Auburn Football: Why Tigers Are Legitimate SEC Contenders in 2012

The Auburn Tigers are not on many preseason lists as SEC contenders for the 2012 season, but those predictions are wrong. Despite what the prognosticators say heading into the summer months about the Auburn Tigers, they are going to be a force in the SEC. 

The Tigers return a roster that is as talented as any in the country. There are some minor depth concerns at specific positions, but the overall talent available to play is overwhelmingly championship caliber. 

Auburn will have a long summer workout session ahead that will iron out the details of the two new systems installed this spring. When fall practice begins, the Tigers will be prepared to take the conference and country by storm. Big things are expected defensively and offensively from this year’s team.

Here are the six reasons why the Tigers are SEC contenders in 2012. 

Bold Defense

With the hire of Brian VanGorder as defensive coordinator this winter, Gene Chizik made a bold statement about the future of his defense. Chizik wants aggression, and VanGorder will bring it. 

VanGorder has built his reputation leading aggressive playing defenses that rely on rushing the quarterback to cause issues in the passing game. VanGorder will bring multiple blitz looks from the defensive secondary and the linebacker positions. 

The Tigers were not very aggressive on defense under Ted Roof, rarely showing blitz formations, relying heavily on the front four to provide pressure on the quarterback. While that plan worked well in 2010 with stud defensive linemen, in 2009 and 2011 it hurt the Tigers' production and forced the secondary to play more passes than it could handle. 

Adding bold looks to the defense will force more pressure on opposing quarterbacks and will push turnovers into the hands of the Tigers defense. A bold and tenacious defense will have the Tigers as contenders in 2011. 

Unpredictable Offensive Multiplicity

Auburn fans could not wait to see the new offense from Scot Loeffler on A-Day. To no surprise, around 70 percent of the plays came from the shotgun formation. By fall, it should be a 50/50 split of shotgun and under center. 

Then again, it may be 70 percent shotgun. That is the beauty of the new Auburn offense. No one really has a clue what to look for. Auburn has been recruiting for a shotgun-type offense the past few seasons, but there is nothing locking the Tigers to the spread. 

Auburn has recruited well enough that the players found in the program now could fit most any system. That is a major plus for Loeffler. 

Loeffler has had one season as a coordinator and it was with severely underskilled talent at Temple. Loeffler was able to create a very effective rushing attack, but the Owls struggled through the air. Most of that struggle came from bad quarterback play. The bad quarterback play pigeonholed the calls that Loeffler could make in the offense, limiting its effectiveness. 

At Auburn, he won’t be short on talent and should be able to open up the playbook this season. Despite the inexperience found at quarterback, it will be an upgrade. 

Explosive Running Game

When Auburn opens the season the Tigers will have the most talented and deepest backfield since the Chizik tenure began in 2009. The Tigers have been very effective in the ground game in the past few seasons, but this year the Tigers look to be more dangerous than ever before. 

Auburn will have five legitimate threats from the backfield, with Onterio McCalebb leading the pack. He may not fill the void of the every-down back, but he will be the most experienced and utilized back in the offense this coming season.

Look for Tre Mason, Corey Grant and Mike Blakely to battle for the every-down role, with true freshman Jovon Robinson filling in gap time off of the bench by midseason. 

Auburn will have formations that will utilize two and three backs at a time, forcing confusion for the defense and creating mismatches for the Tigers. Expect big things from the Auburn backfield this season. The Tigers will look for it to carry the offense for the first few weeks. 

Surprising Quarterback Play

There is a lot of discussion surrounding the Auburn quarterback battle that started this spring with most fans and pundits picking winners by now, but few picking Auburn to be very good from under center. 

The concern that comes with the quarterback projections are not unfounded; it was just a year ago that the Tigers utilized three different signal-callers. It will not be a multiple-quarterback offense this season. 

Kiehl Frazier appears to have the lead currently, but no firm leader has been named. Not naming a starter doesn’t mean the Tigers aren’t getting positive results on the practice field—it simply means the coaches aren’t ready to announce a decision to the world just yet. 

The non-announcement to this point is no surprise. When it is announced, the performance will be a surprise. 

Frazier was listed as the No. 5 quarterback in the country in the 2010 class for a reason. Frazier played as a true freshman for the Tigers for a reason. The guy is talented and it will show this fall. 

Will Frazier have an All-American season? Possibly, but that’s not the point. Regardless of the detractors, Frazier will be a major leader for the Tigers and will help guide the offense to a very successful 2012 campaign. 

Loads of Experience Returning

Eight offensive and 10 defensive starters return for the Tigers this fall. Add to those starters experienced backups at virtually every position and it is difficult to find a reason not to like the Tigers heading into the fall. 

The Tigers do face quarterback questions as addressed previously, and there are some concerns with experience along the offensive line. Outside of those two sets of questions—big as they may be—the Tigers look tough to beat. 

The biggest development should come defensively for Auburn. The defensive line had some terrible growing pains last season, but the experience gained while being pushed around was invaluable. 

On offense, the Tigers return a lot of senior leadership. Finding playmakers in the passing game will be the biggest concern. With the talent and experience that will lineup outside this fall, success appears to be on the horizon.

The Tigers are one of the most experienced rosters returning in the SEC. Yes, they are young, but they have seen action at this point. The Tigers' experienced depth appears to be undervalued heading into the 2012 season. 

Schedule Set for Success

No matter how good a team is, lucky bounces are always a part of a championship season. One of the luckiest bounces a team can receive is a good schedule, and this season the Tigers draw a very accommodating schedule with three of the big four SEC contests at home. 

The toughest stretch for the Tigers will come in the first two weeks of the season and during the middle of October. The Tigers start the season in Atlanta against defending ACC champion Clemson, then the Tigers travel to Starkville, Miss., to take on the Bulldogs of Mississippi State.

If Auburn escapes the first two weeks undefeated, the Tigers will be in the driver’s seat with momentum in their favor. Finishing the season in Tuscaloosa is not ideal, but the lead-in to the contest looks favorable to the Tigers. 

Auburn has a great chance to make this a very special season. 

Follow @ShugJordanPkwy