With star player Cam Newton under NCAA investigation for money that may have been on the table during his recruitment, the Auburn Tigers have two choices, both of them bleak. They could suspend Newton preemptively to avoid having to vacate wins down the line, which would mean throwing away a potential SEC title and an inside track to the BCS Championship Game. Because they’re not winning any of that without Newton.
Their other option is to go ahead and play Newton anyway and hope this all just fades away without any penalties. If they’re eventually forced to vacate a national title, wouldn’t that be better than leaving an undefeated season on the table?
Fans of the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide would certainly vote for the former, and if there’s any consistent metric on what powers the minds of Auburn, Alabama, it’s doing exactly what Bama does not want to happen.