HOOVER — The contrast between Gene Chizik and the three notoriously outspoken coaches whofollowed him Friday was as stark as any that came out of 2009’s SEC Media Days.

It mimicked the overall lack of pomp and circumstance surrounding Auburn’s turn in the spotlight compared to last year, when overblown expectations quickly morphed into an unfulfilled and chilling reality.

If it wasn’t apparent before Friday, Auburn officially solidified itself a spot off the national radar.

The Tigers were picked to finish fifth in the SEC West in the national media’s preseason projections, which were released shortly before the third and final day of press conferences kicked off at the Wynfrey Hotel. The projection marks almost a complete freefall from last year’s infamous first-place forecast.

But unlike LSU’s Les Miles, South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier and Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin, who all kept the hired stenographers feverishly busy, Chizik handled it with the same vanilla, matter-of-fact responses that have dotted his first seven months on the Plains.

“Everybody’s got an opinion,” Chizik said. “It’s neither here nor there to me.”

That opinion was echoed by the two seniors who accompanied him — defensive end Antonio Coleman and tight end Tommy Trott — though tact was used a bit more sparingly.

“Let’s just say last year as a whole was just flat-out awful,” said Trott, who had his disappointing junior season capped with a shredded ACL. “We put too much work into it, 365 days a year, to come out there and win five ballgames and have a losing record.

“There’s just nothing enjoyable about that.”

There’s no such thing as too much optimism at events like this week’s, and Auburn’s hour on the stage provided plenty.

Coleman served as the lead spokesman of that brigade.

Just a few weeks after the entire coaching staff overhaul, Coleman saw his best friend from last year’s team, defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks, opt out before his senior season and pursue an NFL career. It was a path Coleman could have easily chosen and certainly considered, but Chizik’s pitch was enough to sell him on one more year.

Even with all the tempered expectations, it’s a decision Coleman said he hasn’t regretted. Not that he takes any stock in those projections, considering the same coaches that voted him first-team All-SEC at the end of last season bumped him down to second-team status for the 2009 season.

“I don’t buy into anything. It’s all preseason hype,” Coleman said. “At the end of the day these teams have to get out there and play each other and you have to get out there and produce.”

Chizik dismissed using the apparent slight as a source of motivation when the Tigers open camp next Wednesday. That stance quickly trickled down to Coleman.

“We reflect Coach Chizik’s personality first and foremost,” Coleman said. “We don’t pay too much attention to it. Underdog or not an underdog, this is a new season and we’re working hard.”

Though the expectations are minimal, the hype, if you look hard enough and tune out Kiffin for a second, is certainly there.

Buzz generated by innovative recruiting tactics has spilled into a statewide billboard campaign, which has splashed the Auburn logo and tiger eyes all across Alabama’s highways and bi-ways.

An out-of-state reporter asked Chizik if the increased advertising of sorts was orchestrated in response to the perception Auburn football is mired in a rut.

Chizik stuck to the script — the one that doesn’t have Auburn making the biggest drop of any SEC team when compared to last year’s projections.

“To be honest with you, I don’t really know what public opinion is,” Chizik said. “Auburn is a great place. I can say that because I’ve been there and done that. Again, I don’t know exactly how the outside world views Auburn.”

The same train of thought applies to having a perceived year off from the lofty expectations that infiltrate nearly all SEC programs.

“I don’t think there’s any more pressure put on Auburn football than what I put on our kids and myself,” Chizik said. “We don’t really pay a whole lot of attention to all of the external issues out there. We put enough pressure on ourselves to be great.”

| 737-2561