How well do the experts think the Auburn Tigers will do in 2020?
Preseason polls are notoriously unreliable in predicting how the college football season will unfold by the time it’s over. For example, prior to Auburn’s national championship season in 2010, the Tigers started the season ranked 22nd. On the other end of the spectrum, Auburn began the 2014 season ranked just outside the top five (No. 6) but then lost five games and ended the year at No. 22.
My point is, preseason polls are often wrong. But that doesn’t stop fans and the media from obsessing over every minute detail anytime a poll is released. Nonetheless, preseason polls are useful in seeing what kind of season experts believe a team will have.
For Auburn, they’re coming off a 9-4 season that included wins over teams like Alabama and Oregon with close losses to LSU, Florida and UGA. The AP slotted Auburn at No. 16 prior to last season and they ended the year at No. 14 so they did a good job at predicting the team’s success in 2019. But where do experts have Auburn this season?
The team lost a good bit of talent, primarily in the secondary and both the offensive and defensive lines but the Tigers also bring back a lot of great talent headlined by sophomore QB Bo Nix, wide receiver Seth Williams and linebacker K.J. Britt.
With that being said, let’s take a look at where some of the internet’s preseason polls have Auburn:
NCAA.com – No. 10
Wayne Staats of NCAA.com has Auburn higher than I think most other experts will have them. Staats places the Tigers at No. 10 in his preseason top 25 sandwiched between a Florida team that Auburn lost to last season and a Notre Dame squad that won 11 games last season.
Staats gave Auburn credit for their wins over Bama and Rose Bowl champions Oregon but also mentions the Tiger Outback Bowl loss to Minnesota to end the season.
Like most experts, Staats believes that Auburn’s potential in 2020 will depend on the improvement and consistency of Bo Nix in year number two.
247Sports – No. 13
Technically, 247Sports writer Chris Hummer has the Tigers tied with the Texas Longhorns at No. 13 but that’s not important. What is important is that Hummer has five SEC teams in his top 12, four of which are currently on Auburn’s 2020 schedule.
Hummer admits that Auburn is hard to rank and that the loss of stars on the D-line (Marlon Davidson and Derrick Brown) won’t be easy to overcome. However, Hummer does note that the Tigers have an exciting group of skill players and have recruited well.
Either way, Auburn would have to face five teams ranked in the top 20 of Hummer’s schedule and while that’s the sort of gauntlet that Auburn faces often, that doesn’t make it any easier.
Sporting News – No. 11
Sporting News writer Bill Bender places the Tigers just outside the top 10 in the magazine’s preseason poll. Auburn is slotted right behind Florida and just ahead of Minnesota — two teams the Tigers lost to last season.
Bender is the first person to directly mention the loss of JaTarvious Whitlow — the Tigers’ leading rusher for the last two seasons who entered the transfer portal this offseason but Bender also mentioned blue-chip freshman Tank Bigsby as his possible replacement.
As for Auburn’s 2020 opponents, Bender has Alabama (No. 3), Georgia (No. 4), LSU (No. 5), Texas A&M (No. 17), North Carolina (No. 19) and Kentucky (No, 23).
Bleacher Report – No. 11
David Kenyon over at Bleacher Report has the Tigers at No. 11 on his preseason poll.
"“Auburn isn’t quite rebuilding on either side of the ball, but the offensive line and secondary will have a substantially different look in 2020. Settle those positions and the Tigers will be a thorn in the SEC. To compete nationally, though, Auburn needs an explosive group of pass-catchers to produce at a much higher level with sophomore quarterback Bo Nix.”"
Like most preseason polls, Kenyon has the usual top four of Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama and Georgia — in that order.
Phil Steele – No. 19
Every year, Phil Steele creates a wildly popular 350-page college football preview for fans to enjoy. A top 25 is included in that book and it appears that Steele isn’t as high on the Tigers as others are.
Considering the Tigers brutal 2020 schedule, No. 19 is understandable but that would be the lowest preseason ranking for the Tigers since they went into the 2016 season unranked. Steele is also the first person on this list to have Auburn’s Week 2 opponent, UNC, ranked ahead of them (No. 16).
Athlon Sports – No. 13
Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports has Auburn at No. 13 in his poll.
As Lassan states, Auburn only has seven returning starters for the 2020 season which is the fewest in the SEC. Still, Lassan despite the various losses, Lassan compliments the Tigers’ linebacker unit which he calls one of the top units in the country.
Lassan also mentions star wideout Seth Williams and new offensive coordinator Chad Morris that will have to step up for an offense that lost a lot of talent, including four of the five starters on the offensive line.
USA Today – No. 12
Like most on this list, USA Today writer Paul Myerberg places Auburn in the 10-15 range, specifically at No. 12.
Myerberg states the obvious in his March 25 article saying that Auburn’s 2020 season will likely be dependent on the how much Bo Nix improves as a sophomore.
Myerberg does go against the grain in his top four though as he replaces Alabama with Oregon at the fourth spot. Auburn beat Oregon to start the 2019 season and the Ducks did lose superstar QB Justin Herbert but they do return a ton of talent overall.
ESPN – No. 14
In ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early” poll that they released all the way back in February, writer Mark Schlabach states that “For whatever reason, the Tigers are historically among the most difficult teams to project”
And I’d very much agree with him, the 2020 season feels like a season where the substantial losses from last season could push Auburn to the bottom or even out of the top 25.
At the same time, with the star power the team still has, I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Auburn sneak into a New Year’s Six bowl by the end of the season. For that reason, Schlabach’s prediction of No. 14 is a safe middle ground that once again, I’d agree with.