Cornballer Bad Hands Play of the Week

Pulling off an onside kick is one of the greatest feelings in sports. The pinnacle of flawless execution and a smidgen of luck, this play with a small probability of success is reserved only for the most desperate of situations.

And you pull it off, you feel like you can take on the world.

You know what feels even better than that? Recovering an onside kick that wasn't even supposed to be an onside kick.

After putting up a touchdown in the fourth quarter to take the lead over Georgia, Georgia Tech kicked off to the Bulldogs, ready to defend their newly acquired lead.

But Georgia, it seemed, didn't care to return the kick.

I know the kick was short, but come on, guys. Two- not one, but two- Georgia players saw the ball go straight over their heads and bounce right into the open arms of a Tech defender.

I'd like to reiterate that this wasn't even a designed onside kick. It was just a pooch kick of sorts. Tech was likely trying to prevent a big return.

And somehow, they ended up with the ball in Georgia territory. Looks like being conservative pays off.

To make matter worse, Georgia blew the game when they pooch kicked it with under 20 seconds to go, giving Georgia Tech enough time and space to kick a game-tying field goal.

Georgia went on to lose in overtime. And a few days from now, Georgia's special teams coach went on to lose his job.

Podcast: Auburn vs. Samford

Normally, a win is a win. It doesn't matter what the score is, as long as you're putting a "W" in the win column.

Unless you were playing an FCS school. Especially if you're as good as Auburn has shown themselves to be this season. Anything less than a 35-point win is honestly a bit disappointing.

And Auburn cannot afford to play the way they did against Samford when they travel to Tuscaloosa this Saturday.

Ten Pieces of Auburn History I'm Thankful For

Today is the day we gather with our families to remember and celebrate all that we have to be thankful for in life. And we have so much to be thankful for.

I am very thankful for the my loving and very sarcastic family, my stunning and ridiculously awesome girlfriend, the roof over my head, the food in my mouth, and most of all, the eternal love of my Heavenly Father.

I could go on for hours, even days, about how thankful I am for all of these things and more, but that will get really sappy and personal. And I know you don’t want that.

So I’ll talk about something else that I’m thankful for and can put a lighter, less sentimental tone to: Auburn football.

As I think upon all of the wonderful blessings in life I’ve been given, my thoughts can’t help but eventually wander toward The Plains. I have witnessed countless incredible moments as an Auburn football fan, enough to write a book about (... so I did).

It was difficult to do so, but I narrowed down a list of about 38 to a list of ten. And that list is ten moments/seasons/plays/pieces of history in Auburn football that I’m thankful for.

Although I did personally witness quite a few of these moments, I am also thankful for the significance of Auburn football before my time.

And don’t think that there are only ten moments in Auburn’s history that I appreciate; these are just the ten that I decided on this week.

Ask me again in a few days, and the list might look completely different.


10. Hard Fighting Soldiers

The 2004 Auburn Tigers were the only real undefeated team of my lifetime. Yes, there was the undefeated 1993 year, but due to probation, the Tigers weren't allowed to participate in any postseason games. It didn't quite feel like an undefeated season.

But in 2004, Auburn came together as brothers on and off the field to overcome the adversity of the previous year and complete one of the school's best football seasons.

And just for the record, I think Auburn would have beaten USC if they hadn't been snubbed from the national championship that year.

9. Honk If You Sacked Brodie

The year after Auburn's undefeated SEC championship season, the Tigers didn't quite maintain their level of success from 2004, but that didn't stop them from putting on a memorable performance against their cross-state arch rivals.

Auburn's defense put on a show, sacking Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle an astounding 12 times on the way to a 28-18 victory.

The win marked Auburn's fourth straight over the Crimson Tide at that juncture.

8. Cam's Heisman Run

This run was the true defining play of Cam Newton's tremendous ability and star power during his magical season at Auburn.

In a dazzling display of speed, agility, balance, and determination, Newton leapt ahead of the Heisman race while leading Auburn to another victory on its way to a championship.


7. Punt, Bama, Punt

An improbable set of plays to say the least, this sequence of events is easily one of the most remarkable in the history of Auburn football and the Iron Bowl.

Trailing Alabama 16-3 late in the game, Auburn's Bill Newton blocked a Crimson Tide punt, which bounced right into the hands of David Langner, who ran the block in for a touchdown.

Almost inexplicably so, Newton blocked another punt minutes later, and who should pick it up but Langner, who scored his second touchdown of the day.

The two blocked punts gave Auburn the 17-16 victory, served up one of the most painful finishes imaginable, and created an amazing catchphrase/taunt along the way.

6. 1957 National Champions

This team could be considered the best in Auburn football history.

The 1957 squad was utterly dominant, giving up 28 total points through ten games and pitching six shutouts.

The Tigers defeated Florida State 29-7 and Alabama 40-0 on the way to an undefeated season and an undisputed national championship.

5. The "Camback"

In my humble opinion, this is the greatest comeback in all of college football history. Facing a 24-point deficit on the road against Alabama, top-ranked Auburn mounted an incredible comeback victory over the Crimson Tide.

The win kept Auburn's national championship hopes alive, as well as preserving a dream season. Cam Newton showed his true mettle as he led the Tigers to one of the most remarkable finishes in school history.

And this is only the second-most painful defeat served to Alabama.


4. Bo Over the Top

Some point to this play as the true beginning of the legend of Bo Jackson. Just a freshman at the time, the greatest athlete of all time hadn't yet made his signature play.

What better time to do that than against Alabama?

Trailing the Crimson Tide in the fourth quarter and facing fourth down and goal, Auburn needed a touchdown. Naturally, they turned to their freshman superstar. 

The rest is history. A legend was born.


3. Prayer At Jordan-Hare

This is hands-down the most jaw-dropping, ridiculous, can-you-believe-it play that I or any other Auburn fan has ever witnessed. This play was insanity incarnate.

Although it shouldn't have been necessary (just had to blow that 20-point lead, eh, Auburn?), this play has all of the signs of a true miracle.

When else does a Hail Mary on fourth and 18 actually work? Never. Until now.

It's amusing to keep watching the replay and seeing Nick Marshall keeping his eyes downfield, and just saying, "Oh, what the heck?" as he lofts a Hail Mary to the sky.

Someone in Athens needs to teach these Georgia kids to knock the ball down.


2. National Championship Kick

This kick sealed the deal. Auburn had finally won its first national championship in over 50 years. The Tigers had finally done it.

Amidst all of the controversy, Cam Newton, Gene Chizik, and the Auburn Tigers emerged victorious and on top of the college football world with this kick.

Everything about this game was incredible, down to the last minute. But nothing captures the spirit of the game better than seeing Byrum's kick perfectly split the uprights as Rod Bramblett yells, "Auburn wins!"


1. Kick Six

By far the most painful loss that Alabama has ever suffered. By far the greatest finish that Auburn has ever completed.

The Kick Six gets my vote for the greatest college football play of all time.

What else can you say? This play single-handedly vaulted Auburn into the SEC and national championships, capping off the sport's best comeback story.

With all that was at stake for both teams (each ranked in the top five), this game was hyped up as one of the biggest matchups in recent history. It didn't disappoint.

Less than a year after the worst season in school history, the Tigers made Alabama kick Auburn's winning touchdown.

Hating Florida State Is Easy

Back in 1969, the Toledo Rockets went on a historic run, winning 35 football games in a row. The win streak stretched from the 1969 season to the 1971 season, eventually snapped by the Tampa Spartans.

And during that three-year span, Toledo was celebrated.

The three teams the Rockets fielded during the streak are still regarded as some of the most special groups of young men in FBS history.

There was no controversy surrounding their program, no volatile personalities, no reason to dislike them other than jealousy. And even to that measure, it was hard to be mad at a team that had only ever won nine games twice before.

Now fast forward 40 years. Florida State is in the middle of quite an historic run themselves, and yet everyone is vehemently calling for its conclusion.

Their win tally is now at 27 in a row, and the entire nation, it seems, is calling for another
magical upset by the Florida Gators. If they could run all over Georgia, why not Florida State? Right?

No one cares how they do it, either, whether it’s by running the ball for 400 yards, finding a passing game somewhere deep within, setting boobie traps on the Florida State sideline, sending eleven live gators out onto the field, or hiding a sniper up in the press box.

All anyone wants now is for Florida State to lose.

No one wants them anywhere close to Oklahoma’s incredible win streak of 47 games; in fact, I doubt many would have a problem with Florida State never winning another game.

As of now, Florida State is the most hated sports entity in America. It’s so easy to hate them, too.

It all starts with Jameis Winston, of course. He caught the attention of the nation last year with equal doses of his exceptional decision-making on the field and his extremely
poor decision-making off of it.

Setting aside the sexual assault allegations (enough to deservedly make any person into a
villain) and investigation into receiving money for signed memorabilia, Winston has shown time and time again that he does not care how his actions affect those around him.

He has proven himself to be a selfish, spoiled, arrogant child. And that attitude has not only been tolerated in Tallahassee, it seems to have been cultivated somehow.

Jimbo Fisher has done little to nothing in the way of reining in his Heisman winner.

He has not only enabled Winston’s behavior, he has defended it. He claims that his quarterback is an outstanding citizen and young man, who is being singled out, picked on, and unfairly attacked by the media and the rest of the nation.

This guy stole crab legs from Publix. He and a couple of teammates shot up an apartment complex with BB guns. He stood up on a table in the Florida State student center and yelled the most vulgar and inappropriate phrase he could have, given that he definitely engaged in a sexual encounter, despite not being accused of assault.

He’s a lightning rod for trouble. And he’s apparently not the only bad seed in his locker room. Starting tailback Karlos Williams was being investigated in the alleged dealing of marijuana, and in response, Jimbo Fisher called him a “tremendous kid... A tremendous ambassador.”

By all appearances no one in Florida State’s locker room has any desire to follow rules of any kind.

And they only seem to make it easier for the rest of us to passionately hope for their demise.

We’ve all seen the video by now: Jameis Winston shoved a referee.

He was trying to hurry up the offense and get the ball snapped, but since the defense was

allowed to substitute, the official was standing over the ball.

Obviously “Famous Jameis” didn’t approve of this.

But here’s the problem: Winston should have at least been flagged for the incident, but most likely kicked out of the game.

The incident sparked nationwide controversy, with many clamoring for Winston to be suspended.

What ended up being a relatively small incident during another exciting comeback win for the Seminoles has since turned into more fuel for the fire burning against Florida State.

Everything Florida State does now is toxic, but it just so happens that all of their actions seem to (almost intentionally) further embroil them in controversy and criticism.

Of all the things Jameis Winston had to do in that situation, why did he have to shove the ref out of the way?

At every turn, Florida State just continues to pile on the garbage, continues to load ammo into the gun the rest of the country has pointed at them.

All it will take is for one legal allegation to stick.

Whether it’s the sexual assault or autograph investigations against Jameis Winston, drug charges or domestic assault allegations against Karlos Williams, or any other consequence
of the destructive decision-making inherent in this football program, one of these investigations will sink them.

And that’s why we hate them.

They keep breaking the rules and getting away with it. Their quarterback is not a good person, their coach is living in a delusion about the “character” of his team, and they
pretend that they are the victims.

They have become the villains. And we never want to see villains rewarded for being so completely opposite of noble.

That’s why, this Saturday, we’re all Florida Gators fans.

The Art of Self-Implosion

Is anyone else getting tired of the mistakes? Is anyone else getting tired talking about them? I know I sound like a broken record; I feel like one. But this is getting ridiculous.

I’m sure I’d be called a madman by any casual observer for complaining about a 31-7 victory, but I don’t care.

I’m about to complain about it.

I’m about to complain about it for the exact same reasons I’ve complained about Auburn’s losses to Mississippi State, Texas A&M, and Georgia, and their win over South Carolina.

Auburn is not playing its best football. Not even close to it, actually.

A 24-point win over Samford is not Auburn’s best. Being shut out for 22 football minutes by an FCS school is a far cry from Auburn’s best.

386 yards is not Auburn’s best. Being down 7-0 to Samford, even if it was for literally a minute, is certainly not Auburn’s best.

I really wish I could tell you what is wrong. I wish I had an answer.

After improving every week last season, a key component to the special run the Tigers made, Auburn appears to have regressed in at least one area every week after its win over LSU.

And this was never more exemplified Saturday night than in those first 22 minutes of football.

On the game’s very first play, receiver Quan Bray was flagged for holding. So instead of a reasonable second down and seven or eight yards, Auburn was looking at first and 18. Two plays later, Nick Marshall was sacked.

Minutes later, Jonathon Mincy started what would end up being a rough night with a pass interference penalty on second and nine that gave Samford a fresh set of downs.

Fast forward to the second quarter. Still knotted at goose eggs, Samford gets a free play when Montravius Adams was lined up offsides. Then on first and five, Mincy gets flagged against for interference, and Samford has a first down at the Auburn 31-yard line.

Four plays later, Samford puts the ball in the end zone.

Being down 7-0 to Samford midway through the second quarter clearly shook Auburn out of its funk, but the self-destructive mistakes continued throughout the game.

Early in the third quarter, Mincy was flagged (surprising, right?) for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Samford was again escorted right down to the Auburn 31-yard line.

Fortunately, the Tigers dodged a bullet as Samford missed the field goal, but they had pretty much handed the Bulldogs the yard they’d needed to get there in the first place.

Up next comes the worst part, the lowest point in the game for the Auburn offense.

After a third quarter interception by linebacker Kris Frost put the Tigers’ offense down at the Samford 25-yard line, Auburn looked poised to extend their lead to 31-7.

Cameron Artis-Payne rumbled forward for a ten-yard gain, and the offense looked to be in good shape. Next play, Marshall took the snap, dropped back.

He lofted a fade route over to the right corner of the end zone in the direction of Sammie Coates. Coates out-muscled and out-jumped his defender and came down with the catch. Touchdown, Auburn!

And then we saw our least favorite color on the field: yellow.

Sammie Coates was, again inexplicably, called for offensive pass interference (just for the record, I didn’t see enough of any kind of push off to warrant any interference call on either player). Seriously, I think the refs are picking on Sammie.

But it wasn’t a big deal, right? Auburn’s offense was rolling now, going ahead and backing them up to the 30-yard line wouldn’t stop them.

It wasn’t a big deal until Auburn faced a third down and 20 two plays later, and the offensive line, playing surprisingly lax football, let Nick Marshall down again.

The result? A 15-yard sack back to the Samford 40-yard line.

That’s right, an interception turned into zero points, even though Auburn was down at the 15-yard line at one point.

You see, that kind of stuff isn’t supposed to happen, especially against Samford.

On paper, it looks like Auburn was in control of pretty much the whole game, and at least in the last 38 minutes, they were.

But it should have been better. This offense rolled up 500 yards against Ole Miss, for goodness sakes.

For at least a quarter and a half, and in small glimpses after that, Samford was actually winning the line of scrimmage.

I repeat: that is not supposed to happen.

What is wrong with this team? They had so much promise at the beginning of the year, and even showed it through the first five games.

But ever since then, Auburn has seemed almost intent on beating themselves.

I’d be lying if I said I haven’t wondered if Auburn is making these mistakes on purpose just to test themselves, see how deep a hole they can dig themselves into and still get out.

It’s as if Auburn has a pathological addiction to adversity. And if they aren’t facing any, then they’ll just have to create some.

I know that’s most likely not true, but it’s the explanation for the turnovers, penalties, and missed tackles that hurts the least.

It’s better than admitting that maybe Auburn really is that undisciplined, or maybe they’re not that good.

But I can’t bring myself to admit that, because I don’t believe it.

I could believe that Auburn as a whole is undisciplined; the proof is in the pudding. 46 penalties for 473 yards through six games is extremely undisciplined.

But as I’ve so passionately stated many times, Auburn is better than that.

Auburn is better than slogging through a game against an FCS opponent it should have hung at least 50 points on. Auburn is better than all of the mistakes and mental lapses.

But they’re getting closer and closer to proving that the “better Auburn” I keep talking about doesn’t exist anymore.

If Auburn can’t find a way to return to its beatdown-of-LSU form against Alabama, this team’s legacy will be one to the tune of “almost but not quite.”

This team had the talent, but just couldn’t get out of their own way.

I can’t say for sure what was happening for the first 23 minutes of that game against Samford, but I can say one thing for sure: Auburn won’t beat Alabama playing that way.

Cornballer Bad Hands Play of the Week

Just catch the snap and kick it, they said. It'll be easy, they said.

But apparently no one told Kansas punter Trevor Pardula about the small possibility that the occasional snap might be a little too high for him.

He was clearly never walked through the protocol for having the ball sail over your head, bouncing away from you, closer and closer to your own end zone, with a wave of defenders swarming toward you like a pack of hungry dogs.

You'd think that common sense would kick in and say, "Hey, Trevor, it's me, your common sense. You should probably fall on that football now, so you don't make Oklahoma's shellacking of you any easier."

To tell you the truth, I think the kid just panicked.

It's kind of like not looking down when you're on a rickety bridge, hundreds of feet up from falling to your death.

Don't look down. Don't look at the aggressive defenders ready to take your head off.

You'll notice that he's watching the ball careening away from him, and as soon as he glances back and sees four red bodies making a beeline in his direction, already indecisive about whether or not to try and pick up the ball, he's toast. 

And all he had to do was fall on it.

We've all heard the classic joke: "Why couldn't Cinderella play sports? Because she runs away from the ball!"

Get it?

"Why couldn't Trevor Pardula play sports?" I'll let you finish it.

SEC Road Games Are More Dangerous Than Ever

What I’m about to tell you isn’t going to blow your mind. It probably won’t even be anything new to you, and you’ll probably say, “Bobby, I already know that. Why am I even reading this?”

That’s actually a good question, one that I hope you’ll be able to answer for yourself someday. And I digress.

Nevertheless, here is my claim: SEC road games are killer.

Yes, I know that since the beginning of the universe, a team would typically have even a slight advantage by default if it was playing on its own turf.

Home field advantage is, and always has been, a very real thing.

But in this year’s SEC, home field advantage could have been the divider between a team’s playoff chances and playing in whatever bowl game they put in Birmingham these days.

This year, you have to be more careful than ever to bring your absolute best on every trip away from home, because if you don’t, it doesn’t matter who you are and who you’re playing. They could beat you.

Just ask Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Georgia, teams who have all seen their playoff chances all but nixed because of at least one bad road defeat.

Alabama and Mississippi State each have one loss, both of which occurred on the road.

For worse or much worse, every SEC team has been quite different outside of their own stadiums.

Take a look at this graphic, which details the differences in every SEC team’s home and road performances, based on records, points per game, points given up, yards per game, yards given up, and turnover margin.

Unless you’re a Vanderbilt or Missouri fan (two exceptions I’ll embellish upon in a moment), your beloved SEC squad shows at least one glaring weakness in its road games.

Take Auburn and Alabama, for example. Each team scores roughly 20 points less and gives up around eight points more in road games. Despite averaging over 500 yards a game at home, each team drops just below 400 yards a game away from home.

Alabama has a negative turnover margin on the road, and Auburn’s defense gives up over 400 yards a game in such contests.

Each team is completely different outside of Tuscaloosa and Auburn. Every team, for that matter, looks rather unfamiliar when it leaves its city limits.

Every team in the SEC has at least one road loss. Except for one.

Now to those two exceptions. First, I consider Vanderbilt to be an exception simply because they’re completely terrible. They lose anywhere.

The real interesting piece to this strange puzzle is Missouri. Did you notice that they are the only SEC team still undefeated on the road?

In a strange twist of fate, the Tigers seem to actually play much better away from home. In road games, they put up more points and yards, their margin of victory drastically improves, they give up fewer yards, and their turnover margin even improves.

But I guess that’s what we should expect from the SEC’s most bizarre team, the one who beat Florida in Gainesville despite only totaling 119 yards of offense.

Oh, and that Missouri team could win the SEC East, which would put them in Atlanta in a couple of weeks. Away from Columbia, Missouri.

To be honest, they probably wouldn’t beat Alabama, Auburn, or the Mississippi schools in its own stadium, but on a neutral field it played on just last year? Who knows?

Just food for thought.

Normally, I wouldn’t even be discussing the “significance” of something that is commonplace in any sort of competition, but this year, it might be the most influential factor in what form the league will take come season’s end.

Look at every major shift (playoff or conference title implications, surprising losses, etc.) this year in the SEC, and you’ll find that in a vast majority of them, the home team emerged victorious.

Alabama’s first loss? On the road against Ole Miss.

Auburn’s first loss? On the road against Mississippi State.

Mississippi State’s first loss? On the road against Alabama.

Ole Miss’s first loss? On the road against LSU.

Georgia’s first loss? On the road against South Carolina.

And those are just a few examples of highly ranked, nationally relevant teams falling because of the advanced difficulty of playing on the road in the Southeastern Conference.

All of these games, in their respective weeks, played pivotal roles in shaping the state of the SEC title race and the College Football Playoff.

Now there are a few exceptions, such as Texas A&M’s win at Auburn, Mississippi State’s win at LSU, and Auburn’s win at Ole Miss. But for the most part, most of the defining wins of the conference this season have gone to the home team.

Mississippi State’s win as the third-ranked team nationally over then second-ranked Auburn propelled them to the top of the polls and cemented their place at the pinnacle.

And then Alabama accomplished the exact same thing with their win over Mississippi State this past weekend. They’re now sitting at the top of the polls.

Don’t go to sleep when you play on the road; it will cost you. Just ask any undefeated SEC team this year.

Do you hear that? Oh, that’s right. There are none left.

Lane Kiffin Came At the Right Time for Alabama

Brace yourselves. I’m about to say something that goes against every ounce of reason I possess.

Lane Kiffin might have been the best thing Alabama could have asked for this season.

I can’t believe what I just said, being so vehemently against Kiffin and all that he stands for.

My prevailing opinion going into this season was that Lane Kiffin is a spoiled, arrogant, loud-mouthed child who specializes in breaking the rules, under-developing five-star talent, terrible in-game coaching that rivals the likes of Les Miles, and overall, failing as a head coach.

And for the most part, that opinion remains pretty intact.

But, as much as I hate to admit it, the guy runs a pretty good offense. And under Nick Saban’s tutelage, it’s hit its peak.

In his rookie season at the reins of the Crimson Tide offense, with a senior quarterback in his first year under center, Kiffin has taken Saban’s usually defensive-minded juggernaut to previously unexplored offensive heights.

Alabama is third in the SEC in total offense at 472.1 yards per game, and has surpassed 600 yards of total offense three times already this season, a feat that had yet to be accomplished by a Saban-coached Alabama team.

The next highest totals for the Crimson Tide in the Saban era are 454.1 yards per game, good for sixth in the SEC, during the 2013 season.

Alabama’s rise from the ranks of consistent, ball-control offensive gameplans to that of high-flying, explosive offenses has been impressive, and would be noteworthy in any season.

Fortunately for Alabama, the upgrade came at just the right time.

The times, they are a-changin’ in the SEC. The last six years have seen a drastic rise in the top to bottom effectiveness, explosiveness, and efficiency of offenses throughout the conference.

Back in 2008, Florida led the SEC in total offense with 445.1 yards per game. This season, Mississippi State leads the conference with 512.7 yards per game. Not only that, but there are six other teams that all average more than 445.1 yards per game (Auburn, Alabama, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Georgia, and Ole Miss), and one team, Arkansas who has an average just below that with 432.1 yards per game.

A team leading the SEC in total offense with just 445 yards per game is unheard of in the current day, and it’s because of the massive shift to more spread-based offenses in college football.

And it starts with the head coaches. Just look at all of the offensive-minded head coaches in the league who have coached national championship or nationally relevant offenses at other schools before landing at their current program (Dan Mullen, Gus Malzahn, Kevin Sumlin, and Steve Spurrier, to name a few).

The offenses in the SEC are evolving at a rapid pace, and defenses are struggling to catch up, plain and simple.

The exception, however, appeared to be in Tuscaloosa. Ever since his first season in 2007, Nick Saban has had Alabama’s defense playing at an elite level every year. If there was ever a defense that could slow down or shut down an explosive offense, it used to be Alabama’s.

In his seven seasons at Alabama, Saban’s defenses have given up an average of 265.6 yards and 13.5 points per game during that stretch. In short, they’ve been dominant in that stretch.

Any weekend facing the Alabama defense the past seven seasons has been an acceptable reason to be very afraid.

But after closing out last season with losses to Auburn and Oklahoma, games in which the Crimson Tide uncharacteristically gave up a combined 822 yards and 79 points, it seemed that maybe even Alabama’s defense was starting to struggle with the rapid improvement of opposing offenses.

An infusion of offensive explosiveness was required. Enter Lane Kiffin.

When he first made the move to Tuscaloosa, I thought that he would bring about the demise of Alabama’s football program if he wasn’t somehow corralled.

During his stints with the Raiders, Tennessee, and Southern Cal, he seemed out of control, never being able to adequately handle the full responsibility of being a head football coach, and always leaving his teams in worse shape than he found them.

But if anyone would be able to keep the young coach in line, why not Nick Saban?

Under Saban’s careful watch, responsible only for the offense, Kiffin has been able to develop a former running back into a Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist just after losing a three-year starter from the previous season.

A team that has made a living off of systematically breaking down opponents with a suffocating defense and methodical, efficient offense focused on eating up the clock with a dominant running game now features the NCAA’s leader in receiving yards.

And it came at the perfect time for Alabama.

Alabama’s defense is still extremely talented and formidable, but offenses around the nation are getting much better. The Crimson Tide needed an offense capable of winning a shootout against a decent defense, if that situation ever arose.

Words I thought I’d never say: Lane Kiffin has been the perfect man for the job.

Podcast: Auburn vs. Georgia

The Auburn-Georgia game was easily the worst game any Auburn fan has had to watch since Gus Malzahn took the reins as head coach. The blowout was very uncharacteristic and surprising, and left far more questions than the reassurance Auburn fans were hoping for following the Texas A&M loss.

Will this team be able to recover in time for its showdown in Tuscaloosa with an angry Alabama team? What is Ellis Johnson’s fate? Should this season be considered a disappointment?

But there is also a lot to be optimistic about, as Auburn is on pace for 20 wins in just two seasons after the worst year in Auburn football history, 2012.

Matt Donaldson joins me again as we discuss and answer these questions, and much more! It’s much longer than normal, but that’s what we’ve come to expect when coauthors get together.

College Football's Five Worst Teams

In all of the hustle and bustle of rankings, conference titles, and playoffs, it’s easy to get caught up thinking too much about the teams in the top 25.

Who’s going to be in the top four? Who’s going to win the SEC? The Big 12? The Pac-12? These are all questions we ask ourselves daily as we habitually scan the latest polls.

It’s important to know who the best teams are.

But in order to appreciate how good these teams are, it’s just as important to know who the worst teams are.

The bad teams help us keep perspective when we become frustrated about the fact that our favorite team didn’t win by 50 points every game.

So take a minute and think about the little guys; they’re football teams, too.

Here are the five worst teams in college football:

5. Kent State Golden Flashes, Mid-American

Record: 1-9 (0-6 MAC)

Before we begin, let’s pause to appreciate an awesome name like the “Golden Flashes.”

...

OK, now we can get started. I’m going to take it a little easier on Kent State than I will on any other team on this list. Kent State is 1-9, but they’ve played a tough schedule, by Kent State standards.

Five of their ten opponents have winning records, including ninth-ranked Ohio State.

So for a team in the MAC, that’s not a cupcake schedule. However, Kent State has looked spectacularly incompetent while playing through it.

Averaging only 15.3 points and 306 yards a game, and yielding 29.5 points and 435.4 yards defensively, the Golden Flashes have been unable to compete with anyone not named Army (who’s currently 3-7). Kent State has simply looked outmatched in nearly every game they’ve played.

They’ve put up a fight, but just couldn’t overcome their significant offensive struggles.

Maybe if they could play a schedule comprised of teams like the ones on this list, they might be looking at a better finish to the 2014 season.

4. UNLV Rebels, Mountain West

Record: 2-9 (1-5 MWC)

Raise your hand if you knew that UNLV went to a bowl game last year. Well, they did, you can look it up. And even though it was a loss, head coach Bobby Hauck seemed to finally be changing the culture of football in Las Vegas, snapping a three-year streak of two-win seasons with a very pedestrian 7-6 mark.

Unfortunately, last year is looking more and more like an anomaly for a historically bad football program.

The Rebels are sitting at 2-9 after narrowly beating Northern Colorado and edging Fresno State in overtime. They’re averaging just 20.3 points and 380.3 yards a game while surrendering 37.6 points and 513 yards a game.

They’ve committed seven more turnovers than they’ve forced, and even lost 42-23 to a BYU team without its star quarterback last weekend.

It’s been a hard fall back into terribleness for UNLV, but even sadder is the fact that no one is that surprised.

3. Eastern Michigan Eagles, Mid-American

Record: 2-8 (1-5 MAC)

Believe it or not, the Michigan Wolverines are not the worst football team in the state. That title belongs to Eastern Michigan.

Brady Hoke should write Chris Creighton a hand-written thank you letter.

Yes, Chris Creighton is the Eagles’ head coach, and no, you haven’t heard that name before, because the most significant thing he’s done in his career is lead Eastern Michigan to a 2-8 record in his first season as an FBS coach.

To be fair, he did take the reins of a program that has only played in two bowl games ever, and maybe he can make Eastern Michigan somewhat respectable.

But he’ll have to do better than scoring just 13.6 points a game. His offense has been horrendous, averaging just 275.7 yards a game, and the defense hasn’t been any better.

The Eagles have been shredded by every offense they’ve faced to the tune of 39.4 points and 503.2 yards a game.

They’ve been pulverized by the likes of Michigan State and even Florida, the ultimate sign of weakness this season.

2. Georgia State Panthers, Sun Belt

Record: 1-9 (0-7 Sun Belt)

By far the youngest program on the list, Georgia State football was founded in 2010. And this Sun Belt baby hasn’t quite learned how to walk yet.

Or barely crawl, really.

It’s been tough sledding for the Panthers, who are now a combined 1-21 in their first two seasons in the Sun Belt Conference.

To make matters worse, their brother, Georgia Southern, is sitting at 8-3 (7-0 in the Sun Belt) and will likely win the conference in its first season playing FBS football. It’s not great to be a Georgia State fan right now.

The Panthers’ only win came in their opener against FCS opponent Abilene Christian, a game in which Georgia State made a ten-point, fourth quarter comeback to win 38-37. It’s been all downhill from there.

Georgia State has surrendered at least 30 points in every game, gives up an average of 500 yards on defense, puts up only 24.1 points and 383.3 yards per game of their own, and to top it off, they boast the nation’s worst turnover margin at minus-18.

They are terrible; plain and simple. You have to wonder how two teams only three hours apart in the state of Georgia can be so completely different.

And they’ve only won one game in two years. Did I already mention that?

1. SMU Mustangs, American Athletic

Record: 0-9 (0-5 AAC)

By far the worst team in college football. The teams listed above are quite bad, make no mistake, but the Mustangs make them all look like Super Bowl champions.

You won’t believe these numbers I’m reading to you, but I assure you, they are 100 percent true: 10 points and 274.1 yards per game offensively, 43.1 points and 528.2 yards per game defensively, and they boast a minus-13 turnover margin.

Hey, that’s less turnovers than Georgia State! That counts for something, doesn’t it?

SMU ranks either last or in the bottom five of pretty much every statistical category, especially the most important one: the win column.

SMU is the nation’s only remaining completely defeated team.

If you have the time, try to find some of the footage of this year’s SMU team. And then be sure you don’t watch more than 30 seconds of it, because what you’ll see will just make you sad.

These Mustangs look like the post-Death Penalty SMU teams from the late 80s. They just look smaller than every other team, unable to tackle, run, catch, or really do anything positive.

The season, already spiraling out of control, only worsened when head coach June Jones resigned after a 0-2 start this season, even after winning seven or more games in four straight seasons from 2009 to 2012 while apart of the C-USA.

SMU just can’t seem to catch a break.

Maybe they need to move back to the C-USA. We know paying for players isn’t an option.