Will Auburn improve on its 7-6 mark from last season?
Most schools would accept a 7-6 season capped with a victory in a bowl game. But just like the SEC isn’t like most conferences, Auburn isn’t like most schools.
Three years removed from a loss in the BCS National Championship Game, the Tigers are going backwards. One of the most telling things about last season is that AU needed to beat Idaho — one of the worst teams in the FBS in 2015 — for its sixth win and bowl eligibility.
The Tigers probably could have qualified for a bowl with a 5-7 record, but there’s too much pride on The Plains to accept that kind of reward. Another eye-opening trend is that Auburn has gone from 12 wins to eight to seven over the last three years.
Another disturbing part about last season is the fact that the team won three games at home, and Auburn didn’t defeat an SEC opponent there. That’s one of the many things that need to change if the Tigers want to return to the prominence they reached in 2013.
So will Auburn improve upon its 7-6 record from a year ago? Let’s try to answer that question by predicting its wins and losses on a game-by-game basis in 2016.
Clemson
The good news for Auburn is that this game is at home. The bad news is that Clemson returns 12 starters — including Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson and running back Wayne Gallman — from last season’s team that lost to Alabama by five points in the national championship game.
Prediction: Clemson 27, Auburn 17
Arkansas State
This game won’t be easy, but the Tigers will get to .500 by taking care of business at home.
Prediction: Auburn 35, Arkansas State 21
Texas A&M
In its third straight game at Jordan-Hare, Auburn improves to 2-1.
Prediction: Auburn 28, Texas A&M 20
LSU
AU falls back to .500 as Leonard Fournette shines against Auburn and the Jovon Robinson-less Tigers.
Prediction: LSU 31, Auburn 17
Louisiana-Monroe
The Tigers rebound in their fifth straight home game.
Prediction: Auburn 45, Louisiana-Monroe 7
Mississippi State
In AU’s first road game of the season, a late field goal sends the Tigers to 3-3.
Prediction: Mississippi State 30, Auburn 27
Arkansas
Auburn comes off its bye week with a bounce-back victory at home.
Prediction: Auburn 28, Arkansas 24
Ole Miss
The Tigers go to Oxford and fall back to .500.
Prediction: Ole Miss 42, Auburn 21
Vanderbilt
Auburn’s yo-yo of a season continues with another home win.
Prediction: Auburn 21, Vanderbilt 12
Georgia
The Tigers get clipped between the hedges to fall to 5-5.
Prediction: Georgia 31, Auburn 20
Alabama A&M
Auburn gets back over .500 by rolling in its easiest game of the season.
Prediction: Auburn 48, Alabama A&M 7
Alabama
What a difference two letters and an ampersand make. It feels like déjà vu all over again as AU finishes 6-6 for the second straight year.
Prediction: Alabama 34, Auburn 17
Looking at Auburn’s 2016 slate, the Tigers will improve by a game in the SEC to 3-5. But they will duplicate their 6-6 regular-season mark from last year, so the best they’ll be able to go is, contrary to what Auburn fans want to hear, 7-6 once again.
” Clemson 27, Auburn 17″ Clemson scored 27 or more 13 times last year, I really don’t see Auburn A)keeping it close B) holding them to under 30. Gus is somehow recruiting well but no qb and question mark at receiver and rb makes it another tough year…
Just assuming that they beat A&M, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt is a big assumption and It took that big of an assumption just for the writer to get them to 6-6
I don’t see them beating A&M and I think Arky will give them more than they want. Could be the end of the line for the Gus Bus.
How quickly losing a RB changes things. I don’t think they’ll be this bad. Very possible, but I think it’s more realistic for 8-4 or 7-5. They could just fall off and have a 4-8 or 5-7 type season too. So while I don’t think they’ll be that bad, it’s obliviously possible.
Every other team they play in the SEC (and Clemson) are expected to be better or stay the same, except State. They’re really going to struggle in the West this year. I had them going 7-5 before they lost Robinson and while I still think they could based on their defense, I’m leaning more toward a 6-6 or even 5-7 year.
I’d be a little more concerned about Louisiana Monroe. Last time they played eachother in 2012, Auburn won by a field goal in overtime…
It was going to be a rough season for Auburn with Robinson. It’ll be even harder without. I think there’s a lot going on behind the scenes with the coaching staff and team morale. I’m going to low-ball it and say 4-8 (1-7 SEC) this season with a departure from Gus Malzahn after a loss to Arkansas.
I just feel really bad for auburn. If the SEC is family, it just feels like losing a brother in this season. Obviously they won’t be garbage, but losing Robinson can’t be taken lightly. Really respect them, but unless the young guns find lightning in a bottle- it’s spiraling down in that forecasted W column. I agree with this forecast except Arky. They’re good at spoiling home games
I second the notion that the SEC is family, and what makes this family the best is that everyone is competitive year-after-year. This is like watching your brother get mixed in with the wrong crowd and see his grades drop and aspirations fade away. Nobody wants to see that. A weak Auburn significantly takes away from the SEC as a whole.
All that said, I hope Auburn rallies and the program finds a way. I hope this doom and gloom is blown out of proportion and Gus finds a way to put together a solid competitor worthy of the Auburn legacy.
The saddest part of all of this is that I truly believe that if we could just find a manageable QB that doesn’t turn the ball over, we would be alright. This team has the talent for 9 or 10 wins with a D-Line that is stacked like we haven’t seen since 2004, potentially good linebacking core and an above average set of defensive backs. We have some questions at WR and we have a very thin line of talent at RB, but our offensive line is going to be much improved. The only thing really holding us back from at least competing in every game is QB. Unless someone has made leaps and bounds or we find out that JF3 just isn’t a good practice player and shows up at gametime (doubtful), I see it being a long year. We put all our eggs in the Jeremy Johnson basket and he turned into the poster child of psychology studies everywhere. Just sad.
There’s a lot of truth to what you said. BUT, I think Gus and the players are going to rally like they did in 2013. They were missing leadership on the field last year…that seems to be much better from all reports. We’ll see though. Season can’t get here soon enough.
Hey JJ was great in practice but bad in games, so why can’t JF III be the opposite?
Auburn can beat state and ole pi$$ is a tossup after Robinson but they’ll lose to tamu.
Ole Miss* and with it being at Ole Miss id be shocked if Auburn pulled that one out.