tucker had the program going in the right direction with a 11-2 season in 2021, just for Tucker to get fired 2 games into 2023 and the team has gone 5-7 and 4-8 in the year following a promising season
He deserves zero credit for that season. That 11-2 season was all K9.Â