Auburn Football Should Be a Lot Better in 2010 Than People Expect

Now seems to be a good time to discuss expectations for the 2010 Auburn football team.

In 2008, Auburn was picked by many talking heads and pundits to win the SEC West. This was certainly within reach considering the talent level of the team.

Of course, we all know the end to that story. Most of the pundits have now written Auburn off their pages. It is not due to them disliking Auburn, but rather usually due to a lack of knowledge of what is going on at Auburn.

I did not pick Auburn to win the SEC West that year. I knew the coaching staff was working together like oil and water. This resulted in a disastrous season for a talented team that left its hearts, and sometimes bodies, on the field.

One thing that was always true was the talent level. Some blamed the poor results on the talent. This was simply untrue. The players were talented enough; there simply were not enough of them.

When Coach Gene Chizik arrived, expectations were low. He took over a team that was not short on talent but exceedingly short on healthy players moving into the 2009 season.

There were several games in 2009 in which Auburn had players playing out of position simply to cover the field. The starting lineup was littered with true freshmen who walked down the aisle at their high school and straight into big-time SEC football.

The results were predictable in some ways. These players simply did not have the strength and conditioning to allow for proper physical maturity. This led to injuries and performance letdowns in some cases.

There will be far less of that in 2010. The 2009 group of freshmen are now seasoned sophomores and red-shirt freshmen. Seniors like Mario Fannin, Kodi Burns, Lee Ziemba, Antoine Carter, Mike Blanc, Aaron Savage, Mike Berry, Ryan Pugh, Wes Byrum, Zach Clayton, Bart Eddins, Zac Etheridge, Craig Stevens, and Terrell Zachery are stepping into leadership roles and living up to their potential.

The seniors of 2010 are a group that came to Auburn with so much promise and potential. They lived and played through some of the worst adversity the program ever endured.

Most have learned and improved more in the last year than they were able to in the previous two.

The team is a senior-laden squad that has been given every opportunity and excuse to fail. They lived through this and are now being given every opportunity to succeed. This season will show the true quality of these young men.

So far, it seems the learning process for this group of seniors has accelerated in the last year. Work in the conditioning program and play on the field is showing huge gains. Many are leading by example.

The potential for this group of seniors in 2010 is unlimited. They have chosen to improve and compete rather than give up and fail. This is their last chance to see the dream they came to Auburn to fulfill.

The effort these young men put forth between now and the end of the 2010 season will determine how much drive and heart they have to stride for their goals.

We as Auburn fans will be there to see every step. So far, these steps are showing good results.

The 2010 Auburn team can achieve any goal in college football. The talent and potential is there. Will the effort and desire be strong enough to go the distance?