re: The offensive Guilbeau piece that's featured on the TD front page

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Why? Saban led LSU to its first NC since 1958. Chizik led Auburn to its first since 1957. Saban had 4 losses the following year (2004). Auburn may win 8 or 9 games this year. Not that much difference. Saban got very lucky to get an SEC championship in 2001 with 3 losses. That rarely happens, especially since 1992.

I don't think Chizik is a Saban, but things didn't look that different for Auburn, who has been bringing in great recruiting classes under Chizik and are in a rebuilding year like LSU was in 2004.

There a number of parallels. But neither team, LSU in 2005 when Miles arrived, nor Auburn, under Chizik deserve description as a national championship program. The description by Gilbeau is simply inapt.

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Because Saban built LSU on a sustainable model--solid recruiting across the board, especially DB, RB, DL and WR, strong defense and power running game. The OL he left behind has been underrated, too. He won in year four after he had gotten his recruits in place and the leftovers had bought into his process. LSU had also been having success under Saban for the past several years prior to the championship. We had won a SEC championship two years earlier, and were 6-1 the prior season before an injury to the starting QB torpedoed the season. When LSU was "rebuilding" in 2004 we were still competitive in every game except one.

Auburn had not competed for even a division title in half a decade and had been hot garbage for two straight years. They bought the best JUCO player in the history of America and happened to have the perfect play-caller in place to maximize his talents. You take Cam off that team, and they lose six games, easy. Now the year after they have been absolutely pounded by the only two really good teams they have faced and, absent a big upset, are looking at a 7-5 regular season. Chizik's recruiting has been very good, too, but we will have to wait another two years to see if he can keep it up at the level Saban had by 2003, and if he can move the ball without Malzahn at the helm. Chizik's personal specialties (defense and especially defensive backs) have been terrible. Having to win 45-40 every week is not a sustainable model for success.

You can't just look at the cold records before and after without considering all the qualitative factors--how did they win their championships.