…we were not in the classic “meltdown” mode over it either.

the first year of the saban era was expected to be brutal but the focus was on developing the talent we had and recruiting like crazy (thus the fracas with overzealous michigan fans).

i think you are right, chizik will get at least as much credit for his first year and, arguably, hasn’t taken things to as dark a place as saban’s crew did in year one. by just about every measure one can consider, auburn has exceeded expectations this season.

even if auburn loses the iron bowl, he should be secure. problem is, that actually what makes things more dangerous for alabama. we are going into an enemy stadium to play a decent team that has absolutely nothing to lose. that hates our guts, too boot. this ain’t gonna be a gimme game, i can assure you that.

but in terms of chizik’s staying power over the longer term, the question then seems to be “is this progress for real?” and i can’t honestly look at chizik’s effort and say that. bottom line, even if he and malzahn somehow coach a full league over their heads for the next two seasons, the talent disparity will remain insurmountable.