Is Auburn Ready for First National Test vs. Kansas State?

Is Auburn a contender or pretender?

Through two games, that question remains largely unanswered.

Sure, Auburn's defense buckled down in the second half against Arkansas and San Jose State, and the offense generally looks unstoppable—which is, for the most part, exactly how it looked last year.

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If you thought Auburn was more of a contender heading into the season, the first two games confirmed your thoughts. If you thought last season's run to the SEC title was founded more on luck, you probably have spent the first three weeks of the season picking apart what you perceive to be the team's holes.

The world will find out who's right on Thursday night, as head coach Gus Malzahn will lead No. 5 Auburn to the "Little Apple" to take on 20th-ranked Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas. Not the easiest task. According to Brandon Marcello of AL.com, the Wildcats are 130-31-1 at home since 1990.

But not all opponents are created equal.

The national broadcast on a Thursday night between two contenders will provide a big-time barometer for each team, and define the national landscape.

Is Auburn ready?

It certainly looks like it.

Replacing running back Tre Mason and offensive tackle Greg Robinson didn't seem to be an issue for these Tigers. All running back Cameron Artis-Payne has done is top the century mark on the ground in his first two games and averaged 6.88 yards per carry. Quarterback Nick Marshall joined him last week against San Jose State, when the senior signal-caller rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown. Speedster Corey Grant has settled back into his role off the edge with an eye-popping 8.8 yards per carry.

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As I wrote last week, Marshall's progress as a passer—which was discussed at length during the offseason—isn't a necessity, it's a luxury.

This isn't a wide-open spread offense the Wildcats are accustomed to seeing in the Big 12. This is a smashmouth, two-back, run-it-right-down-your-throat rushing attack that will challenge Bill Snyder's crew at the line of scrimmage and test it endurance with tempo.

It's a philosophy which helps the Tigers on both sides of the ball. That brings me to a question that was asked of me and my co-host Michael Felder on the College Football Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sirius 93 XM 208) on Sunday morning.

"

@BarrettSallee @InTheBleachers @br_radio now that arky rolled up 450/yds on ground does that change opinions on AU defense?

— tim nicholson (@aunick80) September 14, 2014"

Not really.

In fact, Arkansas' performance against Texas Tech actually makes me more impressed with Auburn's offense than anything else. This, admittedly, doesn't make a ton of sense on the surface.

Arkansas didn't get out of its game plan against Texas Tech. It imposed its will on the Red Raiders, who couldn't hang.

This is exactly what Auburn did to Arkansas in the season opener. The Tigers offense just kept coming, and one mistake—in this case, a pick-six thrown by Razorback quarterback Brandon Allen—forced the Hogs out of their game plan, which ultimately led to a Tigers' blowout win.

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Business as usual for Auburn's defense, which has been successful in the second halves of games under Malzahn and defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson. The Tigers have given up only three total points in the second half this year, and allowed just 11.2 points per game in the second half of games last year.

Auburn is so efficient with its offense that it almost always forces the game to be played at the pace head coach Gus Malzahn wants it to be played. When you have the opponent playing your game, it's usually "game over."

The Tigers are playing their brand of football, which will make them tough to beat anywhere.

Manhattan included.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report and co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.