Auburn Football Is Not Iowa State

Anyone who is engaged and otherwise has intelligence about college football understands that the Auburn program is light years ahead of Iowa State’s, which is 476-556-46 all time.

Auburns football (681-395-47) legacy is that of rich storied traditions, undefeated seasons, and winning championships, Auburn is the only school in all of college football that has produced a Heisman winner where John Heisman coached. Two winners I might add, Pat Sullivan and Bo Jackson.  The Tigers have an epic annual battle in two of the biggest and best rivalry games in the country, Georgia and Alabama respectively.

 For those of you out west, comparing Auburn to Iowa State is like saying the Texas longhorns are equal to Rice University.  Looks real good on the plate, but without the seasoning it is bland as the cardboard box it was packaged in.

It does not take long to Google the Iowa State Cyclones football program and find out real quick that they are extremely insignificant in the world of college football.  Outside of the fact they perform with excellence in a variety of other areas, that would rival many Universities, but we are not talking about those right now.  We are talking football, and in the Deep South and in anywhere in the SEC that is king.  You can throw out any cliché you would like, but when push comes to shove, folks around here take there football as serious as a heart attack. 

I don’t mean to sound arrogant, harsh or other adjective's we could insert here, but come on.  Iowa State and football in the same breath-really?   I remember what I thought when Chizik left Texas for Ames, Iowa to coach the cyclones.  I asked my wife “what the heck is he thinking” as if she new.  I was positive then that it was a bad move for him. Boy was I right!

  Very few coaches are successful.  The best coach in recent history is Dan McCarney (1995-2006). It took him six years to have a winning season. He resigned at the end of the 2006 season.

Year	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Record	3-8	2-9	1-10	3-8	4-7	9-3	7-5	7-7	2-10	7-5	7-5	4-8

McCarney generated a 56-87 record for the Cyclones. Other than Pop Warner (18-8) who coached from 1895-1899 the only other recognizable former head coach is a Hall of Famer Johnny Majors.  He coached from 1968-72 with a record of 24-30-1.  Majors left State for Pittsburg in 1973. At Pittsburgh he recruited such greats as Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett and Matt Cavanaughamong others. The Panthers won the national title in 1976, after which Majors went back to his alma- mater. Majors also was voted National Coach in 1976 as well.

At the University of Tennessee (1977-92, Majors achieved success in the 1980s and early 1990s winning three SEC Championships (in 1985, 1989 and 1990), but falling short of a National Championship.  He finished his career with a 185-137-10 over all record. 

What’s my point after all of this?  A Hall of Fame coach, who won a national title at Pitt and nearly another at Tennessee could not be successful at Iowa State. 

No one in there right mind can judge Gene Chizik’s failures to rebuild the Cyclones program.  What standard would one truly expect to rebuild it too?  Oklahoma, Texas Tech, or Texas come on its good to have ambition, but don’t place one man’s failures over a two year period squarely at his feet alone.  It’s an unfortunate side effect of Iowa’s State’s football failures through their history.  Those failures took place over many years sense 1892.  Don’t expect anyone to come into that program and turn it around in two years.  It’s never been a consistent winner.  Who are kids going to sign with coming out of high school? It’s tough to compete with almost every school in the Big 12, not to mention their state rival Iowa. 

Chizik's defensive units while at Auburn and Texas were top rated in many statistical categories.  Why? Because of supreme talent he recruited.  Further proof of the facts I have detailed before you.  At Iowa State Chizik's defense regressed in every major statistical category in 2008. The Cyclones worsened from 65th to 111th nationally in total defense, 93rd to 110th in scoring defense, 44th to 95th in rushing defense and 91st to 115th in total defense.  This took place with the previous coaching staff’s players.  Any of his recruits would have been playing as freshmen and sophomores.  There are not enough high quality talent to compete in that state with the big boys.

The Cyclones have amassed 17 non-winning seasons in a 19-year period before Dan McCarney took them to five bowl games during a span of six seasons.

Iowa State has never notched an outright conference championship in the 117-season history of the program. The Cyclones shared Missouri Valley Championship titles as co-champions in 1911 and 1912.  The proof is in the pudding as they say.  That pudding is an unfair comparison to judge Gene Chizik.

Current and former Auburn players believe in coach Chizik.  Why would they not? Before Iowa State, he was respected and revered as a great candidate to be a head coach.  As one reporter wrote in the Birmingham news; “had Chizik still been the defensive coordinator at Texas, this would be considered a great hire.”  I can not agree more.  The man has not lost a single game at Auburn and people are ready to refuel the plane and send him on his way. 

Defensive back Jerraud Powers welcomed Chizik back to Auburn. Chizik, in his first Auburn stint, recruited Powers, Walter McFadden, Aairon Savage, and others.

"I was just happy it was over. That was the most part," he said. "I'm glad they chose a guy like Coach Chizik. Now, we can go back to no worries and just doing what we're doing. Lately, since the thing happened, it's been kind of crazy around here. We're just happy it's over."

Former Auburn linebacker Antarrious Williams said; "A lot of people are underestimating Gene Chizik's coaching ability and motivating players, and players buying into the system, which is the key right now," Williams said. "That's why Alabama's successful - players are buying into Nick Saban's system. It's not that, what they're doing is so great. It's that  the players have bought into what he's tellig them.

TE Tommy Trott offered some clues about Chizik's regime. He said Chizik said Auburn would return to a run-first physical offense. He laid down that attitude Sunday.

"He just came in and he said how pumped he was and how jacked up he was to be back at a place he loved. He said the last time he was in this room he was 13-0. He plans on getting us back there."

Believe what he's saying.   "He's going to be a good motivator, just coming out of that speech he just gave. It was very motivating. He's a little bit different style. I'm looking forward to it.

  Chizik was visibly excited about his return to Auburn. "Through my travels in coaching over the last 23 years, there's one place that I've always wanted to return to and that is Auburn.”The tradition of the Auburn football program combined with the passionate fans and their love for Auburn are second to none."

Remember those words; “and their love for Auburn.”