Auburn Football: Gene Chizik, Tigers Don't Have an Easy Road Ahead

As if the ice on the Alabama roadways weren't causing enough problems for Auburn fans, the road for Auburn to return to championship form got a little harder last night. 

Yes, the other university across the state managed to win its' 13th, or 8th depending on who you ask, national title. 

As expected as human nature is, the two schools are aways compared when one school thrives on a national level.

What will this mean for Gene Chizik and his staff? 

To be honest, I'm not quite sure.  All I know that it isn't any easier with Alabama winning it all.

This is a different time compared to the past.  In this day and age, all you need is one season to put yourself back on the college football map. 

After the rise, it is a matter of becoming consistent in the game itself, which is easier said than done.  

In the past, Auburn fans would rumble with defeatism.  They would accept the fact that they were the red-headed stepchild of the state in comparison to Alabama.

These days, as an Auburn alum who talks daily with other alums and students on the plains, I don't get that feeling. 

This definitely isn't the past.  Auburn itself is one of the best public universities in the country.  It prides knowing it can and will be the best at anything it puts itself to.

The catalyst for this movement? 

It is a number of things. 

The football team always has something to do with the pulse of the City of Auburn and the Auburn family. 

Auburn will need a new starting quarterback, new starting running back, additional wide receivers to step up their game, and completely replenish the defense after the worst statistical performance in Auburn history.

These questions and more will start to be answered on February 3rd, also known as National Signing Day.

Each position, each player, will bring something different to the table.  Auburn alumni and fans for the most part are in a consensus that the program is on the rise. 

The target, though no matter happens, never changes. 

To be the best, you have to beat the best.  

Auburn has another rough season ahead, culminating with the annual showdown against the Crimson Tide. 

Only time will tell if the Tigers will be able to leap the roadblocks along the way to the biggest one of all in Tuscaloosa.