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College Football Countdown: 5 Most Crucial Games for Auburn in 2016

By Jake Mastroianni

Nov 21, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Military personnel cheer during the first quarter between the Auburn Tigers and the Idaho Vandals at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Military personnel cheer during the first quarter between the Auburn Tigers and the Idaho Vandals at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 9, 2016; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) looks to pass the ball during the first quarter of the spring game at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports /

Clemson

Right off the bat Auburn will host a Clemson team that is coming off a loss in the College Football Playoff championship game to Alabama. They went 12-0 during the regular season and then won the ACC Championship game over North Carolina.

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They entered the College Football Playoff as the number one team in the country and then promptly beat number four Oklahoma by 20 points in the semi-final game. They were leading Alabama in the fourth quarter of the championship game, but ultimately lost by five.

They return eight starters on offense, including Heisman Trophy finalist from a year ago in quarterback DeShaun Watson. He threw for 4,104 yards and 35 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,219 yards and 12 touchdowns. They also return their starting running back from a year ago in Wayne Gallman who ran for 1,527 yards and 13 touchdowns.

If that wasn’t enough, they also return their top pass catcher from a year ago in Artavis Scott who caught 93 passes for 901 yards and 6 touchdowns.

They do only return four players on defense and lose their top two tacklers from last season, as well as two big pieces from the defense line that both went in the NFL Draft.

The reason this game is so crucial to Auburn is because it will be a gauge to see how the rest of the season is going to go. Most people don’t believe Auburn has a shot in this game, and they’ll enter the matchup as a double-digit dog.

However, if the defense can someone slow down Watson and this high-flying offense, then it gives Auburn fans hope that they will be a better unit in 2016.

And even though they lost a lot on defense, if Auburn can put up 20-plus points on Clemson then you have to feel really good about that unit the rest of the season as well.

This game will tell us a lot about how the rest of the 2016 season is going to go, and if Auburn can make it a close game – even if they lose – I think that helps the team build confidence the rest of the way.

Next: Texas A&M

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