What if Auburn had beaten Kentucky instead of fading in the fourth quarter? What if there had been no curcial fumble and the Tigers had finished their comeback at Arkansas?
We could be looking today at a top 10 team with one loss, still playing for a Southeastern Conference championship.
But ...
What if West Virginia had not turned the ball over six times and had won at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
What if Tennessee had found its passing game before the fourth quarter in Knoxville?
We could be looking at a team headed for a losing record.
The truth is that Gene Chizik's first Auburn football team has won three games - West Virginia, Tennessee and Ole Miss - against teams that are deeper and, top to bottom, more talented. It has lost one - to Kentucky - to a team with less talent.
To finish strong, the Tigers will have to win another game or two against teams that are deeper and more talented, starting with Georgia on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
Don't be deceived by the Bulldogs' 5-4 record or even by a 45-19 blowout loss at Tennessee. They have talent, and lots of it. They've been eaten alilve by turnovers and penalties. And you never know when the game is going to come that they get a handle on those things.
Preseason predictions notwithstanding, this Auburn team has overachieved by going 7-3 to this point with a defense with virtually no depth and, now, with a true freshman playing at one safety and a cornerback at the other.
And that will be true regardless of what happens at Georgia or two weeks later against Alabama.
No one can say if Chizik will take Auburn's program back to its place among the nation's elite. But based on what has happened on the field and what is happening on the recruiting trail, he certainly is moving in that direction.
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