Auburn football cleaned up in their week one matchup, as did most of the rest of the teams in the Southeastern Conference. 12 of the 14 teams started off the season with a win, leaving Vanderbilt and LSU to take the L’s.
247 Sports’ Brad Crawford ranked all the teams in the SEC after week one, and the Tigers moved up several spots on the list. Originally, Crawford ranked Auburn football as #10 in the SEC heading into the 2021 season. After week one, the Tigers are right in the middle of the pack at #7.
Of course, Alabama was at the top of the list, followed by Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Florida, and Kentucky. Auburn jumped ahead of LSU, Missouri, and Arkansas after defeating the Akron Zips 60-10. While many teams across the country struggled with their opponents week one, the Tigers looked calm and collected as they took care of business, earning them a three-spot jump:
"Raise you hand if you expected the SEC’s most complete offensive performance in Week 1 to come out of Bryan Harsin’s Tigers? Quarterback Bo Nix was in complete control of a balanced attack during Auburn’s 60-10 victory over Akron, completing 20 of 22 throws for 275 yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers also managed a pair of 100-yard rushers and finished with 315 yards and five scores on the ground, tallying 612 yards of total offense (10.5 yards per play). Auburn’s front seven impressed too, holding the Zips to minus-3 yards rushing. That showdown at Penn State (1-0) coming up all the sudden looks winnable."
Another matchup that suddenly looks winnable? LSU in Death Valley. Auburn football hasn’t won a game in Tiger Stadium since 1999, which is before Bo Nix was even born. But, according to Crawford, defensive play and tackling were huge issues for LSU, which could be trouble when the real Tigers bring Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter to the Bayou.
Though the season will only get more challenging, the Nix and the Tigers have set the tone for the 2021 season and Auburn fans are hopeful that this could be the year.