Halloween is still a week away, but for Auburn the horror story started in early September and has gotten progressively more gruesome.  The worse news is there are still a few terrifying chapters yet to go.

     After starting just 1-3, it was clear that the three game stretch against Arkansas, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt would tell the tale for this Tiger team.  A mediocre team would beat two of those three opponents.  Even a bad team would win one.

     This Auburn team is certainly not mediocre.  They’re not even bad.

     The Tigers lost all three games and are now 1-6 for the first time since the 1952 season.

     That team finished with a 2-8 record.  The 2012 Tigers will win more games only because of a 12-game schedule and because the New Mexico State and Alabama A&M games are still upcoming.

     Just two years after winning a national championship, this Auburn team has hit rock bottom. 

     Only the fact that Kentucky is not on the schedule this year can keep us guessing about which team is the SEC’s worst.

     At least Kentucky can look forward to basketball season.

     Auburn will spend the off-season either looking for a new coach or questioning whether the existing one has what it takes to turn things around.

     One thing is certain.  The fan base is no longer “All In” and many of them have folded their hand when it comes to Gene Chizik.

     Next up for the Tigers is Texas A&M.  The Aggies have made a reasonably smooth transition to the SEC and are more competitive in the league than Missouri is at this point.  In fact, they could have easily beaten LSU on Saturday, but simply made too many mistakes to come out on top.

     The Aggies turned the ball over five times against LSU.  That makes it almost impossible to win any game, much less one against a highly ranked opponent.

     The Texas A&M offense leads the SEC in both yardage (524.6 per game) and scoring (43.0 points per game).  The Auburn offense is last in both categories.  The Tigers average just 276.6 yards and 15.7 points per game.

     Neither defense has been very good this year, although statistically Texas A&M is slightly ahead of Auburn.

     The Aggies give up 392 yards and 22.1 points per game compared to the 411 yards and 25.1 points the Auburn defense is yielding.

     Injury issues are now beginning to compound the problems that Auburn is facing.  Tight End and team leader Philip Lutzenkirchen missed the Vanderbilt game and is out for the season with a hip injury.

     "He's definitely a leader on the team and he's obviously a great player," quarterback Clint Moseley said. "He's still going to be here, being the emotional leader, but it's a big loss."

     The senior had been Auburn's second-leading receiver with 15 catches for 139 yards this season.

     Freshman right tackle Avery Young, who started the first three games of the season, will also miss the rest of the year with an injury.

     Defensive tackle Jeff Whitaker did not play on Saturday, although he was on the sideline during the loss to Vanderbilt. 

     Not making the trip were Safety Erique Florence, running back Mike Blakely and linebacker Justin Garrett. 

     Very few specifics have been given about any of the injured players.  Chizik simply described his team as “banged up”. 

     To get the win against Texas A&M, Auburn will have to overcome those injuries and play its best game of the season at a time when all the momentum is heading the wrong way.  The likelihood of this team stopping the downward slide at this point in the season just doesn’t seem to be a likely scenario.

     It is far more likely that the high-scoring Texas A&M team will come into Jordan-Hare Stadium and embarrass the Tigers on their home field.

     Barring some miraculous recovery, this team is going to finish with a 3-9 record.  To fall so far just two years removed from a national title is unheard of, unfathomable and inexcusable.

     In retrospect, no one saw that historic season coming.  In many ways, that team was carried to victory on the back of a very talented player.

     That season should have been parlayed into top ranked recruiting classes and wins on the field.  The recruiting has been decent enough, but the where are the wins?

     There are only a few chapters left to be written about the 2012 Auburn football team.  At this point it’s anyone’s guess whether the leading man will still be standing when the final page is turned.