Power Ranking Auburn's 2015 Schedule from Easiest to Toughest
It's finally July, meaning Auburn fans only have to flip their calendars two more times before the Tigers return to action.
The long offseason is starting to wind down with SEC Media Days right around the corner, and plenty of preseason picks and projections are popping up all over the Internet and the newsstands. Auburn has been picked to be anywhere from a College Football Playoff finalist all the way to a middle-of-the-road team in the SEC West this season.
One of the biggest factors in the wide variety of opinions on these Tigers is their schedule, which is filled with intriguing tests both at home and away against conference competition and a Power Five opponent at a neutral site.
Which game is the toughest on Auburn's schedule this season? How do you rank the trio of road games inside the division? Here is a look at the Tigers' 2015 slate of games from easiest to toughest, chosen by opponent strength, venue and place on the calendar.
Sound off on these rankings in the comments below, Auburn fans, and tell us which 2015 game you think will be tougher than expected.
12. Jacksonville State
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Auburn's FCS opponent this season comes from inside the state of Alabama. Jacksonville State will play Auburn in its home opener after the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game against Louisville at the Georgia Dome, a neutral site.
The Gamecocks won 10 games last season and were the No. 3 seed in the FCS playoffs. Their lone game against a Power Five opponent was a 45-7 blowout loss against Michigan State, which finished the season playing in a New Year's Six bowl game.
The only rough part about this game for Auburn will be the time slot—the dreaded 11 a.m. kickoff in early September. Shaking off the cobwebs and handling the heat should be the only challenges for Auburn in this one.
11. Idaho
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Idaho gets the breakup spot in the all-home "Amen Corner" combo this season, as the Tigers will play the Vandals between Georgia and Alabama.
Idaho's 1-10 record doesn't fully speak to the amount of close games they played last season. But this one will be a blowout victory more in line with the games against FCS opponents—in fact, Jacksonville State might be a slightly tougher test than Idaho.
Don't expect a close contest like Auburn had in its only other meeting with Idaho, a 30-23 win in 1999. This one will be about tuning up for the Iron Bowl.
10. San Jose State
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San Jose State rattled off a few big plays against the Auburn defense last season, but the Tigers' offense turned it up and posted its best scoring performance of the entire campaign in a 59-13 win.
The Spartans return 10 starters from that offense that gave the Tigers some fits, including big-play running back Tyler Ervin and wide receiver Tyler Winston. On defense, San Jose State replaces five from last season's starting lineup and could be in for another long day of Auburn touchdowns.
This game will be a much-needed break after back-to-back SEC West games against LSU and Mississippi State. The Tigers should cruise in this one.
9. Kentucky
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This is a big year for Kentucky and head coach Mark Stoops, who will look to push the Wildcats to a bowl after a 5-7 season in 2014. Auburn will make its return to Kentucky for the first time since 2010's 37-34 victory.
Offensively, Kentucky returns quarterback Patrick Towles, who was the first Kentucky signal-caller to start every game of the season since Andre Woodson did it back in 2007. The Wildcats also have an experienced offensive line and a few backs with solid potential in Stanley Williams, Jojo Kemp and Mikel Horton.
Kentucky continues to improve on the defensive side of the ball and returns seven starters. The Wildcats finished in the bottom half of the SEC in most defensive categories, but they have the opportunity to build on the leadership of players such as Melvin Lewis, Josh Forrest and Fred Tiller.
Since this will be a Thursday night game, Auburn gets a bye week before making its trip to Lexington. Although the Wildcats are climbing in the conference, this should be the easiest game against a Power Five opponent for the Tigers all season.
8. Louisville
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Auburn's season opener comes against a Louisville team it has played only once before—a 16-3 Tigers win in 1974—and a familiar face in head coach Bobby Petrino.
Louisville returns only nine starters this season from a team that went 9-4 in its first season of ACC play. The offense has a cast of receivers that is loaded on paper but hasn't completely proven itself on the field just yet, outside of junior James Quick.
On defense, Louisville's strength is in its front seven, and the transfers of former Georgia players Shaq Wiggins and Josh Harvey-Clemons should help prevent a secondary drop-off from the departure of several ball-hawking defensive backs.
The Cardinals could contend for the ACC title this season and will be a solid test for Auburn inside the Georgia Dome—a much closer drive for Tiger fans. If Louisville's new starters can jell early, this has the potential to be a tougher matchup than some of the SEC West games.
7. Mississippi State
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The Tigers' first loss of the 2014 season came at Mississippi State, a team that was contending for a playoff spot for most of its historic campaign. This season, the Bulldogs must replace the vast majority of their starters while trying to stay relevant in a crowded SEC West.
But Mississippi State still has star quarterback Dak Prescott, who had one of his best games of 2014 against Auburn and will be the best signal-caller the Tigers face all season. Wide receiver De'Runnya Wilson will also cause matchup problems against the Auburn secondary—the 6'5" Alabama native was the Bulldogs' leading receiver last season.
Mississippi State replaces eight starters and a coordinator this year from a defense that was rock solid in the red zone but below average between the 20s. Auburn should be able to move the ball against Mississippi State this season and has the benefit of playing this new-look defense early in the season.
The visiting team has lost the last four games of this series, with Auburn's most recent win coming in the final seconds at Jordan-Hare in 2013. No SEC West game is a breeze, but this year's matchup with Mississippi State is the easiest one on the slate.
6. Texas A&M
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Auburn's loss against Texas A&M last season was a brutal blow to its chances at repeating as SEC champion and playing for the national championship. This year, revenge is on the mind for both teams—the Tigers upset the Aggies in their last trip to College Station.
Texas A&M averaged more than seven yards per play against Auburn last season, which was second only to Alabama in the wild Iron Bowl shootout. Quarterback Kyle Allen torched the Tigers' defense in his first SEC start, and he'll have plenty of weapons around him in Speedy Noil, Josh Reynolds and Ricky Seals-Jones if he reclaims the starting job at A&M this season.
Defense is another story, but the Aggies and the Tigers are in a similar situation. They both hired an experienced and successful defensive coordinator to fix their woes and have several young players with star potential on that side of the ball.
How much improvement each defense shows before this early November game will go a long way in determining the victor. Auburn may be the better team on paper for this one, but A&M's home-field advantage might make it a tighter contest.
5. Ole Miss
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Halloween in Auburn could be a nightmare scenario as Ole Miss returns to the Plains seeking revenge for last season's close loss in Oxford.
Outside of quarterback, Ole Miss' offense returns plenty of playmakers in Laquon Treadwell, Evan Engram and Auburn native Cody Core. The Rebels' offensive line was banged up this spring but should be healthy for the start of the season. Head coach Hugh Freeze, a close friend of Malzahn, has made it a point for the Rebels to run a faster offense in 2015, according to Riley Blevins with the Clarion-Ledger.
On defense, the Landsharks had their worst regular-season performance in terms of scoring defense against Auburn last season. With the success the Tigers have had recently against Ole Miss' potent defense, this could be another shootout between SEC West rivals.
The events of last season's matchup will make this a heavily hyped regular-season game for Auburn. It comes at a tricky time on Auburn's schedule, too, coming after what should be a physical matchup at Arkansas and before a fast-paced trip to Texas A&M.
4. LSU
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Auburn blew the doors off LSU in 2014, but the rematch will take place in a venue that has lived up to its Death Valley nickname for more than a decade.
LSU's quarterback situation is still in flux right now, and there's no telling who will be the starter for this SEC opener—or if Les Miles will continue to try a two-quarterback system. But the Bayou Bengals have returning talent elsewhere on their offense, including star sophomore Leonard Fournette and the receiving combo of Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre.
Defensively, LSU must reload in a few areas, but the roster is stacked with former blue-chip prospects who can fill in the gaps. Auburn's offense has had no problem moving the ball against LSU in the last two season—it racked up 437 yards in 2013's loss.
Auburn has not won in Baton Rouge since 1999, and LSU should be much improved from its 41-7 last year loss to the Tigers. A possible advantage in Auburn's favor could be the time slot for this game—it will be an afternoon CBS showdown instead of an intimidating night game inside Tiger Stadium.
3. Arkansas
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Even with Auburn's woes in Baton Rouge over the last decade, Fayetteville looks like a tougher destination this season for the Tigers.
Sure, Auburn has won back-to-back games over Arkansas by comfortable margins, but the Razorbacks are only going to get better over the next few seasons under Bret Bielema. Arkansas' ground-and-pound (and pound and pound and pound) offense returns nine starters this season, and that system will test the strength of a rebuilding Auburn defense.
While Malzahn's offense can score points in an instant, teams that keep the ball away from Auburn should have an increasing advantage. The Razorbacks' defense is strong up front and experienced in the back, meaning touchdowns won't necessarily be easy for Auburn in this matchup.
Everything about Arkansas is designed to be dangerous for fast-paced teams such as Auburn, and the fact this is going to be played on the road makes it a more difficult matchup in 2015.
2. Georgia
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The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry might be tied at 55 wins apiece, but the last decade of the series has belonged to the Georgia Bulldogs.
Georgia's last three wins over Auburn have been blowouts, and the Tigers' 34-7 loss in Athens last season was the lowest point of a terrible slump to end 2014. The leading rusher from that game, Nick Chubb, will be back and eyeing a Heisman campaign this season.
The Bulldogs have several major questions heading into the season, but they should be solved in some form or fashion by the time these two teams take the field in November. Georgia can rely on Chubb, a veteran offensive line and a handful of defensive stars who played a part in dominating Auburn's offense last season.
But if Auburn can record a victory over Georgia, history suggests the Tigers will be in great shape for the postseason. The last two Tiger teams to beat the Bulldogs have gone on to win the SEC and then play for the national championship.
1. Alabama
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Forget all the questions about Alabama's quarterback situation and pass defense. The Crimson Tide is still the most talented team Auburn will play all season.
Alabama's drama at signal-caller will have long settled down by this point in late November, and running back Derrick Henry will be one of the toughest players Auburn will face in 2015. Nick Saban and Kirby Smart's defense will be strong down the middle, making for an excellent battle against Auburn's talented backfield.
It's hard to tell just exactly where Auburn and Alabama will be ahead of their regular-season finale, but it would be an absolute shocker if neither of these teams are playing for the right to be in the SEC Championship Game the following week.
Once again, the Iron Bowl is the biggest and toughest game for both the Tigers and the Tide this season. Fortunately for Auburn, it has the home-field advantage in this series for the first time since 2013's unbelievable victory.
Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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