I see Duke Williams has rejoined the team

[starkvegasdawg]

Whatever he did only warranted a 5 day vacation from two a days in August heat. I'm sure he learned his lesson. But to make sure he is really and truly contrite Gus is starting him at the bottom of the depth chart and making him earn his way back to starter. How long you think that will take, Gus? Maybe your first game of the season?

[maroonmania]

Whatever he did only warranted a 5 day vacation from two a days in August heat. I'm sure he learned his lesson. But to make sure he is really and truly contrite Gus is starting him at the bottom of the depth chart and making him earn his way back to starter. How long you think that will take, Gus? Maybe your first game of the season?

Yep, with that kind of "punishment" he should have plenty of incentive to repeat whatever action got him the vacation from practicing in the heat to start with.

[MetEdDawg]

Whatever he did only warranted a 5 day vacation from two a days in August heat. I'm sure he learned his lesson. But to make sure he is really and truly contrite Gus is starting him at the bottom of the depth chart and making him earn his way back to starter. How long you think that will take, Gus? Maybe your first game of the season?

It will take one half of Louisville giving them everything they can handle in game 1 for him to earn it back.

[MetEdDawg]

It will take one half of Louisville giving them everything they can handle in game 1 for him to earn it back.

ETA: I will also add that Auburn has virtually no chance to win the West. Their schedule sucks. Their first 4 games are Louisville, Jax State, @LSU, and us. They play SJSU and get a bye. Then 7 straight weeks of @UK, @Arky, OM, @TAMU, UGA, Idaho, Bama. I think they lose at least one of their first 4 and go 5-2 in that last 7 game stretch. If they get through that schedule with 1 loss, they should be in the playoff. But I don't see that happening.

[5 Star]

ETA: I will also add that Auburn has virtually no chance to win the West. Their schedule sucks. Their first 4 games are Louisville, Jax State, @LSU, and us. They play SJSU and get a bye. Then 7 straight weeks of @UK, @Arky, OM, @TAMU, UGA, Idaho, Bama. I think they lose at least one of their first 4 and go 5-2 in that last 7 game stretch. If they get through that schedule with 1 loss, they should be in the playoff. But I don't see that happening.
Disagree, especially on the schedule part.

They play what many consider to be the mediocre teams on the road (LSU, Kentucky, Arkansas, Texas A&M), with the hardest games at home (MSU, Ole Miss, Georgia, Alabama). I know we aren't predicted to be great, but for the most part the hardest teams are at home. If you have championship level talent, that's the way you want your schedule to shake out. They aren't going to have any trouble with Louisville either, they lost a ton and have no quarterback, they will be down. It is true that their bye week is not placed the best.

[mic]

Chemistry.... Duke might destroy that team from within..
He better get the ball early and often...

[5 Star]

Yep, the first step in the program falling apart is preferential treatment of a great player.

Roll on, Gus Bus.

[Johnson85]

ETA: I will also add that Auburn has virtually no chance to win the West. Their schedule sucks. Their first 4 games are Louisville, Jax State, @LSU, and us. They play SJSU and get a bye. Then 7 straight weeks of @UK, @Arky, OM, @TAMU, UGA, Idaho, Bama. I think they lose at least one of their first 4 and go 5-2 in that last 7 game stretch. If they get through that schedule with 1 loss, they should be in the playoff. But I don't see that happening.

That looks like a reasonably favorable way to arrange an SECW schedule. They have a real test in the first game that will not impact their conference standings. They get a week break. they get LSU (probably one of the "weaker" teams in teh West) on the road earlier in teh season when they are still working out qb issues. Then they get us at home (I think their biggest threat next to Bama). That's seems like a good way to start off 2-0 in the SEC while getting a tough road game out of the way and also getting one of your toughest opponents out of the way. They get a break before the ironbowl, so a pretty decent way to finish the season. The get UK (one of the easier SEC teams, so a good place to be on the road).

You're talking about a brutal stretch from @Ark through UGA. UGA is no doubt a tough draw, and they've definitely got a harder schedule than a lot of other west teams, but it's not such a crazy differential that they have to be significantly better than the next best team to win the west.

[MetEdDawg]

Disagree, especially on the schedule part.

They play what many consider to be the mediocre teams on the road (LSU, Kentucky, Arkansas, Texas A&M), with the hardest games at home (MSU, Ole Miss, Georgia, Alabama). I know we aren't predicted to be great, but for the most part the hardest teams are at home. If you have championship level talent, that's the way you want your schedule to shake out. They aren't going to have any trouble with Louisville either, they lost a ton and have no quarterback, they will be down. It is true that their bye week is not placed the best.

The concern for them to me is the lack of break at the end playing physical teams. I could see them losing @TAMU because the two weeks before they play @Arky and OM. And I could see them potentially losing either one of those two games too. They will be wore out after that. Then you've got UGA and Bama and I'm not sure I see them winning both of those. Then they get us after going to Baton Rouge which is never easy for Auburn.

To me though, Louisville sets the tone. It may not be a conference game, but it's a national tone setter. You lose that one and you probably miss the playoff because they are going to lose at least one more in conference. And Auburn always sucks as a front runner. They have fallen flat multiple times in that scenario and I can see that happening this year too. Auburn is one of those that will roll downhill quickly once something bad happens.

[mic]

All road games will be tough in the SEC except at Nashville...

[Johnson85]

The concern for them to me is the lack of break at the end playing physical teams.

Pretty much every SEC team has to deal with a stretch like that. Looking at the schedules, it looks like Bama, Aub, and A&M all have comparable stretches.

Bama - @UGA, Ark, @A&M, UT Bye LSU, @MSU That's 6 solid to good teams in 7 weeks.
Aub - @UK, @ark, UM, @A&m, UGA, Idaho, Bama That's 5 solid to good teams in 6 weeks preceded by an away match at UK.
A&M - @Ark, MSU, bye, Bama, @UM, USCe, Auburn, so a stretch of 6 solid to good teams in 7 weeks.

Then Ark and UM have pretty tough but a little easier, stretches.

Ark's - Auburn, UT Martin, @UM, @LSU, MSU, Mizzou That's 5 solid to good teams in 6 weeks.
UM - Their schedule is spaced out pretty well but finishes A&M, @Auburn, Ark, bye, LSU, @MSU, so five solid to good teams in six weeks.

Then LSU and MSU atually probably have the shortest stretch of tough games. Ours is brutal b/c we finish with 3 extremely physical games, preceded by the defending SECe champion.
LSU - Their schedule is actually spaced out really well, but they still finish @Bama, Ark, @UM, A&M, so 4 straight solid to good teams to finish.
MSU - We're actually spaced out pretty decent but finish @Mizzou, bama, @Ark, UM.

[SDDawg]

He learned that Gus is a punk. Barners...