Auburn Football: Loss to Clemson Finally Exposes 2011 Tigers

Gene Chizik’s Auburn Tigers were exposed as frauds in their 38-24 loss to Clemson.

It is evident that last week’s stunning upset of Mississippi State at home was nothing more than a fluke. The team we saw Week 1 nearly upset by Utah State is the real Auburn team we can expect without Cam Newton and Nick Fairley.

Last week was simply one last gasp from the 2010 BCS National Champs. RB Michael Dyer and WR Emory Blake put together phenomenal performances against the Bulldogs. The entire team displayed the magic and grit we saw weekly last season. Unfortunately, their performance was more from feeding off their electric home crowd than skill.

This team, as many said coming into the season, is not nearly as talented as last year’s team. They will not make an impact in the BCS this season and will continue to crumble down the road.

Who’s the Biggest Winner?

Michigan is the biggest winner from Auburn’s loss.

Denard Robinson’s Wolverines failed to overly impress with a 31-3 victory against Eastern Michigan, but it will be nearly impossible to keep them out of the top 25 for the third straight week.

The Wolverines have proven to be a gritty and exciting team this season and deserve to finally crack the top 25 after starting the season 3-0. Auburn jumped back into the top 25 after beating Mississippi State, but now that a spot is vacant, Michigan should make the leap.

Does Auburn Still Have BCS Chance?

This question is funnier than anything else. It is inconceivable to think the Auburn Tigers will ever crack the top 25 again this season, unless every other team magically lost. The Tigers are not a good team. Last week’s victory was a pure fluke. They should’ve lost to Utah State and played above and beyond their abilities in front of their home crowd. Dyer has been fantastic through three games, but this defense doesn’t even enough playmakers to make a difference.

What It Means

This is a devastating loss for Auburn. They looked great last week and crumbled in the face of pressure, something this squad is not used to after last year’s epic campaign. This defense couldn’t stop the Clemson defense, so the team will quickly lose faith after such a loss. This is the type of loss that will have a lingering affect on the season. Chizik’s squad wanted to prove they could do it without Newton and Fairley and they failed.

Biggest Thing to Fix

The offense is surprisingly fine. Dyer and Blake are fantastic, tough-nosed players. These two men will not go down on first contact and will fight for every single yard.

If only the defense could keep up with them.

This defense doesn’t have anybody they can rely on. Despite a remarkable goal line stop for the ages against Chris Relf and the Bulldogs, the Tigers don’t have that one transcendent performer they can lean on. This defense doesn’t just need somebody to step up, they need a motivational leader to serve as the crutch. Until somebody steps up and pulls the squad together like Fairley did, the Tigers will continue to fall.

Pivotal Turnaround Game

The Tigers have a murderer’s row schedule coming up in October. They battle four ranked teams and three of the best in the nation on the road. They have (10) South Carolina, (14) Arkansas, (18) Florida and (3) LSU in a devastating and insane four-game stretch. The pivotal turnaround game would be South Carolina since that game would set the tone for this murderer’s row schedule. Gamecocks QB Stephen Garcia is a bit of a head case and can be rattled. It’s not likely.

The only other potential upset is against Florida at home. As we saw last week, this team desperately needs their home crowd perhaps more than any other team in the country. Florida isn’t an overpowering team, though they have the speed to compete with anybody. If—and it’s a big if—Auburn can neutralize that speed, they might stand a chance.

Who They Play Next

Auburn luckily gets to play Florida Atlantic at home. They’ll dismantle the Owls, but it won’t be enough to make up for this season-altering Clemson loss. We can only expect another monster game from Dyer, but they would have to put up at least 100 points to make a case to crack the top 25 after Week 4.

Auburn is essentially done. We’ll see if they’re lucky enough to have a respectable bowl bid, but they’ll probably crumble in that game too. After October, this team will be void of any confidence for the rest of the season. They might as well mail it in now because success is not in their future in 2011.