Kirk Herbstreit calls into Finebaum Show to clarify Auburn sleeper pick
ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit raised a few eyebrows on Wednesday when he picked Auburn as his sleeper in the SEC for 2016.
The Tigers still have several question marks to answer this season, and have a 2-9 record in their previous 11 SEC matchups. Regardless, Herbstreit appeared on The Paul Finebaum Show Thursday to clarify his selection.
“There’s a lot of pride in that program, and I think they will use that as motivation to get them ready,” Herbstreit explained. “I think their defense has a chance to be very very good, very athletic. They’ve got one of the best defensive lines I think that we’ll see in the SEC, with great depth and athletic ability up front.”
The defense is the strength of the team and could end up as one of the best in the conference if they continue to improve. Herbstreit noted that behind their loaded defensive line, they’ve got veteran players who are capable of holding their own.
But the Tigers’ defense isn’t what has fans on the Plains worried.
“Offensively, that’s kind of the mystery on how good they can be,” Herbstreit told Finebaum. “Of course, we know about Gus Malzahn and his history with offense, and I think, what happened last year, nobody is more frustrated by that than him. He’s had an entire offseason to figure this thing out.
“They’ve had an entire offseason to hear about how terrible they are, how much their coach is going to be on the hot seat. I just think that when a team hears that, they can use that as incredible motivation. And what better way to start their season than against a team like Clemson, who I’m picking to win the national title this year.”
Some people took Herbstreit’s selection of Auburn as his SEC sleeper as an indication that he believes the Tigers are the team to beat in their division. With Alabama fresh off of a national championship and Heisman candidate Leonard Fournette returning to LSU, choosing Auburn would be a bold move.
Herbstreit clarified that wasn’t the case when he chose the Tigers.
“I’m not saying that they’re going to win the SEC West by any stretch of the imagination; I just think the notion of ‘Gus Malzahn getting fired, Auburn is in huge trouble,’ all that talk, to me, is a bit premature.”