The 2010 Auburn Tigers had one of the all-time underdog seasons, capped off by an entertaining BCS Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks on January 10, 2011, a 22-19 win etched forever in time on the Plains.
Apparently, not everyone was swept up in Cam Newton's Heisman efforts, where he dragged a roster that featured no other offensive skill-position draft picks to a title. CBS Sports' Brad Crawford listed the 2010 Tigers as the No. 4-mosted-hated College Football team ever.
Crawford listed only the 1986 Miami Hurricanes, 2005 USC Trojans, and 2014 Florida State Seminoles, which were not the team that Auburn lost to in the national championship, but the year after that, as teams more hated throughout history.
Crawford's explanation essentially boiled down to the court of public opinion finding Newton guilty of being unlikable. As he would admit, the fans hoping to see "Superman" fail never got what they bargained for.
"These Tigers stand as one of the SEC's most hated teams ever. In a setting made for reality TV, Cam Newton captivated viewers with his Heisman-level athleticism on the field and his never-ending saga off of it. Kicked out at Florida before starring in the JUCO ranks, Newton landed at Auburn pre-NIL as a transfer and was Gene Chizik's claim to fame. Much like Jameis Winston and Johnny Manziel, Newton was vilified by opposing fans, and many anxiously awaited his moment of failure. But it never came. Newton won the SEC and directed his team to an unblemished national championship season, recording one of the single-most impressive campaigns in the sport's history. Newton earned 729 first-place Heisman votes, a then record-setting margin, with the next closest player being Andrew Luck (78)," Crawford wrote.
2010 Auburn accused of having off-the-books NIL deal with Cam Newton
Perhaps the hate Mississippi State Bulldogs fans feel fuels the No. 4 ranking for the 2010 Tigers. Dan Mullen wanted to bring Newton to Starkville for the 2010 season, but apparently their under-the-table offer wasn't enticing enough for the Atlanta native.
Why was Auburn a better offer? Well, it's never been proven, but many accuse the Tigers of winning an NIL battle that took place some 11 years before "pay-to-play" became a common practice in college sports.
No one can ever claim the Barn isn't well-funded. Not back then, and certainly not today.