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Auburn Football: Tigers Ranked No. 3 in Sports Illustrated Way-Too-Early Top 25

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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Despite a disappointing 8-5 record in 2014, including four losses in their last five games, the departure of many seniors like quarterback Nick Marshall and All-American center Reese Dismukes, the Auburn football team won’t sneak up on anyone in 2015.

In fact, the Tigers are ranked No. 3 in Sports Illustrated’s Way-Too-Early Top 25.

Only defending National Champion Ohio State and College Football Playoff snub TCU are ranked ahead of the Tigers, who it would seem are the favorites to win the SEC in 2015 and make it to the playoff. Auburn came in ahead of No. 4 Baylor and fifth ranked Alabama thanks to the belief that Will Muschamp will be able to turn around a defense that has allowed 31 points or more to seven consecutive FBS opponents.

According to SI’s Martin Rickman:

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"How this ranking will be right: The Will Muschamp hire goes down as the move of the offseason as Auburn’s defense finally catches up to the offense and the Tigers win the SEC West.How this ranking will be wrong: The defense is still a work in progress in Year 1. Despite some improvement throughout the year, it doesn’t do quite enough to keep Auburn ahead of the pack."

Rickman obviously believes head coach Gus Malzahn will be able to provide a smooth transition on offense despite the need to replace many valuable pieces on next year’s squad.

Jeremy Johnson is expected to take over for Marshall behind center in a seamless transition, and the Tigers must overcome the graduations of Dismukes and starting guard Chad Slade, as well as Patrick Miller, who left early for the NFL. However, Auburn does have three returning starters on the offensive line, plus talented upcoming sophomore Braden Smith and Ole Miss transfer Austin Golson.

oSep 6, 2014; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Jeremy Johnson (6) hands off the ball to running back Roc Thomas (9) during the fourth quarter against the San Jose State Spartans at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers defeated the Spartans 59-13. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

Cameron Artis-Payne, the SEC’s leading rusher in 2014, and potential first round pick Sammie Coates will certainly be missed as will two key blockers in tight end/H-backs C.J. Uzomah and Brandon Fulse.

But, Malzahn has a great track record of putting up great offensive numbers and he’ll have some new toys like Jovon Robinson and Kerryon Johnson at his disposal, plus D’haquille Williams unexpectedly decided not to enter the NFL Draft and will be one of the nation’s best wide receivers in 2015.

The offense has a lot to overcome to meet the expectations that come with loft rankings, and so does the defense.

Muschamp has led ten defenses to top ten rankings over the past 12 seasons as either a head coach or defensive coordinator, and he’ll have a solid foundation of talented players to work with, but there are questions at every level.

Auburn returns second team All-SEC cornerback Jonathan Jones, safeties Joshua Holsey and Rudy Ford, but the Tigers were 13th in the SEC in pass defense in 2014. Starting linebackers Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost, are back, but a third linebacker needs to step up as a starter in 2015. Montravius Adams and Carl Lawson are back on the defensive line, but depth will be an issue because the unit loses five seniors from the two-deep to graduation.

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    • This year’s recruiting class will be vital to infuse the unit with talent. Then, Muschamp and his staff, which includes newcomers and ace recruiters Travaris Robinson and Lance Thompson, will need to coach those players up on the new multiple 4-3 system.

    Despite the concerns on the roster, Auburn will have a more favorable schedule in 2015. The Tigers will host Alabama, Ole Miss (ranked 10th by SI), Georgia (ranked No. 15, highest among SEC East schools) and Mississippi State (who just missed the cut). Also, Kentucky replaces South Carolina on the rotating cross division schedule.

    That setup is certainly preferable to the brutal second half stretch of 2014, which featured six teams that spent time ranked in the top ten.

    The 2015 Auburn football season won’t be a rebuilding year by any stretch, but a No. 3 pre-season ranking seems a little high. Of course, Malzahn has always encouraged championship expectations. He’ll have them again in 2015.

    Next: Recruiting: What We Learned From Big Boom Weekend

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