AU needs bowl victory to cap '07

By Staff
Paul Finebaum
Sports Columnist
It's been well established that Alabama probably can't save a miserable season with a bowl win in Shreveport over an equally hapless team from Colorado. But what about Auburn?
Would a win over Clemson in the (could I get an extra ketchup, please) Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta really make much difference? Could the Tigers build some momentum on top of the mostly positive reaction created by the hiring of offensive guru Tony Franklin?
Certainly, a final 9-4 record sounds a lot better than 8-5, particularly since the school just extended Tommy Tuberville's contract in which he will soon be going over the $3 million-a-year figure.
A bowl win might also temper some of the angst making the rounds in Auburn circles to the fact that Nick Saban appears to be doing serious damage on the recruiting trail. And if Auburn's stagnant offense looks better with a few days worth of tweaking by Franklin, some energy will be pumped into a program that got surprisingly little bump from beating Alabama for the sixth year in a row.
And why was that?
Well, it was Tuberville's fault, mostly. Instead of luxuriating in a historical accomplishment, in particular a win over the vaunted Saban, the days following the game were more about his uneasiness with facilities, concerns over a new contract and wild and crazy rumors that he might be heading to Arkansas.
And while Rome burned, what was Tuberville doing? Hunting in Arkansas.
Some of the blame for the no-buzz win has to be laid at the feet of Saban as well.
By tanking the final month of the season – low-lighted by the ignominious Louisiana-Monroe game and the massive storm which followed in regard to his ridiculous comments comparing the situation to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 – Saban's loss to Tuberville didn't seem to have a whole lot more meaning than the four Mike Shula losses.
Alabama fans remain in support of Saban right now because there is no alternative. Still, some are confused and a little uneasy over these past few months, in particular Saban's dubious handling of team discipline.
Regardless, most remain patient and rightly concede the football program is in transition but heading in the right direction.
However, Tuberville is another story.
The head coach, who is finishing his ninth year on the Plains, scorched buckets of goodwill during the often-childish contract negotiations. People understand that a coach has to do what's best for his family and staff, but it just seemed to drag out unnecessarily and there was also extreme pettiness involved in the process.
I think most fans also saw through Tuberville's annual act as more about closing the money gap with Saban than anything else. Most Auburn fans are hard-working and loyal people who believe Alabama sold their soul to buy Saban away from Miami. They also believe Tuberville's salary could pretty much buy him anything he needed in Lee County.
However, give Tubs credit. Instead of ending an average season on a downer, he went right to his time-tested bag of tricks. When in trouble, fade the heat and fire a coordinator.
Good-bye Al Borges, whose record as offensive coordinator was 41-9. Not bad, huh? Enter Tony Franklin, who has brought with him the promise of a new and exciting look to appeal to the disgruntled flock.
On paper, it's a slick move for Tubs and the Tigers. Or was it simply a desperate move?
For now, it's way too early to tell. But a win in the bowl game would certainly end a trying year on a very high note.