5 More Reasons Gene Chizik Will Win at Auburn, No. 4: Ca$h

Optimism Day!'s No. 4 new reason Gene Chizik will win at Auburn:



He will have the full financial support of the Auburn administration.

Even on Optimism Day!, I can't bring myself to say it's a positive that Chizik is going to have to spend so much time kissing the rings of the administration who brought him in. Like everyone else, I have a hard time hearing Jacobs repeat over and over again that Chizik is "the right fit" and not think that "the right fit" means "the guy who won't give us any backtalk."

But if we can assume that Chizik has some, any, measure of independence from his Lowderian overlords, it's also fair to assume that said Lowderian overlords will back those measures with everything they've got, financially speaking. Jacobs certainly cannot survive Chizik's failure; if the good ship S.S. Right Fit goes down, Jacobs goes down with it. Maybe there's not quite as much at stake for the Overlords themselves, but I don't think it's fair to question their commitment or love for Auburn. It may be a strange, dark, and brutal love, the kind that causes husbands to do 200 hours of community service after charging into their wives' workplaces and beating up the first male sales clerk they see, but still: they haven't enjoyed seeing Auburn's name dragged through the mud this week any more than you or I have. They know that as big a black eye as this coaching search and hire have been so far, it's only going to get bigger if Chizik crashes and burns.

So as much as Auburn is currently doling out to ex-offensive coordinators, ex-head coaches, ex-position coaches, and possibly ex-waterboys and ex-laundry managers, if there's anything left over in the kitty for recruiting trips or assistant salaries or better washing machines for the current laundry managers, I have to think Chizik only needs to ask to get it. It's sad to the point of tears to believe Tubby wasn't given the same privileges during his tenure--and unfortunately, that is what I believe--but it's the S.S. Right Fit or nothin' at this point. I can't imagine whatever financial means this program has won't be put towards keeping her afloat.