After 6 games last year, former offensive coordinator Al Borges had Auburn off to a 4-2 start. They scored 14 points or more in every game while averaging 28.3 points per game. The Tigers were only 3-3 against the spread, but were small profit earners in conference play at 2-1 against the spread. Franklin’s short time on the job had no such bright spots. Auburn is once again 4-2 straight-up, but they scored 14 points or less in three of their games. They are just 1-5 overall against the spread including a bankroll busting 0-4 against the number in SEC play. The alumni and boosters are none to happy. And neither is Tuberville. Will Tuberville be looking to move on come the off-season due to this circus?

Who knows what to make of Auburn’s chances this week when they host Arkansas? They get the perfect “get well” opponent in the Razorbacks, but Auburn’s offense cannot be trusted laying 18 points. Here’s another interesting saga between Bobby Petrino and Tommy Tuberville that was given the nickname Jetgate back in 2003.

I think Tennessee misses David Cutcliffe just a little bit. I rate Cutcliffe very high on my coaching list, and as an offensive coordinator, the guy is brilliant. Before rejoining the Tennessee staff for the 2006 season, he was the head coach at Ole Miss (7 years) when he molded Eli Manning and got the Rebels to the Cotton Bowl in 2003. Over the prior six seasons calling offensive plays for Fulmer, Cutcliffe and the Vols were 63-11 SU (85%) and 40-34 ATS (54%). And after a disastrous 5-6 2005 in which Tennessee hit offensive lows averaging 326 yards and only 19 points per game, Fulmer reached out to his good friend and Cutcliffe went back to Knoxville.

So, knowing Cutcliffe’s return would get Tennessee back to respectability in 2006, I wrote this in my preseason football annual: “The coaching talent doesn’t lie with Fulmer at the head, but rather in the assistant ranks with Cutcliffe. Fulmer is not high on our list, and if not for his coup of Cutcliffe we doubt very much we would be endorsing Tennessee right now. Coaches factor heavily into our handicapping, and moves in the assistant ranks usually go unnoticed. Cutcliffe’s presence will be the reason Tennessee wins, not Fulmer. Having Cutcliffe back as the OC is the main reason we think Tennessee will be profitable this year.”

And Cutcliffe delivered. Over his 2-year span, Tennessee’s offense averaged 28 points on 373 yards and 32 points on 401 yards per game. The Vols went 19-8 straight-up and an awesome 16-9-2 against the spread. That was good for 64% winners. Cutcliffe is now the head coach at Duke, a team that went 4-42 over the last four years. And the Blue Devils scored more than 30 points in a game only four times over that span. Currently, Duke is 3-2 straight-up and 3-1 against the spread while scoring more than 30 points in three of their five games already.

What about Tennessee under new offensive coordinator Dave Clawson? The Vols are struggling to say the least at 2-3. They’ve covered only 2 spreads while their offense is scoring just 18 points per game on just over 300 yards of offense per game. And like the Auburn situation above, Fulmer isn’t happy with his offensive coordinator’s system of flip-flopping his offensive lineman. What kind of system is that anyway? Just say it Phil, you wish you still had the other Dave still on Rocky Top.