In this week's Auburn football notebook, sports writer Harrison Tarr opines on the Tigers' outlook for the next three months following their 4-0 start.
The folks on the Plains seem to think there’s something special brewing in Auburn, and after their Tigers pulled out a 28-20 win over ranked division foe Texas A&M, their suspicions might just be right.
For the first time since 2014, the Tigers sit at a perfect 4-0 record and are ranked No. 7 in the country in the AP poll — and the optimism around the team is more than justified. Auburn has established itself as a team that's eager to place itself in the conversation to compete for the 2020 College Football Playoff. But that's all dependent on the Tigers' performances in their gauntlet of a schedule moving forward.
One would think that after playing two Top-25 opponents in the first four weeks of the season, a team’s road to their respective conference championship couldn’t get much tougher. However, this is the SEC West, and Auburn’s stint of conference play has just begun. The Tiger’s return home to take on unranked Mississippi State before setting out on a three-game road trip, headlined by No. 9 Florida and No. 4 LSU.
Once November rolls around, the team will get to settle in for a four-game home stretch to end the season. For Auburn, however, November will bring to the Plains Georgia, Alabama and the answer to the question everyone is wondering right now: do the Tigers have what it takes to make another push for the division crown?
The orange and blue have a lot of football left to play, but the ball is in their court. With four top-10 teams remaining on their schedule, one would think that even a close loss in Baton Rouge — or against their in-state rival — could still allow them to play in a New Year's Six bowl or beyond.
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