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College Football Countdown: 5 Things That Must Go Right for Auburn in 2016

By Jake Mastroianni

Nov 28, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; General view of a flyover prior to the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; General view of a flyover prior to the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports /
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College Football Countdown
Dec 30, 2015; Birmingham, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn along with his team hold up the Birmingham Bowl trophy after they defeated Memphis Tigers 31-10 in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl at Legion Field. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /

We are just 77 days away from the start of the college football season on Thursday, September 1, and just 79 days away from Auburn football hosting Clemson that following Saturday.

Cal and Hawaii actually kick the season off a week earlier on August 26, but that doesn’t really signify the start of the college football season for me.

As the season approaches we will start looking at several different aspects of Auburn football that will play a key role in the Tigers having a big season – or a bad one.

Last college football season Auburn was declared the favorites to win the SEC and the National Championship before the first game was played, but the defense failed to progress under Will Muschamp and Jeremy Johnson proved unreliable at quarterback. The Tigers had to fight their way to 6 wins in the regular season and then played their best game of the year in the Birmingham Bowl where they destroyed Memphis and kept coach Gus Malzahn’s streak of winning seasons intact.

Despite all that, Malzahan is still considered to be on the hot seat as the 2016 college football season begins. Since taking the Tigers to the National Championship game in 2013, he hasn’t been able to repeat that performance to compete for an SEC Championship the past two years.

That’s why this college football season is so crucial for Auburn and Malzahn, they can’t afford another mediocre or worse season, there has to be drastic improvements on offense and defense.

With that, let’s get into this week’s countdown looking at five things that must go right for Auburn to succeed in 2016.

Next: Better Quarterback Play

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