'I Like Me' – Cam Newton Doubles Down in Vince Young vs. Auburn Debate With Championship Confidence

“I like me. I love me,” Newton said, smiling at the question. “But you just… they had a lot of firepower.”

The respect was evident. Newton shared that he once told Young directly how influential his performance in the 2006 Rose Bowl had been on his own mindset as a high school athlete.

“You do not know what your performance in the Rose Bowl did for me,” Newton recalled. “It set the parameters of, oh, that’s what I got to do.”

He described watching the iconic Texas vs. USC game as a “nostalgic, euphoric” moment, highlighting how loaded both rosters were with NFL-level talent.

The conversation then turned toward other memorable college football showdowns. Newton pointed to LSU vs. Alabama in 2019 as another game packed with star talent, calling it “almost like a galaxy on the field.”

He also weighed in on the evolution of the college football postseason. Newton believes today’s playoff format is a more challenging path to a title compared to the BCS era.

“It’s definitely harder to do the playoff system,” he said, adding that the BCS didn’t always get it right. He referenced Auburn being left out of the 2004 title game and TCU’s lopsided loss to Georgia as examples of how both systems have had flaws.

Still, Newton praised the progress made in recent years toward better matchups and stronger scheduling.

“They’re making strides to get it right,” he said.