The 2015 college football season is now in the books, and it was a huge disappointment for Auburn football fans. In fact, it was the worst season in the history of the program. Coming off a 9-3 season and a trip to the playoff, it was assumed that Gus Malzahn and Company would come into the new year with a chip on their shoulder and prove everyone wrong. But that didn’t happen. Instead, Auburn went 2-6, including 0-6 in conference play, finishing with an overall record of 3-9.
How did Auburn miss out on the playoffs for the first time since 2011? It’s all thanks to that abysmal season ending bowl performance against Alabama State. Following their heartbreaking loss to the Hornets, the Tigers went into a self-destructive tailspin, losing their final five games of the season. Needless to say, it’s been, well, an eventful year for Auburn. But now that the season is said and done, it’s time to move on and look towards 2016. And with all the off-season changeovers, it’s a great opportunity to look back at the year that was, and what to expect in the coming years. One of the most intriguing storylines heading into next year is the potential for a matchup between Auburn and Alabama State. Both teams are coming off of rough seasons, but the Tigers still have some talent, while the Hornets are reloading year after year. So which team is most likely to come out on top? Let’s take a look:
Which Team Is Better?
Looking at a team’s record isn’t always the best way to judge its quality. There are a lot of contextual factors that go into winning games, and trying to compare a team’s record to another is often meaningless. It’s better to look at a team’s strengths and weaknesses and how they perform in different situations. For instance, if we were to judge Auburn and Alabama State based on their records, we’d immediately notice that the Tigers have a lot more wins. They also have a much more impressive list of victories, with multiple SEC, AAC, and SWAC titles under their belt. But, as impressive as those numbers are, they don’t tell the entire story. Let’s take a look at the 2015 season and see how Auburn and Alabama State shaped up:
Auburn
Auburn started the season in excellent form, winning their first six games before cooling off a bit in the second half of the year. They were 5-1 in conference play, with their only loss coming at the hands of Alabama, the eventual SEC champion. If it weren’t for that one upset loss, they probably would’ve been in the playoff.
As good as they were in the early going, the Tigers faded down the stretch. They won just three of their last nine games, and lost a heartbreaking game to Alabama State in their regular season finale. The team’s strength of schedule was one of the most brutal in the country, and it didn’t help that they had to close out the year with a brutal six-game road stretch. No team in the country was worse at homecoming, and that may have been their downfall. Going into next year, they will need to address this issue if they want to be a top program.
Alabama State
Alabama State came into the year with a lot of hype, coming off of an undefeated regular season and a 7-0 record in SEC play. They were considered the dark horse contender to capture the conference title, and some even went so far as to say that they were the best team in the country. But like Auburn, Alabama State went into a bit of a tailspin down the stretch. They went winless in their last four games, including the conference title game against Mississippi Valley State. The team did salvage something from the season, however, beating Howard, a top 20 team in the country, in the Bahamas Bowl. This is a completely different team from the one that we saw at the start of the year. The only thing they have in common is their name.
Auburn and Alabama State are two sides of the same coin. Both teams have a lot of talent and a lot of potential, but they need to figure out how to close out games. It’s going to be an exciting challenge facing Auburn in 2016, but one that I’m sure they’ll rise to.