I'm hoping our home field advantage pushes us over the top.
If recent history is any indication, that won't matter. Check out this article I just read:
Time for Auburn to stop going belly up against the Hogs
Published: Wednesday, October 13, 2010, 5:30 AM
The state of Arkansas has been good to Auburn. The University of Arkansas? Not so much. The Natural State has exported one natural resource after another to the Plain. The short list runs from Tommy Tuberville to Lee Ziemba to Kodi Burns to Gus Malzahn to Mike Dyer. That underground pipeline will deliver again in February when star prep quarterback Kiehl Frazier from Springdale, Ark., turns his early commitment to the Tigers into a signature on a letter-of-intent. But for every player and coach who's crossed the border to make Auburn better, Arkansas has put together a team of its own to crush an Auburn dream. The Tigers played in the SEC Championship Game in 2000 and 2004. If not for Arkansas, they would've added trips in 2001, 2002 and 2006.
The Tigers put themselves in the BCS conversation in 2004. If not for Arkansas, they would've made another case two years later. Malzahn has been on both sides of this curious rivalry. Before he came to Auburn with Gene Chizik to give the Tigers hope, the mild-mannered mad scientist came to the Loveliest Village with Arkansas to burst Auburn's bubble. At Arkansas, Malzahn was 1-0 against Auburn. At Auburn, Malzahn is 0-1 against Arkansas. Naturally. That's why Saturday's visit from the Razorbacks is bigger than big. It goes beyond a nationally televised showdown between No. 7 Auburn and No. 12 Arkansas and the return of Jetgate target Bobby Petrino.
At Auburn, Petrino was 0-1 against Arkansas. At Arkansas, Petrino is 2-0 against Auburn. Naturally. So the Tigers have a bone to pick with the Razorbacks. When does Auburn tend to shrink from the spotlight? When pigs fly into its airspace. A look at Auburn's greatest pits:
In 2001, Auburn was 6-1 and ranked No. 17 when it traveled to Fayetteville to meet unranked Arkansas. True freshman sensation Carnell Williams ran for 177 yards, but it didn't matter. The Tigers turned the ball over three times and got smoked 42-17.
Auburn finished the season tied for the SEC West title with Nick Saban and LSU but lost the head-to-head tie-breaker. Beat Arkansas, and the Tigers would've returned to Atlanta for a second straight year.
In 2002, Auburn was 4-1 and ranked No. 24 with a four-game winning streak when unranked Arkansas came to the Plain. The Hogs scalded Chizik the coordinator's first Auburn defense for 426 rushing yards, 241 of them by the immortal Fred Tally, and barbecued the home team 38-17.
Auburn finished that season tied for the SEC West title with Arkansas, which went to Atlanta, and LSU. Beat Arkansas, and Auburn would've played in the SEC Championship Game.
In 2006, Auburn was 5-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation and determined to make up for the BCS slight of two years before when unranked Arkansas walked into Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The Razorbacks shredded Will Muschamp's first Auburn defense for 279 rushing yards. Darren McFadden went for 145 yards, Felix Jones added 104 and a high school offensive coordinator named Malzahn steered them and a freshman quarterback named Mitch Mustain to a 27-10 upset.
Auburn finished that season one game behind Arkansas in the SEC West. If not for that loss, the Tigers would've gone to Atlanta at 11-1 to play 11-1 Florida for the SEC title and a possible berth in the BCS Championship Game.
Even Auburn's best team, the undefeated 2004 edition, got a little sloppy against the Hogs. Chizik's defense that year didn't give up more than 14 points in 10 of its 11 regular-season games. Against Arkansas, Auburn allowed 20 points in a 38-20 victory.
And what happened last year when Chizik returned to Auburn as head coach? The first team to beat him after a 5-0 start? Arkansas. The team that scored the most points against him all season with a big, fat 44? Arkansas.
To continue on its quest to make history, this Auburn team has to do more than put a stop to Ryan Mallett. It has to change history.
It has to stop going belly up, as if on cue, against the Hogs. Isn't it about time?
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/10/scarbinsky_isnt_it_about_time.html