Riverboat Gambler

That's how I feel, Tommy. I just fling out my arms and say, WTF? How is it that Auburn was undefeated in 2004 and now four years later, we suck like a crack ho during Fleet Week? Right now we should have a team full of quality juniors and seniors recruited off that undefeated season. Instead, we don't know who our quarterback is, our "championship-caliber" defense isn't so much, and our heralded Spread Offense is the biggest joke in the NCAA. We were a ranked team at the beginning of the season, and now 8 games in, we have fallen off the radar.

Tuberville's "Riverboat Gambler" nickname was established when he was at Mississippi, where he was known for aggressive play calling and taking chances. And he's managed to play strategy and luck very effectively while at Auburn. He survived JetGate in 2003, and turned the next season into a huge pot that bought him a new contract and new respect. And he keeps on beating Bama.

But he made a mistake. By hiring Tony Franklin and going to the Spread, he bought deeply into a pot but he wouldn't go all in. And now he's stuck. Half his stack is gone now, and he's on tilt. Auburn will not beat Alabama this year, and those sweet memories of 2004 and "The Thumb" will fade. Tommy is up the river.

BUT, he still has an ace in the hole. It's called a buyout clause and it's worth about $5 million. Tommy's recent protestations that he's been an Auburn man for 10 years and hopes to be an Auburn man for another 10 is just his way of saying, "If you want me gone you'll have to pay me."

I don't blame him. The atmosphere at Auburn must be toxic since the JetGate scandal, and I'm sure he feels under appreciated. However, you don't gamble the future of a program to play out a one-on-one with Bobby Lowder or the Board of Trustees. Sometimes the right thing to do is to fold. We'll have to see how this hand plays out.