Commentary: Nobody's Little Brother

When Auburn hired Pat Dye, the game changed for the Tigers – and for the Tide. Recent history had Auburn fans feeling snakebit. One national columnist told me last year that Auburn would never win a national title “because it’s Auburn.”

In 1983, third-ranked Auburn saw the nation’s top two teams lose on New Year’s Day. When the Tigers beat Michigan in the Sugar Bowl, it was party on. A national championship was assumed. Auburn woke up the next morning to find itself still ranked No. 3 in the polls.

In 1988, Auburn was a one-point Tommy Hodson “earthquake” from playing Notre Dame for the national title.

In 2004, Tommy Tuberville likely doomed Auburn’s chances by laying an egg a year earlier. As the 2003 preseason No. 1 according some publications, Auburn went 7-5 and started 2004 so low in the polls there would be no chance to catch Oklahoma and USC, who met for the crystal ball. The Tigers were relegated to playing Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.

The AP recently did a story pointing out that Auburn only claims wire service championships. If Auburn counted championships like several other schools count championships, the Tigers would be sitting on nine (1910, 1913, 1914, 1957, 1958, 1983, 1993, 2004, 2010).

We all know about Alabama’s illustrious history. The Tide “claims” 13 national titles. The NCAA recognizes 11. The NCAA recognizes two for Auburn.

We all know about Alabama’s dominance in the 70’s and before. We also know that Auburn decided in the early 80’s it was going to be a player on the national stage. When Auburn hired Pat Dye, the game changed for the Tigers – and for the Tide. So the question begs, is Auburn Alabama’s “little brother?”

Auburn ended Alabama’s nine game Iron Bowl winning streak in 1982. It has been 30 years since Pat Dye was asked, “How long is it going to take you to beat Alabama?” He gave a simple answer: “60 minutes.” Let’s take a look back at the past 30 years…

SEC Titles since 1981
Auburn: 6 (1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2004, 2010)
Alabama: 5 (1981, 1989, 1992, 1999, 2009)

Iron Bowl Wins
Auburn: 17 (1982, 1983 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010)
Alabama: 13 (1981, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2009)

SEC Wins Since 1981
Auburn: 141
Alabama: 129 Bowls Since 1981
Auburn: 22 (15-6-1)
Alabama: 19 (12-7)

Alabama has an all-time winning record versus every school in the SEC. However, the Tide only has a .540 winning percentage versus Auburn, lower than any school in the conference. Since 1981, Auburn has a .567 winning percentage against the Tide.

Auburn has recorded 28 more overall wins than Alabama over the past 30 years. Even when you add in the 30 wins Alabama lost due to NCAA sanctions, the win totals are almost identical (Auburn 254, Alabama 256).

Bottom lines are also similar. In 2008, Auburn brought in $89.3 million. Alabama banked $88.8 million. In 2009, riding a cash wave from winning a national championship, the Tide brought in $129.3 million. Auburn made $92.6 million. Expect a similar jump for Auburn when the 2010 numbers are released.

Since 1981 Auburn has won more SEC titles, won more games, won more SEC games, had more undefeated seasons, won more Iron Bowls, been to more bowls, won more bowls and had more Heisman Trophy winners than Alabama.

Alabama has won one more national title than Auburn and has been placed on NCAA probation three times trying to keep pace. Pat Dye once said, “When I took this job, you couldn’t find a damn Auburn t-shirt, a damn Auburn hat, a damn Auburn bumper sticker anywhere in this state. Of course, that all changed when we got to whipping their ass.”

Dye’s hiring at Auburn was a program changer. All four of Auburn’s permanent coaches (Bill Oliver had a brief interim tenure in 1998 when Terry Bowden resigned at mid-season) since 1981 has won an SEC championship or has gone undefeated. Terry Bowden didn’t win a championship, but he went unbeaten in 1993 and lost the SEC Championship Game by a single point in 1997.

Alabama has cycled through nine coaches in the past 30 years. Five have won SEC titles (including Bryant’s in 1981). One of those, Bill Curry, left for Kentucky after he shared the 1989 SEC championship with Auburn and Tennessee. Curry was run out of town because he couldn’t beat Auburn.

Every Auburn coach since 1981 has had at least a .500 record against Alabama (save Oliver’s brief interim tenure). Pat Dye was 6-6. Terry Bowden was 3-2. Oliver was 0-1. Gene Chizik is 1-1.

Alabama’s nine have had mixed results. Gene Stallings had a great run, while Bill Curry and Mike Shula had disastrous results against Auburn. Everyone else has been .500. Bear Bryant was 1-1. Ray Perkins was 2-2. Bill Curry was 0-3. Gene Stallings was 5-2. Mike DuBose was 2-2. Denis Franchione was 1-1. Mike Price never coached a game. Mike Shula was 0-4. Nick Saban is 2-2.

Coaches around the country are equally divided on their thoughts. I sampled a few recently, asking them which was the better job over the past 30 years.

A former SEC assistant who’s now in the Big 12 said, “You’d think Alabama. But, based on production, you’d have to say Auburn.”

A former SEC head coach thought it was too close to call. He said, “Who knows? I know one thing. (Jordan-Hare Stadium) is the loudest bitch I’ve ever been in.” 30 years later, Gene Chizik made Pat Dye's dream a reality.

A current coordinator who has worked at Alabama told me, “Alabama thought it could exist because it was Alabama. Dye hit them in the face. It took a while for Alabama to realize they lagged in many areas. Finally, Alabama realized the deal and started building facilities and committed and hired Nick (Saban). Alabama thought they were the (stuff) and were being run past by a lot of people – not just Auburn.”

When I asked which job he’d take if both were on the table, he said, “Alabama. Political power. But, it takes someone like Bryant or Nick to control it.”

A Big 12 assistant told me, “There’s no question Auburn’s the better job. You ask almost any coach and he’ll tell you the same thing. “

Another former SEC coordinator, who’s a current head coach said, “No question, Auburn’s the better job. That’s the one. I’d take that one in a heartbeat.”

An assistant coach who worked at Auburn during the 90’s said, “When you really look at it, Auburn may be the better job.”

It may be – or it may not be. Recent history says Auburn is at least as good a job as Alabama. Looking at it objectively, the numbers above don’t lie.

The bottom line is this: The state of Alabama is home to two of college football’s premier powerhouse programs. This is not a Vanderbilt/Tennessee situation. Or a Georgia/Georgia Tech situation. Comparing Auburn and Alabama football is like comparing Duke and North Carolina in basketball. They’re both great. Both rank in the top 15 on the all-time wins list. Both have long, storied histories. And both have national championships in the past two years.

Alabama fans will say, “We have 13 national championships.” Well, that may (or may not be) true. But most of those were won decades ago. Keep in mind that Florida, now considered one of the top two jobs nationally, was not a premier job until Steve Spurrier arrived in 1990. Auburn and Alabama both have much richer histories than do the Gators.

Today’s reality is that Auburn is every bit Alabama’s equal – and has been since Pat Dye uttered “60 minutes.” There’s no denying that – especially after last Monday night. Little brother is all grown up.

The single-sentence paragraphs come from the article. There's no argument that the University of Alabama has one of the most outstanding college football programs in history. I had no idea about the last thirty years' of Alabama/Auburn history:

"Since 1981 Auburn has won more SEC titles, won more games, won more SEC games, had more undefeated seasons, won more Iron Bowls, been to more bowls, won more bowls and had more Heisman Trophy winners than Alabama. Alabama has won one more national title than Auburn and has been placed on NCAA probation three times [Auburn once] trying to keep pace."

I'll note that one NCAA probation for Auburn since 1981 may become two, depending on the final resolution of the Cam Newton affair. Auburn will still trail Alabama in NCAA probations since 1981.

Both Alabama and Auburn are on the list of the Ten Dirtiest NCAA Football Programs. If you add Alabama's textbook probation penalties into the formula in the article, Alabama now ranks #2, and Auburn #8. As a Big-12 fan (University of Texas), the Big 12 still rules as having the dirtiest football programs, per the link.

The decade of the 2000s was arguably the worst in the history of the Alabama football program.

And yet the best Auburn can do is claim that they are Alabama’s equal?

That is actually rather pathetic.

And, just out of curiosity, why limit your analysis to a 30-year time period?

If you assess the two programs from the year that Shug Jordan retired, the statistics are skewed in Alabama’s favor, especially in terms of key metrics such as national titles, SEC championships and bowl game records.

However, the real test is to compare Alabama and Auburn over their entire history:

By winning percentage nationwide —
8th — Alabama
24th — Auburn

When you include bowl victories, conference championships and national titles, then the numbers are skewed again, and quite dramatically —

1. Alabama
2. Notre Dame
3. Southern Cal
....
9. LSU
10. Tennessee
11. Georgia
...
15. Auburn

http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/rankings/all_time_team_rankings.php

Moreover, were Auburn to claim the national championships alluded to in the post above, Alabama would have 18 by the same calculus:
1925, 26, 30, 34, 41, 45, 61, 62, 64, 65, 66, 73, 75, 77, 78, 79, 92, 2009

And, by the way, The University of Alabama is ranked 34th academically among national universities in 2011 U.S. News & World Report survey. Auburn is ranked 38th.

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