Yes, the Auburn Tigers went 8-5 last season, and that generally doesn't bode well for anyone the next season. However, that schedule from last season won't be duplicated this year, and Gus Malzahn could have his crew right back in the thick of things in 2015.
2015 SCHEDULE
9/5: vs. Louisville (in Atlanta)
9/12: vs. Jacksonville State
9/19: @ LSU
9/26: vs. Mississippi State
10/3: vs. San Jose State
10/15: @ Kentucky
10/24: @ Arkansas
10/31: vs. Ole Miss
11/7: @ Texas A&M
11/14: vs. Georgia
11/21: vs. Idaho
11/28: vs. Alabama
SEASON WIN TOTAL
A season win total of just eight might be a steal for Auburn. The team does have a horrendously difficult first month of the season, but if it gets through this stretch at 3-1, we see no reason why it can't win at least eight games again in the regular season. Remember that Alabama and Ole Miss, both games of which were on the road last year, are at home, while the potential banana peel games at Kentucky and at Arkansas come with long prep weeks.
OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Nick Marshall put up some fantastic stats at Auburn, and he did lead the team to the National Championship Game two seasons ago. However, he was never an elite thrower, as proven by the fact that he really hasn't found a legitimate position in the NFL as a quarterback, a defensive back or a wide receiver.
Jeremy Johnson is a throw-first quarterback, so expect to see more out of the traditional running game. Johnson can move around a little bit though, so the offense isn't going to be purely dropping back and throwing the ball, though with D'haquille Williams and Melvin Ray both coming back this year as senior leaders, that might not be a bad idea in the first place.
Regardless, Malzahn is one of the best offensive minds in America, and he is going to get this offense going no matter who is out there.
DEFENSIVE OUTLOOK
The Auburn defense really struggled in big games last season. Seven of the last eight games the Tigers played saw their foes put at least 31 points on the board, and the exception was a game against FCS Samford.
Malzahn knew that things needed to change with that defense, and he brought in one of the best defensive coaches in the nation in Will Muschamp after he was dismissed from Florida as its head coach.
It isn't going to take long for Muschamp to get this defense back in shape from a unit which ranked in the 60s last year in just about every metric to one of the Top 25 defenses in America, especially with eight returning starters.
SEASON PREDICTION
Auburn is interesting, if nothing else. The team is 17 to 1 to win it all right now, and it is actually the fifth choice on the board to get into the College Football Playoff at +275.
There are some holes to fill for sure, and obviously, if the game against Alabama isn't won at Jordan Hare to end the season, it'll be tough to justify a spot in the CFP unless the SEC as a whole kills it outside of conference play.
Still, that game, just like so many crucial other ones, are at home, and even if the early duel against LSU in the Bayou is lost, there is still plenty of time to recover.
Auburn is one of these teams which should get better as the year progresses, if for no other reason than for Muschamp and Malzahn working together on opposite sides of the football. If no one gets the Tigers early, look out. They could be legit contenders to reach the title game for the second time in three years.
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