Auburn football: Does Phil Steele have AU favored vs. Georgia in 2021?

Phil Steele believes that Auburn football will improve from their mediocre 6-5 record of the 2021 season, something that is vital for Bryan Harsin in his first year as a head coach. Though most expect the Tigers to have a seven or eight-win season, there are also those who expect to see Auburn get beaten down by many of their SEC opponents.

It is technically a year of rebuilding due to the coaching change that saw Gus Malzahn take up residence in Orlando, FL, but Harsin isn’t necessarily inheriting a bad hand. Tank Bigsby, Smoke Monday, Zakoby McClain, and Owen Pappoe are just a few of the powerhouses that will be returning to the Plains come fall, not to mention the plethora of transfers the Harsinal has snatched up from the NCAA transfer portal.

The Tigers also have two-year veteran quarterback Bo Nix, who is legitimately backed up by another quarterback with SEC experience in TJ Finley. There may be a few surprises in store this season for those doubting Auburn football, especially when the Tigers take on the Georgia Bulldogs.

That’s right–according to Phil Steele, the Tigers are heading into at least four games this season as the underdog, but the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is not one of them:

"“They have to play that Penn State team I talked about on the road, they have to play LSU on the road, they have to play Texas A&M on the road and they have to host Alabama. So, they’ll probably be an underdog in as many as four games. But generally, with a coaching change, you expect a step back. I think they can improve on last year’s 6-5 record, despite the tough schedule.”"

Auburn will host Georgia on October 9 at Jordan-Hare Stadium after losing 6-27 last year in Athens. Though the Bulldogs’ are projected to be the #7 team in the country heading into the 2021 season according to CBS, they may be in for a fight against the Tigers.