Auburn, like Virginia Tech, had gone 8–5 during the 2003 college football season,[14] and entered the 2004 season with high expectations. The Tigers were using a new offensive scheme—the West Coast offense—and boasted two highly rated running backs on offense.[15] In its first game of the 2004 season, the 18th-ranked Auburn football team overwhelmed the University of Louisiana-Monroe, 31–0.