Alabama Football: Auburn's Success Could Be Blessing in Disguise for Tide

The Auburn Tigers went 14-0 in 2010, and no one but the Tigers themselves expected them to go anywhere this year.  Many expected a 2-5, or 3-4 record seven games into the season.  

Instead, they are 5-2, a very respectable record for a team that was decimated by the NFL draft and graduation.  Their only two losses have come from the hands of two Top 10 ranked teams, No. 7 Clemson (7-0) and No. 9 Arkansas (5-1).

Auburn plays LSU next, a game they are certain to lose, though stranger things have happened. The only other team, prior to Alabama, that has a chance of beating Auburn is Georgia.  By the time Auburn plays Alabama they could very well be a three-loss—and still ranked—team.  

Any die-hard Alabama fan will tell you they want Auburn to lose all their games.  That is why during the Alabama vs. Kent State game, the fans in Bryant-Denny began cheering "Utah State!  Utah State!" when they heard the Tigers were being stomped by Utah State.  

So, how in the world could the Tigers current success be a blessing?  The answer is the BCS.  

Let's look at this realistically.  LSU has very strong chance of beating the Crimson Tide on November 5th.  If that happens, Alabama has a very short time span to raise their BCS stock.  

Beating Georgia Southern wont help their case in the polls any, and Mississippi State already has four losses and is no longer ranked.  

That leaves Auburn as the only team that could help a one-loss Alabama climb back into a meaningful place in the polls.  

If Alabama were to lose to LSU, then Alabama does not play in the SEC championship game. With their strength of schedule, a one-loss Alabama team would easily make it into the Top 5 in the polls.  

Though not likely, LSU could then lose the SEC championship.  This would leave the No. 1 and 2 spots open for Alabama to seize if other AQ teams don't happen to be undefeated.

These are a lot of "what if" scenarios, but should Alabama stumble against the LSU Tigers, the Auburn Tigers will be right there to pick them up in week 12, so to speak.  

You can always count on your neighbor to help you out.  

Alabama fan's should be cheering for Auburn in their first 11 games every single year.  It just makes Alabama look better at the end of the year when they stomp the Tigers.  

Alabama's chances to play for the national championship as a one-loss team would sit directly on the shoulders of the Auburn Tigers.  

But Alabama is not a one-loss team right now.  I suppose we should get back to the Tennessee game now.