Auburn Football: Tigers Game by Game Predictions for 2020
If a normal slate of eight SEC games was not difficult enough, the college football gods opened up the gates adding a couple more for Gus Malzahn and the Auburn Tigers to navigate through during the 2020 season. In a season already chalked full of uncertainty on The Plains after a 9-4 (5-3 SEC) campaign a year ago, what will or will not be acceptable to the finicky Auburn fanbase during a new 10-game conference only schedule?
Entering the 2019 college football season, hopes were high in Auburn with a veteran offensive line returning, rising running backs on the roster, and a five-star freshman dual-threat quarterback ready to stake his collegiate glory. Backing the Malzahn designed offense was an all-world caliber defense led by four future 2020 NFL Draft picks, three in the first two rounds. All was promising until road games to Florida and LSU and a tough loss at home to Georgia upended any hopes of an SEC West title and College Football Playoff berth. The 31-24 Outback Bowl loss to Minnesota put an even bigger bull’s eye on Malzahn’s back from the large group of Auburn loyalists who had already lost faith in his coaching abilities.
Jumping to a new season that is supposed to be full of optimism, Auburn’s road ahead looks daunting. Fans watching the games at home will be asking, “who is that” a lot with only three starters returning on offense. The same holds true for the defense with just four veterans back. If there is any silver lining of hope, all the counted upon new starters consists largely of juniors well-schooled in the Tigers’ system. Adding to that hope, those juniors are from the No. 12 nationally ranked 2018 recruiting class filled with 15 former four-star players and the No. 9 slotted 2017 class.
The revamped schedule for Auburn has bright spots, and potential trap doors. From the jump, the Tigers will be tested at home by a talented Kentucky team only to go onto the road to face SEC East fixture Georgia. A three-game stint against Arkansas, South Carolina, and Ole Miss could build momentum before welcoming an LSU squad seeking to reconstruct their roster as well. A road trip to Starkville will have a different look and feel with Mike Leach introducing the SEC to his brand of Air Raid football. The final three games are not easy with a resurgent Tennessee squad, the annual Iron Bowl at Bryant-Denny, and a season closing game in Jordan-Hare against a veteran laden Texas A&M squad.
2020 Auburn Tigers’ Schedule
Sept. 26 vs. Kentucky – loss
Oct. 3 at Georgia – loss
Oct. 10 vs. Arkansas – win
Oct. 17 at South Carolina – win
Oct. 24 at Ole Miss – win
Oct. 31 at LSU – win
Nov. 7 – Bye
Nov. 14 at Mississippi State – loss
Nov. 21 vs. Tennessee – win
Nov. 28 at Alabama – loss
Dec. 5 vs. Texas A&M – loss
Conclusion
If Auburn lost four games a season ago with 13 starters back, but only have seven on the roster for the 2020 season… what can the Auburn fanbase expect? The Tigers could be better than advertised and take advantage of teams that are also rebuilding their rosters, like Georgia and LSU, but if a sneaky good Kentucky team shocks all in the season opener, all could roll downhill from there. This offense scored 33 points per game on average last season, but it didn’t feel like it scoring 28 points or less in four conference games. If in a shootout with a team like Mississippi State happens, where will the points come from on the roster? A successful season all hinges on how well Auburn’s offensive line plays.
A 5-5 season is predicted, but there are so many unknowns for all college football teams entering the 2020 season. With all the delays and pushes, the start of the season is much like rolling from spring practices into the new schedule without instruction time in between. How each team handles this new variable remains to be seen. The Tigers are capable of being an eight-win season, being really optimistic, that is if they come out of the gate with a different mindset than their competition playing mistake free football.
Photo credit: AL.com; Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn