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The SEC is taking silly season quite seriously, plucking top coaches away from rival conferences.

In a season defined by disbelief, the unlikely achieved the improbable. Except, of course, that one BCS title game constant.

The coaching profession is littered with glorious achievements and spectacular failures. Gene Chizik has known them both in short order.

Gene Chizik warned as early as April of his team's youth and inexperience. After watching Auburn's opener against Utah State, it's clear he wasn't kidding.

The siege of bad news and controversy has assaulted college football from all sides. We propose a New Deal for 2011: new conferences, new coaches, new stars.

Whether it is an anomaly or the pendulum swinging back to the bad old days is debatable, but recent headlines indicate college football is up to its headgear in ethical quicksand.

Auburn's national title is ancient history as the Tigers try to rebuild with youth.

As Auburn basks in the glory of its national championship win, Gene Chizik prepares his team for life as a defending champion absent many of the faces that helped deliver the trophy.

To truly understand what Monday's win means to Auburn's faithful, view the Tigers' accomplishments through the prism of five decades' worth of near-misses, shared titles and close calls.

Here are 10 reasons Oregon could win the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game and 10 reasons Auburn could win the title.

Only Auburn and Oregon reached the BCS title game. Why did the Tigers and Ducks make it? Let the players and coaches explain how they did it.

His runs and passes will long live in Auburn lore, but Cam Newton brought more than athletic skills to the Plains. He established himself as a leader the Tigers could follow all the way to the BCS title game.

Both conferences have teams vying for the national title. But which is better this season: the SEC or the Pac-10? Mark Schlabach and Ivan Maisel debate.

It used to be that defense won championships. With two high-octane offenses in Auburn and Oregon, this year's BCS National Championship Game has parted ways with college football's long-held traditions.

With so much new blood playing in the BCS bowls, it's no surprise that there are more than a few unlikely matchups. From Oregon's new-school vibe against Auburn's down-home tradition on down, the BCS bowls feature culture clashes.

Cam Newton overcame legal and academic problems at Florida, arrived at Auburn with one season of starting experience at a junior college and went on to win the best-known individual honor in American sports.