Not so way back, in a land not so far-off, what feels like a fairy story was actuality.
An SEC crew received each recreation it performed. It beat 4 high 15 groups. Solely two wins got here by single digits.
The BCS computer systems mentioned, “Thanks, however no thanks,” and tapped undefeated USC and Oklahoma groups to play for the nationwide title.
That was 2004. 20 years later, Auburn is — why now? who is aware of! — rewriting historical past.
Tuesday, it introduced plans to acknowledge that 2004 crew as a nationwide champion, one in every of seven new titles this system will now commemorate. With one determination, it additionally added nationwide championships 1910, 1913, 1914, 1958, 1983 and 1993, taking it from two to 9 all time.
It may be absurd. However I say let Auburn prepare dinner.
Faculty soccer has by no means made sense. It’s by no means been truthful {that a} crew can win each recreation on its schedule and never get to compete for a nationwide title on the sector.
It’s infuriating. It’s in contrast to different sports activities. It’ll possible by no means occur once more after the Faculty Soccer Playoff expanded from 4 groups to 12, a brand new world from the two-team BCS Nationwide Championship Sport that locked out Auburn 21 years in the past.
Auburn’s determination Tuesday harkens again to a bygone period of the game, the place nationwide championships may routinely be claimed and disputed. Mockingly, in 2017, Auburn failed to finish UCF’s undefeated season within the Peach Bowl, which gave the Knights the impetus to controversially grasp “2017 Nationwide Champions” signage within the Bounce Home after the season.
Auburn, welcome to the membership.
“For too lengthy, Auburn has chosen a humble strategy to our program’s storied historical past — selecting to solely acknowledge Related Press Nationwide Championships,” athletic director John Cohen mentioned. “Beginning this fall, we have now made the choice to honor the accomplishments of our deserving student-athletes, coaches, and groups from Auburn’s proud historical past.”
The 2004 crew, led by future first-round picks Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams, may make a case. Not all the seven new titles are as legit.
In 1993, Terry Bowden led the Tigers to an undefeated season, however this system was underneath NCAA sanctions and unrecognized by the coaches’ ballot and bowl video games. It ranked fourth within the AP Prime 25.
I’ll begrudgingly permit it.
The 1910 Auburn crew, which went 6-1, was named champion by the Maxwell Scores and Faculty Soccer Rankings. It’s vital to notice that neither of those rankings existed on the time. They’re run by Loren Maxwell and Kyle Matschke. They aren’t grizzled pre-World Struggle I faculty soccer sickos who died many years in the past. They’re males residing in 2025 who constructed scores methods and topped retroactive champions. Now, a faculty is recognizing them.
The identical is true of the Howell Scores System, which gave Auburn the 1914 title.
Auburn misplaced a recreation in 1910. Champion Pitt didn’t. It tied a recreation in 1914. Champion Military was unbeaten and untied.
However a sport with nobody in cost has no mechanisms to stop groups from claiming titles out of skinny air. And whereas the legitimacy of Auburn’s titles is questionable, it’s not like these groups went face to face. There’s at the very least some debate, even when it’s being spawned by scores fashions many years later.
It’s all foolish, however credit score to Auburn for recognizing it and giving their program extra issues to rejoice and honor from the previous.
Don’t hate the participant. Hate the sport.
Alabama followers — as long as nobody takes a more in-depth have a look at the doubtful claims behind lots of their 18 titles — will snigger. So will followers of different rivals like Georgia.
Anybody related to Auburn ought to ignore the complaints and derision and be part of the parade.
Lots of of gamers from the proudest groups in Auburn historical past are extra revered than they have been yesterday. Finally, that’s what that is about. That and making Jordan-Hare Stadium really feel a bit of cooler and extra historic.
Come and take the signage down. Strive it. They’ll simply put it again up once more.
Auburn bought a bit of prouder on Tuesday.
And there’s nothing anyone can do to alter that.
(Picture: David E. Klutho / Sports activities Illustrated through Getty Photographs)
