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Auburn Football: Tigers 22nd in AP Poll, Much Higher in 2015 Rankings Predictions

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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The Auburn football team came up just short of a national title following the 2013 season, but weren’t close in 2014 and finished 22nd in the final AP Poll. What about 2015?

The Auburn Tigers had national championship aspirations in 2014 after coming up just 13 seconds short following the 2013 season. The Tigers were ranked sixth in the pre-season Associated Press Top 25, and rose to No. 2 following a 5-0 start. After a loss to Mississippi State, Auburn won their next two games and found themselves No. 3 in the first two College Football Playoff committee rankings.

Jan 1, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers safety Michael Caputo (7) sacks Auburn Tigers quarterback Nick Marshall (14) during the first half in the 2015 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

At that point things went south for Auburn, and the Tigers lost four of their final five games, including a 34-31 overtime loss to Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl. A historically bad defensive performance that included seven straight FBS opponents scoring 31 points or more led to an 8-5 overall record, a 4-4 mark against SEC opponents, and earned the Tigers the No. 22 spot in the final AP Poll.

Four of the team’s losses came to squads ranked higher than Auburn, and the Tigers defeated No. 17 Ole Miss and 18th ranked Kansas State. Auburn is the only team with five losses to be ranked.

Despite a disappointing 8-5 record in 2014, the Auburn football team won’t sneak up on anyone in 2015. In fact, one early prognosticator believes the Tigers will be a national title contender from the get-go. USA Today’s Paul Myerberg ranks the Tigers No. 2 in his earliest of early 2015 rankings:

"Why No. 2? Because adding Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator will give the Tigers the teeth they need to return to the championship race. At the same time, there’s no reason to think the offense will struggle in the transition from quarterback Nick Marshall to his likely replacement, Jeremy Johnson — better yet, there’s reason to think a more experienced offense will be even more explosive under Gus Malzahn’s direction. The Tigers look poised to make another run at a national title."

USA Today isn’t the only outlet making Way Too Early projections the day after Ohio State captured the first national title of the College Football Playoff era. ESPN.com has the Tigers 14th.

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Additionally, Auburn has the fourth-best odds to win the 2015 national title according to Internet sports book Bovada. The Tigers are 14-to-1 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship, tied with Oregon behind Ohio State, TCU and Alabama.

The consensus among the early rankings is that Auburn’s offense will continue to roll under head coach Gus Malzahn and new quarterback Jeremy Johnson. Additionally, the Tigers will greatly benefit from the addition of Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator, who will have seven returning starters at his disposal, as well as the return of Carl Lawson, who missed the 2014 season with a torn ACL.

With those factors in mind, as well as a 2015 schedule that sets up better – including home game against Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama – it shouldn’t be a shock to see the Tigers ranked in the top ten in the pre-season.

Auburn will open the 2015 season against Louisville (ranked 24th in the final AP Poll) Saturday September 5 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Next: 5 Bold Predictions For National Signing Day 2015

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