The Auburn Tigers won the Southeastern Conference last season and very nearly won the national championship as well. Can this team find the ability to bounce back and do the same kinds of things, showing that it wasn’t a one-hit wonder and that it’s here to stay in the SEC? That’s the question everyone is asking about Auburn, and the Tigers are eager to meet the challenge.
Strengths
The Tigers’ biggest strength is their coach, Gus Malzahn, who came in and immediately turned a team that was 3-9, 0-8 in the SEC, into a league champion in only one season. Malzahn didn’t need a “get-acquainted season” at Auburn. He was ready and able to win right off the bat. Malzahn simply thinks differently from, and better than, his contemporaries in the SEC and college football. He values tempo over power, and he believes in having fast, agile offensive linemen who are conditioned and ready to continue to run hard in the fourth quarters of games. What’s somewhat different about his philosophy is that although he values a hurry-up-no-huddle offense, he doesn’t insist on using the pass. Auburn is a hurry-up team that runs the ball more than it passes. The Tigers have found a way to be aggressive even though they don’t throw the ball very much.
Auburn’s offense is a strength on its own, though Malzahn obviously helps. Auburn has generated depth on its offensive line, and the team seems to have a plug-and-play identity at running back. Whoever is asked to perform probably will step up. The other big strength on the team is that quarterback Nick Marshall returns to run the offense. That’s a huge plus for a team trying to defend its SEC title.
Weaknesses
The Tigers just aren’t that strong on defense. They were very fortunate to survive late-season games against Georgia and Alabama last season. They did not play very well on defense and allowed opposing offenses to move the ball fairly easily in the second half of action. Auburn’s defense blew a 20-point lead to Georgia, and the team should have allowed more than 30 points against Alabama, but the Crimson Tide missed multiple field goals. Auburn’s defense didn’t play well against Missouri in the SEC Championship Game, but Auburn’s offense was so good that it didn’t matter. This season, Auburn’s defense has to prove a lot more to itself and the rest of the SEC. Can the front seven hold up against a good offensive line? That’s the first question for the Tigers. Will Auburn’s secondary be able to be strong in the fourth quarter when another offense is going to throw the ball every down? The combination of a so-so pass rush and the secondary could really hurt Auburn before everything else is said and done.
Schedule
The Tigers play a very tough non-conference game at Kansas State on a Thursday night, and that game might determine whether Auburn can make the four-team College Football Playoff with one SEC loss. Auburn has to play Alabama on the road, a game that will be extremely hard to win since the Tide will want revenge for last year’s Auburn victory.
Outlook
The Tigers should be very, very good this season, but will they be as lucky as they were last season? Auburn will probably lose twice in the regular season, but that’s still more than nine wins. Gus Malzahn knows how to win.
Pick: Over 9 at -127
