i've had the desire to yell "War Damn Eagle" at random strangers on brisk Fall afternoons yet again.

it's been a long and depressing offseason. the afterglow of Auburn's national championship has left me with the same feeling i had when i lost my virginity...which is to say i was so glad that finally happened but the next time i hope it goes a lot smoother. the preseason prognosticators have predicted doom and gloom for our Tigers. i myself said last season that i fully expected Auburn to be a 7-5 team next year BUT that assuming Khiel Frazier is developed this season as a QB that Auburn stood a goddamn good chance of being back in the SEC and BCS title hunts for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. but living in a rival school's hometown has left my ears full of the bitterness that is UGA football fandom (nice uniforms, btw...you NIke whores) and their predictions (dirty little fantasies) of seeing Auburn go 4-8. basically the running narrative for this offseason is what a fluke/perfect storm 2010 was, that our coaches aren't any good, and that we will be lucky to beat Ole Miss. i call bullshit on that. the only games i predict being a total longshot are LSU and Arkansas. we've learned the last two seasons that Auburn isn't gonna roll over and fucking die against Alabama and assuming the Tide is in the title hunt you know Auburn will get up for that game. Clemson and USC are teams Auburn just never loses to and i expect them to at least go 1-1 vs the South Carlonia schools. i don't see Auburn losing at home to Mississippi State or Ole Miss. you know they are gonna give those Gators all they can handle. and i am of the opinion UGA is in for a horrible season that will put an end to the Richt era and so i wouldn't be surprised if UGA doesn't have a whole lot to play for when Auburn rolls into Athens. my best case scenario for 2011 is that Auburn finished the regular season at 9-3, tied for 2nd or 3rd in the West and gets a New Year's bowl game (likely the Cotton or Outback) but has a lot of momentum built up for 2012. my worst case scenario is that Auburn loses a lot of really close games and ends up with a 6-6 record and a trip to the Liberty (or whatever lower tier bowl the SEC has). i can swallow a 6-6 year as long as there's a lot of development being shown by Auburn's talented true and redshirt freshmen who are gonna be making up the bulk of the team's roster.

quick QB thoughts:

i will be the first to admit that i was less than thrilled to hear Barrett Trotter named Auburn's starting QB...a player that has to rank right up with Chris Todd as the least talented starter in the last 20 years, but Malzhan was able to make Todd into some kind of productive and useful starter in 2009 and so i would expect nothing less with Trotter. i would however like to assume that at the exact point Auburn is eliminated from any chance to reclaiming the SEC West crown that the keys to the offense will be handed over to our talented incoming Freshman QB (before our other talented Freshman QB shows up next season) and see if the kid lives up to the hype. starting a freshman is never ideal at QB but i have always been of the opinion that you go with the guy with the most talent...not the guy who has been hanging around the longest.

3 things i want to see from Auburn in 2011:

1. a big upset over either Bama, LSU, Florida, or UGA (all games Auburn will likely not be favored in...even though i predict UGA will suck)

2. Khiel Frazier as Auburn's QB at some point (hopefully after the team's 2nd loss) in the season.

3. a defense that can actually shut some team's down in the conference ever so often.

anyways, i am finally getting excited again that the season is almost here. i'll be at the home opener ready to cheer on the Tigers rocking my 2010 BCS title shirt and ready to drop an F-bomb or 5 the first time Auburn doesn't score a TD on a drive.

War Eagle, you fuckers.

Goodbye Kodi, I'm gonna miss you most of all.

and so it is time we say goodbye to our 2010 National Champion Auburn Tigers, the most exciting Auburn team in my lifetime. the 2004 squad will probably always be the most dominant and talented, but 2010 will always be the the most special. Cam and Nick were the superstars. the offensive line were the backbone. but Kodi Burns will always be the heart. from the moment he came to Auburn he has done whatever he was asked to help make Auburn better. the moment he lost his starting job to Chris Todd and was asked to move to wide receiver and he decided NOT to transfer and to stick around he solidified himself as an All Time Auburn Great. he personified the words Unselfish and Leader. not to mention he blocked his ass off better than any Auburn wideout i can ever remember. it seems only fitting that his loan touchdown catch of the season was saved for his final game. in a game full of plays that i'll never forget, that was what got the ball rolling. thank you Kodi Burns for being an Auburn Man. i'm never gonna forget #18.

i'm not sure if i can call my blog A Lifetime of Defeats anymore.

it's been 2 days now and things have finally sunk in. monday night was real. Auburn is the 2010 BCS National Champion. can you wrap your brain around that? did this seem even remotely possible at the end of the 2008 season? being a lifetime pessimist and someone used to having his heart ripped out by his favorite teams i never ever believed Auburn would ever finally clinch an outright national title. and yet it really fucking happened. i'm still at a loss for words to say how i feel.

I can't even lie. Watching the title game was not an enjoyable event for me. I was a nervous mess the whole night. Everytime something went wrong for the Tigers I felt like I was going to puke. It was borderline torture at points. But Auburn kept making the plays it had to make and keeping my heart from completely exploding in my chest. When Oregon tied the game up 19-19 I even said, "Auburn is gonna lose." I could feel the misery setting in. I started to wonder what were the chances Auburn would ever get another shot at this. And then Dyer made his "he's down, oh shit he's not down" run. And I finally perked up. I started to have visions of Wes Byrum's kick vs Florida dancing in my head. And then when Dyer blasted through Oregon's line for what I thought was the game winning touchdown I fell onto the floor and began to weep for joy. Of course it was reviewed and he has down at the 1 and all Byrum had to do was make a chip shot and we were champs...but I could barely even watch it. My heart was racing. My stomach was in knots. It's up. It's good!!!!!!!!! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! The Tigers are champs! Auburn are the national champions! Can you even believe it? Is it real? I thought it I died right that second it wouldn't have been so bad.

The high still hasn't worn off. I've been in this endless fog. It's a weird feeling. I remember talking to a friend of mine who was a Red Sox fan and how he told me that winning the World Series was amazing not only because he'd been waiting for that moment his whole life but because now the Sox were just another team who'd won a World Series. And now that's how I feel too. For all my angst and anxiety of being an Auburn fan all these years I could finally just enjoy rooting for my team and know that no metter whatever happens the rest of my life that no other moment would ever be this special again. And because of that I can just root for my Tigers and never get as worked up or miserable about winning or losing ever again. It feels amazing. And in a way it feels kind of sad. But it's a good sad.


thank you Nick Fairley, you giant half bear half man force of destruction. are you the dirtiest Auburn player of all time? fuck yeah, you are. you are a mean ass sonofabitch and i'd hate the shit out of you too if i was one of those pussyass UGA fans. but you are ours and for that i love you.


i've never been more happy to be so wrong about anything in my entire life as calling Gene Chizik the worst hire possible. thanks Coach. i'm willing to forgive 3 straight years of mediocrity before i ever call for your head.


Thank you Wes Byrum. Chip shot or not it's the kick that made us champions!!! motherfucking champions!!!!

And of course thank you, Cam. But that almost needs to be left unsaid.

So War Damn Eagle, everyone. Enjoy this moment for a long, long time. I know I will.

Final Poll Of the Season

A Lifetime Of Defeats Top 25 Final Poll

1. Auburn Tigers
2. Oregon
3. TCU
4. Stanford
5. Ohio State
6. LSU
7. Alabama
8. Oklahoma
9. Wisconsin
10. Nevada
11. Boise State
12. Arkansas
13. Oklahoma State
14. Mississippi State
15. Michigan State
16. Missouri
17. Va Tech
18. FSU
19. Texas A&M
20. South Carolina
21. Nebraska
22. UCF
23. Maryland
24. Tulsa
25. San Diego State

Ranking The Top 10 Bowl Matchups I Will Actually Want to Watch

1. Auburn vs. Oregon in the BCS Championship

duh. Auburn all the way.

2. Arkansas vs. Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl

i have a feeling that if Ohio State is EVER gonna beat an SEC team then this is their best chance yet. if the Hawgs win then i fully expect Petrino to weasel his way out of Arkansas and onto a bigger stage (assuming Miami hasn't hired a coach yet).

my early lean is on the Buckeyes.

3. Alabama vs. Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl

Saban vs one of his old teams, Michigan State. 1 team that started the year thinking they were a lock to repeat as champs vs. the most surprising 1 loss team in the country that will have a huge chip on it's shoulder after getting left out of the BCS. this is the best non-BCS matchup of all.

if Bama's players are actually focused and not thinking about their draft stock then i think the Tide takes care of business.

4. LSU vs. Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl

the hottest team in the Big 12 vs. LSU in the Jerry Dome. this could be a preview of a future SEC rivalry game whenever the hell the Big 12 minus 2 finally dies and A&M jumps into the South Eastern Conference.

i think A&M could knock off LSU, but why would you ever pick against Les Miles?

5. Boise State vs. Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl

this is a matchup i've wanted to see for the last few years. the two most successful non-BCS schools of the BCS era vs. one another to let us know who is the best upstart program in the land. this game comes a few years too late for me, especially since Utah is now off the big leagues as a member of the Pac 12 and Boise State is stepping in to take the Ute's place as the Mountain West's top dog.

Boise is the better team and will probably want to send a message to the country with an epic beatdown.

6. South Carolina vs. FSU in the Chick-Fila bowl

Ol' Ball Coach vs. his old rival FSU! sure, Bobby isn't on the sidelines anymore...but it's hard not to imagine that Spurrier doesn't wanna put a whooping on FSU anyways. old hates die hard.

7. Georgia Tech vs. Air Force in the Independence Bowl

for 80s fans this is the game for you! who isn't pumped about a matchup of the two best option attack teams in the country?! the over/under for total passes thrown in this game is probably around 13. this game will be about 1 hour long and full of option madness. i can't fucking wait! Tech all the way.


8. Mississippi State vs. Michigan in the Gator Bowl

this game intrigues me because i'm not sure if either team's headcoach will even be coaching in this game. assuming RichRod isn't fired and Dan Mullen doesn't bolt for Miami then we could see a really great showdown. i'm interested how Denard Robinson can do vs. a SEC defense. my thought is pretty damn well. i'm leaning with Michigan here even though i know they won't be able to stop Mississippi State from scoring at will. i think Robinson has a big day and gets his Heisman candidacy for next year cranked up.

(a random thought) what if RichRod does get fired and Michigan is able to hire Jim Harbaugh from Stanford? will Denard stick around and try and play in a pro style offense or will he transfer and sit out a year. if he does transfer i would hope the coaches at some school called Auburn would like to show him a reel of Cam Newton's Heisman material.

9. The Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl

i have basically the same feeling about both of these games. i will watch them, but these aren't matchups i want to see. i really would rather see Stanford vs. Wisconsin and Va Tech vs TCU. i think both of those would be better more competitive matchups, instead i'm expecting blowouts by both Wisconsin and Stanford.


10. Notre Dame vs. Miami in the Sun Bowl

not really a very compelling match up but still i was such a big fan of this rivalry when i was a kid and always rooted for the U to take out the Irish. i will be watching out of nostalgia's sake.

GREATEST IRON BOWL EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well that turned out pretty good.

BEST COMEBACK WIN I CAN EVER REMEMBER.

BEST IRON BOWL WIN FOR AUBURN THAT I CAN REMEMBER.

CAM NEWTON IS A GOLDEN GOD.

now i am getting fucking wasted.