In defending the American Conference, and the success it saw during the 2017 season collectively, McKenzie Milton took a shot at that year’s Auburn football team.
Milton claimed in a tweet that USF and Memphis were both better than those Tigers, who went 10-4 and lost to his Knights in that year’s Peach Bowl.
*eyes roll out of head*
Here was his heresy in all its non-glory:
This isn’t taking shots at Cinci..it’s trying to point out the disrespect that the American Conference faced back then. Memphis and USF that year were tougher opponents than Auburn & you can ask any player/coach from that UCF team & they’ll stan that. https://t.co/x8F0naBD8E
— McKenzie Milton (@McKenzieMil10) October 13, 2021
The whole debate started when Milton downplayed the current success of the American’s top dog and highest ranked team from the conference ever, #3 Cincinnati:
I like 2017 UCF, Memphis, and USF over ‘21 Cinci https://t.co/FNf8x8EVeq
— McKenzie Milton (@McKenzieMil10) October 13, 2021
While it’s tough to retroactively pick who would win in a game between two teams from almost half a decade apart, Auburn football had one of its best seasons of the Gus Malzahn era that year and defeated the two teams that would go on to play in the National Championship, Georgia and Alabama.
With their only losses besides the Peach Bowl coming against the defending national champion Clemson, an LSU team led by future NFLer Danny Etling, and Georgia in the SEC game, Auburn just doesn’t seem like the correct target for Milton to use here to bolster his point.
And, not for nothing, Twitter user Mike Westinham makes an intriguing argument here:
So much tougher than Auburn that you claimed a Natty after winning lmao
— MiKE WESTiNHAM (@westinham) October 13, 2021
Perhaps Milton should focus on leading his 2-3 Seminoles to a winning record before taking shots a team that had some of the best wins of the 2017 college football season.