I wrote a story for today's newspaper about how Auburn is trying to not get ahead of itself against a Ball State team that's nowhere close to the level it was last season. Here's how it starts:

AUBURN, Ala. — A year ago Ball State would have been a major headache as a non-conference opponent. Now, the Cardinals provide a relative break in Auburn’s schedule.

The Tigers (3-0), fresh off their biggest victory of the season against West Virginia, are trying to keep things even-keeled as they prepare for a struggling Ball State, aiming to get through September unblemished.

“It’s only three games into the season,” Auburn running back Ben Tate said. “You can be confident, but you really can’t be overconfident. You still have to be humble, because there’s a lot of ball still left to play.”

Auburn has been very diplomatic when speaking about Ball State — no doubt a reflection of its straight-laced coach — despite being as much as 33-point favorites heading into Saturday’s game.

“I think our football team is smart enough to understand that we’re not good enough to (overlook) anybody,” Tigers coach Gene Chizik said. “And they are also smart enough to understand that we’ve got to fix Auburn, and that’s a lot of fixing left.”

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