The Tigers survived an up and down season last year, starting 1-2, going to the Swamp and knocking off the Gators, and finally beating Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl and ending the year at 9-4.
After the schedule Auburn faced in 2007, along with the QB play of Brandon Cox (Tiger fans should be on cloud nine that he graduated), I would be shocked if they did not win 10 games this year. Last year the Tigers traveled to LSU, Florida, and Georgia, which could be argued are the toughest places to play. No other team can say they did that.
In last year’s bowl effort against Clemson, sophomore QB Kodi Burns' stellar play gave hope to Tiger fans for this coming year to see how far he can take the team. Along with Burns on offense, powerful RBs Ben Tate and Brad Lester will pound out first downs, take a good number of carries, and punish teams with their hard-nosed style of football.
Auburn installed a spread offense two weeks before their bowl game against Clemson last year. They looked a little confused in the beginning stages of the game, but when the more athletic Burns got the bulk of the snaps in the second half, the system seemed very smooth, and Clemson seemed to be on their heels on defense.
Auburn returns nine men on offense, including all five starting O-Linemen and WRs Rodgeriqus Smith and Montez Billings, who are deep threats and can make plays.
On the defensive side of the ball, not too many names will jump out at you, but the Tigers always have athleticism and speed. Most notably, DE Antonio Coleman and CB Aairon Savage fit the mold for the Tigers defense.
Although the SEC is by far the toughest conference in college football, Auburn will be the team that edges by the likes of Tennessee, Georgia, and LSU, mainly because those three teams all travel to Auburn, where the Tigers are 47-10 over the past seven years.
Newcomers for the Tigers in 2008 include DL Raven Gray, RB Reggie Hunt, WR Harry Adams, and LB Da’Shaun Barnes.
Projected Record: 11-2 (two games over assigned total)
4. South Carolina
Over/Under Odds: 8 wins
I know, I know: Three SEC teams in my forecast, and I did not mention Tennessee, Georgia, or LSU—but here is my reason. Georgia has the third toughest schedule in the nation, LSU has a redshirt
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