The time to win is upon the Auburn Tigers.
Expectations were high a year ago, and rightfully so. The 2014 team returned several contributors on both sides of the ball that helped the Tigers make a run to the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. However, preseason injuries to starters on the offensive (Alex Kozan) and defensive (Carl Lawson) lines combined with poor defensive play down the stretch left Auburn picking up the pieces after an 8-5 season.
While the record was disappointing to those who hoped to see Auburn appear in the inaugural College Football Playoff, the Tigers’ window to win a championship is far from closed.
In fact, Auburn may be in an even better position to win in 2015 despite losses at several key skill positions.
There is no such thing as an easy schedule in the SEC West, but Auburn’s schedule this year appears to be more manageable than last year’s.
The Tigers will play four SEC games on the road, but those games are unlikely to compare to last season’s SEC road schedule, which included three teams ranked in the top-5 at the time of the game. Also, Auburn opens the season with unranked Louisville at a neutral site, while it had to play a top-20 Kansas State team on the road as its out-of-conference test in 2014.
Not many teams can afford to lose their starting quarterback and leading running back and wide receiver and not expect to see a drop in production, but that is exactly the scenario for Auburn this season.
Junior quarterback Jeremy Johnson will be counted on to replace two-year starter Nick Marshall and lead an offense that has been known to rack up yards and points under coach Gus Malzahn, who is entering his third season at Auburn. One of Marshall’s favorite targets, D’haquille “Duke” Williams, will lead a crop of receivers who will provide Johnson with plenty of options in the passing game.
Cameron Artis-Payne was the SEC’s leading rusher last season, and Auburn will fill his role with either Roc Thomas, Peyton Barber or Jovon Robinson.
Offense has been a constant under Malzahn, but defense is an area where Auburn has struggled for the past several years.
Malzahn hopes new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, the former head coach at Florida who was hired in December to replace Ellis Johnson, will fix the defense’s problems.
Muschamp has a track record of staunch defenses, including during his previous stint as Auburn’s defensive coordinator in 2006-2007. Depth could become an issue, but there is no shortage of talent for Muschamp to work with in his first year back on the Plains.
In addition to Malzahn’s potent offense and Muschamp’s revamped defense, the completion of college football’s largest scoreboard in Jordan-Hare Stadium has the fan base buzzing.
Considering the large senior class of contributors departing after this season and the tougher schedule on deck in 2016, this may be the best opportunity for Malzahn’s squad to earn a berth in the College Football Playoff.
The pieces are in place for the Tigers entering the 2015 season.
Auburn needs to win, and it needs to do it now.
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