SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Unlike most coaches the morning after winning a national championship, Auburn’s Gene Chizik looked as fresh as a job applicant.
Cleanshaven, wide-eyed and wearing a leather jacket, Chizik said he savored the moment Monday night after his Tigers beat Oregon 22-19 on the last play of the Bowl Championship Series title game. But the time for celebration didn’t last long. As he said Tuesday, “It’s expired.”
He’s not kidding.
The Tigers (14-0) won their first national title since 1957. Don’t expect a repeat. Auburn will be devastated by graduation and likely defections to the NFL. Auburn will lose seven offensive starters, including four-fifths of its line and quarterback Cameron Newton, if he parlays his Heisman Trophy into a first-round contract.
On defense, it’s worse. The only returning starters are freshman end Nosa Eguae and junior defensive backs Mike McNeil and Neiko Thorpe. That includes junior tackle Nick Fairley, the Lombardi Award winner who earned a few extra bucks in the NFL draft by exploding the highest-scoring offense in the country Monday.
Even if Newton leaves the Tigers, his controversy may not. The NCAA ruled him eligible for the postseason but didn’t shut the door on its investigation of his father trying to sell his son’s services out of junior college last year for $180,000.
When Chizik arrived at Auburn two years ago from Iowa State, he had a small window to exploit. He jumped through it and now must find the front door.
“We have to start over,” Chizik said, “starting today.”
Auburn’s returning talent has promise. Leading receiver Darvin Adams is back — as is true freshman tailback Michael Dyer, who outshined Newton in rushing for 143 yards against Oregon. Dyer and Newton were Chizik’s five-star recruits last year in a class ranked fourth. Dyer was inconsistent, but that’s natural for a true freshman. He averaged 73.1 yards per game before Monday’s explosion but gained 100 and 180 yards in back-to-back games against Louisiana State and Mississippi, respectively.
“I think since that (Mississippi) game he’s grown tremendously, and he has got a chance to be a really good tailback in our league if he’ll keep working at it,” Chizik said. “He certainly has not arrived yet because he got the MVP of the national championship game.”
Auburn’s recruiting class this year includes five-star linebacker Brent Calloway of Russellville (Ala.) High School.
What should be a bigger concern for Colorado fans anticipating the inaugural Pac-12 season is that Oregon has a better chance than Auburn to get back to the BCS title game. The Ducks (12-1) return 11 starters — including the nation’s leading rusher, LaMichael James, and second-team all-Pac-10 QB Darron Thomas. Oregon visits Folsom Field on Oct. 22.
But for Auburn fans, next fall seems like next millennium. For the first time in 53 years, the Tigers are atop the college football world. Let the Charmin fly.
“Just very blessed to be a small part of something really big” Chizik said. “So (Monday) was a great night for a lot of young men that will remember that for the rest of their lives, and rightly so.”
John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com
