Auburn football: CFN believes TJ Finley has talent to push Bo Nix

Until Auburn football officially kicks off its 2021 seasons with a white-out night game on September 4th against the Akron Zips (a little MACtion to start the season…nice), there will be a narrative surrounding the top two talents on the QB depth chart.

Both Bo Nix and TJ Finley believe they have what it takes to be the man under center for the first offensive possession of the Bryan Harsin era. The former Boise State coach is here to change the way things have been for Auburn, where beating Alabama at home but faltering in other big games became the norm in the latter half of Gus Malzahn’s tenure.

The last two years were not exactly picturesque campaigns on the Plains even with a 5-star in-state legacy QB in Nix. 2020 was particularly rough considering no tailgates, Tiger Walks, or ranked wins for a team that didn’t pick up a single victory against a winning team in the SEC.

That’s a more damning stat than it sounds, considering there were only five teams above .500 to begin with in the conference. But being blown out by Georgia, Alabama, and Texas A&M while somehow losing to the South Carolina Gamecocks is just as damning as it sounds.

2021 will have an extra two games, so achieving a winning record should be an easier task with Akron, Alabama St., and Georgia State all included on the non-conference portion of the schedule.

But doing more than just achieving a winning record is the goal for Harsin after only seeing success at Boise State in the Mountain West. This is the SEC, and there is no more competitive conference in college football, though.

Good thing there the most important position on the field will have some serious competition this summer. Auburn football brought Finley in as a shot in the arm, but perhaps he will be more than that.

College Football News’  Pete Fiutak sees Finley as someone capable of pushing the incumbent Nix in 2021:

"The quarterback situation just got really, really interesting. Bo Nix hasn’t lived up to his huge recruiting status, struggling with his consistency and accuracy from the start.Beyond the numbers, though, he has a strange way of sometimes coming through when absolutely needed. He looked good enough in spring ball to think he’s ready to take the proverbial things-slow-down-for-a-third-year-starter next step, but …Welcome, TJ Finley. The LSU transfer has a world of upside, a big arm, and the talent to potentially push Nix."

While pushing Nix is certainly something a quarterback with a six-foot-six, 240-lb frame is capable of, Fiutak believes Finley’s arm puts him in the conversation to start.

Fly War Eagle still believes it’s Nix’s job to lose, but perhaps Auburn football could see a legitimate two-horse race in the buildup to September 4th.