Stolen from teh face book: Highlights are my own.
Over the past 5 seasons Alabama has compiled a record of 61-7, winning 3 BCSNC games along the way. Alabama's 3 national championships in 4 years marks only the 3rd time since the 1940's, a team has accomplished this feat. Does this make Nick Saban the greatest coach of all time? Probably not but it certainly places his name in the discussion to say the least.
There are those who will argue that Alabama has backed their way into their last 2 BCSNC and there is some truth to it. Of course only 2 teams from a BCS conference has gone undefeated over the past 7 years, which increases the chances a team with 1 loss can win a national championship. When the NCAA goes to a 4-team playoff format, it will actually increase the opportunity for a 1-loss team to win the BCS Championship. Alabama will likely be a preseason No. 1 next season, which means they can likely afford 1 slip up along the way and still make it to the title game.
Alabama might not be the greatest program of all time under Nick Saban but their history reveals they rarely beat themselves and it takes a good to great team to beat them. Of their 7 losses, 6 have come to teams that finished the season with 11-wins or better. Over the past 5-years, Alabama has won over 72 percent of their games by 14 or more points. How impressive is that? During the same time period, only 9 BCS teams have won more than 72 percent of their games overall. 12 of their last 68 games have been settled by 7-points or less and Alabama is 8-4 in those games. Bottom line, they are a well-coached football team, loaded with talent and it normally takes 4 quarters to beat them, when it does happen.
So what does this mean for Auburn?
The thought process after the 2011 season was to build the team in a similar fashion to Alabama and LSU. Construct a team around a solid defense, strong running game and efficient passer. If you can actually achieve those goals you do indeed increase the probability of fielding a very good team but its not the only way to win a championship.
It does start with recruiting and over the past 4 seasons, Auburn has recruited well on paper. The next step in the process is developing the talent, which Auburn has failed to accomplish. One could argue that Alabama has done a better job of recruiting players that actually fit their schemes than Auburn, not to mention an obvious edge in player development. A player can be highly touted but does he naturally fit into the schemes a team operates from? The same cane be said about a 3-star recruit that can prosper under the right working conditions to become a playmaker.
Gus Malzahn's has compiled a coaching staff that should be able to recruit very well but the key will be bringing in the right personnel to blend into their offensive and defensive schemes. The next step will be player development, which includes strength and conditioning. More importantly will be the task of developing the right mental philosophy, where the players know what is expected to compete and win, with no exceptions. Alabama has won at a high level because Saban has stressed a strong work ethic in every phase of preparation. There are no short cuts and any deviation from the plan will result in some form of failure along the way. The players must reach a point, where they understand this concept and are willing to go that extra mile to compete at the highest level.
Malzahn's staff should be able to recruit but can they instill the same kind of work ethic Alabama has shown over the past 5 years? Will he and his coaches be able to field a disciplined team on and off the field? This will be the difference in raising Auburn's level of performance and consistency. Auburn is in dire need of becoming stronger physically and mentally and this won't come over a one-year period. It will take some time to change the culture of competition at Auburn but it certainly can begin this season. Pat Dye was able to do it during the 1980's and Tommy Tuberville managed to build the right mental attitude but some of his teams simply lacked the overall talent to win big except for one glorious season.
Auburn's last 3 head coaches have been able to field an undefeated team but they all failed at maintaining that level of play. The fact three coaches led his team to an undefeated season means many of the components are in place to win big at Auburn but winning consistently means taking it to another level. Saban's teams are not perfect but they are talented and well prepared, which equates to consistency. Schematically speaking, Auburn doesn't need to duplicate what Alabama does on the field but they must equal Alabama in talent and player development. Of Alabama's 7 losses over the past 5 seasons, 4 have come to teams operating in some form of the spread offense.
All players at this level are competitive in nature on the field but not all are as competitive off the field, when it comes to conditioning and preparation. A few talented and well prepared players can make the difference in one game but it takes a team to win a championship. Championship teams are built off the field and before the season begins, which is where Auburn has struggled the past couple of seasons. If Auburn is to improve in 2013 it will primarily come from the work the coaches and players put into the off-season more so than X's and O's on game day. Alabama might not be the best program of all time but under Nick Saban they have been the best prepared to compete over the past 5 years. This has allowed them the opportunity to slide into the last 2 BCSNC games and dominate once they arrived.
I do believe Gus Malzahn is taking the right steps thus far in compiling a solid coaching staff that can recruit as well as develop their personnel. What remains to be seen is the work and effort put forth behind closed doors. If Malzahn's staff can reach a point of obtaining the most of their personnel, the wins will begin to fall in place. The key to developing consistency will be knowing the process never ends and that the competition is also striving to improve.
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