No team collapsed under the weight of lofty preseason expectations quite like Auburn last season. The Tigers were picked to win the SEC Championship at conference media days last year and many picked them to get to the College Football Playoff as well. However, it all came crashing down pretty quickly and Auburn only managed to go 7-6 and just barely managed to earn a bowl bid. Expectations aren’t as high in 2016, but if Auburn only wins two SEC games this season, Gus Malzahn will be given his walking papers.
Auburn Tigers Season Win Total Odds at BookMaker.eu
Tigers Over 7 -135
Tigers Under 7 +105
2015 AUBURN TIGERS SEASON REVIEW
Auburn was never the juggernaut everyone expected it to be at the start of the season. The Tigers were given a scare early, being taken to overtime by FCS Jacksonville State in their second game, and it all fell apart after that. LSU hammered Auburn and the other divisional rivals followed suit. Auburn finished the season with a 1-5 record against SEC West foes and if not for a soft out-of-conference slate, would have missed out on the postseason.
What was supposed to be one of the nation’s top offenses never clicked in 2015. Jeremy Johnson and Sean White both took snaps as the signal caller, but the duo combined to throw 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The Tigers managed eight PPG less than they did in 2014 and a whopping 115 YPG less than the season prior. It was a weak performance all the way around for an offensive guru like Gus Malzahn.
The defense was supposed to be much better under Will Muschamp, but Auburn had pretty identical numbers to 2014. The Tigers allowed 4.5 yards per carry and quarterbacks completed over 60 percent of their passes on Auburn. They were without superstar Carl Lawson for much of the season, and failed to get to the quarterback without his presence.
WHAT CHANGED
Auburn loses 10 starters from last year’s team, including much of its skill position production. Last year’s leading rusher and the top two receivers are gone and neither Johnson or White is expected to be the starter at quarterback.
On defense, Auburn will roll the dice with Kevin Steele after Muschamp left to take the head coaching gig at South Carolina after the season. Steele has been hit or miss as a defensive coordinator, struggling despite a bevy of talent at LSU last season, but finding success at Alabama prior to that.
2016 AUBURN TIGERS SEASON PREVIEW
With his job on the line, Malzahn is turning to a transfer quarterback to save him. John Franklin III showed his talent at Florida State, but his style of play didn’t match well with Jimbo Fisher’s pro-style offense and he knew he would need to leave in order to start. Franklin is a much better fit for Malzahn’s offense and has the good decision making need to succeed in his offense.
Franklin has one of the nation’s most highly rated young receivers to throw to in Nate Craig-Myers. Craig-Myers was recruited by everyone in the country and many saw him as the top wide receiver prospect in the 2016 class and he is projected to be a starter immediately. He has the tools to make life difficult for cornerbacks in the SEC if Franklin can find him.
The defensive line should be a strength for Auburn this season with Lawson back along with two other starters from 2015, but the linebackers are extremely inexperienced. The line will be able to occupy blockers and take up space, but whether or not the linebackers can fill the gaps is another story.
Auburn’s schedule starts off tough, with Clemson in the first week and Texas AM and LSU also in the opening month of the season. However, the SEC West as a whole is down from last season and that should make life easier for a Tigers team looking to rebound. The Tigers should get at least four wins in conference and that will boost them over the win total.
College Football Odds: Auburn Tigers Over 7 Wins -135
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