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Auburn overwhelming football favorite in SEC
By John Zenor, AP Sports Writer
Saturday, July 29, 2006 | No comments posted.
HOOVER, Ala. - Tommy Tuberville is understandably wary of the preseason hype surrounding Auburn, but past experience hasn't made him paranoid.
“No, I haven't checked the airport,” he said, a tongue-in-cheek reference to what happened the last time the Tigers were so highly regarded in the preseason.
Auburn is once again the popular pick to win the Southeastern Conference title, dominating balloting released Friday. Auburn was picked on 73 of the 104 ballots to win the league. The runner-up was Florida with a meager 11 votes, edging defending champion Georgia (7) in the Eastern Division.
In 2003, Auburn's season opened with a No. 3 ranking and ended with five losses and an embarrassing episode. University officials made a clandestine flight to talk to Louisville coach Bobby Petrino about replacing Tuberville two nights before the season finale against Alabama.
The Tigers have already been a source of controversy this summer.
The university is investigating the abundance of independent study, or directed reading, courses taught by an Auburn sociology professor. Eighteen of the 250 students in the one-on-one courses were football players, according to a report by The New York Times citing records provided by another sociology professor.
Tuberville said it was mostly an academic issue and the football program is “only a small part of it.”
“This thing that happened the last few weeks, I feel bad about it,” he said in his first public comments on the matter. “Were we wrong? We're going to find out. I'm glad we're looking into it. If I've made a mistake in anything we've done, we'll definitely adjust that.”
But he added: “I don't foresee anything happening.”
Tuberville said that 15 of the football program's 98 graduates over the last three years have been sociology majors, but that Auburn coaches and academic counselors don't steer them in that direction.
“You want to make sure they get a degree in what they want to get a degree in,” Tuberville said. “We don't pick it for them.”
His players also defended the Tigers' academics.
“I don't think that's even a question we have to answer among ourselves,” linebacker Will Herring said. “I don't believe it's even an issue.”
Added receiver Courtney Taylor: “When it gets to the point where somebody questions you as a student, you sit there and listen to them, but at the same time, you know you're a student-athlete. Coach Tuberville and his staff do a great job pushing us to be a student-athlete.”
Taylor said it hasn't been a distraction for the team.
Judging by the preseason forecast, there are fewer questions about the Tigers on the field.
Tuberville said much of the positive sentiment about his team stems from the fact that the Tigers have quarterback Brandon Cox and All-SEC tailback Kenny Irons returning. He pointed out that he must replace his starting offensive tackles and three defensive linemen.
Who would have gotten his vote to win the Western Division?
“I don't see how anybody could pick us over LSU,” Tuberville said. “Their toughest decision is going to be which All-American quarterback to play.”
LSU was picked to finish second in the West with 12 first-place votes and was the overall champion on six ballots.
“We don't really care what the predictions are,” Tigers coach Les Miles said. “It doesn't make any difference. We'll look to earn our way. I think our football team will do that.”
Herring said the team three years ago lacked the maturity to deal with all the preseason hype. The Tigers rebounded from that 8-5 season to win all 13 games and finish with a No. 2 ranking the following year.
“I think a year like (2003) straightened our heads a little bit,” Herring said. “Hopefully we won't make the same mistake twice.”
“No, I haven't checked the airport,” he said, a tongue-in-cheek reference to what happened the last time the Tigers were so highly regarded in the preseason.
Auburn is once again the popular pick to win the Southeastern Conference title, dominating balloting released Friday. Auburn was picked on 73 of the 104 ballots to win the league. The runner-up was Florida with a meager 11 votes, edging defending champion Georgia (7) in the Eastern Division.
In 2003, Auburn's season opened with a No. 3 ranking and ended with five losses and an embarrassing episode. University officials made a clandestine flight to talk to Louisville coach Bobby Petrino about replacing Tuberville two nights before the season finale against Alabama.
The Tigers have already been a source of controversy this summer.
The university is investigating the abundance of independent study, or directed reading, courses taught by an Auburn sociology professor. Eighteen of the 250 students in the one-on-one courses were football players, according to a report by The New York Times citing records provided by another sociology professor.
Tuberville said it was mostly an academic issue and the football program is “only a small part of it.”
“This thing that happened the last few weeks, I feel bad about it,” he said in his first public comments on the matter. “Were we wrong? We're going to find out. I'm glad we're looking into it. If I've made a mistake in anything we've done, we'll definitely adjust that.”
But he added: “I don't foresee anything happening.”
Tuberville said that 15 of the football program's 98 graduates over the last three years have been sociology majors, but that Auburn coaches and academic counselors don't steer them in that direction.
“You want to make sure they get a degree in what they want to get a degree in,” Tuberville said. “We don't pick it for them.”
His players also defended the Tigers' academics.
“I don't think that's even a question we have to answer among ourselves,” linebacker Will Herring said. “I don't believe it's even an issue.”
Added receiver Courtney Taylor: “When it gets to the point where somebody questions you as a student, you sit there and listen to them, but at the same time, you know you're a student-athlete. Coach Tuberville and his staff do a great job pushing us to be a student-athlete.”
Taylor said it hasn't been a distraction for the team.
Judging by the preseason forecast, there are fewer questions about the Tigers on the field.
Tuberville said much of the positive sentiment about his team stems from the fact that the Tigers have quarterback Brandon Cox and All-SEC tailback Kenny Irons returning. He pointed out that he must replace his starting offensive tackles and three defensive linemen.
Who would have gotten his vote to win the Western Division?
“I don't see how anybody could pick us over LSU,” Tuberville said. “Their toughest decision is going to be which All-American quarterback to play.”
LSU was picked to finish second in the West with 12 first-place votes and was the overall champion on six ballots.
“We don't really care what the predictions are,” Tigers coach Les Miles said. “It doesn't make any difference. We'll look to earn our way. I think our football team will do that.”
Herring said the team three years ago lacked the maturity to deal with all the preseason hype. The Tigers rebounded from that 8-5 season to win all 13 games and finish with a No. 2 ranking the following year.
“I think a year like (2003) straightened our heads a little bit,” Herring said. “Hopefully we won't make the same mistake twice.”
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