Week One showed us all a lot about not just Auburn football, but also about the rest of the SEC West and other opponents on the Tigers’ 2021 schedule.
AU took care of business in spectacular fashion, downing Akron 60-10 in an effort that could have seen historic totals if Bo Nix stayed in the game beyond the third quarter. TJ Finley’s struggles allowed the Zips to gain a semblance of momentum en route to a pair of scores.
As for their opponents, some delivered as expected, but others showed serious weaknesses that the Tigers may be able to exploit.
Looking forward, we can decipher that some teams still look threatening, but others have lost some luster…even if they had little luster to begin with.
Here’s how Fly War Eagle ranks Auburn’s remaining opponents moving forward.
#11 Auburn football remaining opponent: Alabama State
Akron had one of the worst 2020 seasons of any team Auburn football will be facing this year, but even they end up putting up more of a fight than the Alabama State Hornets from right down I85 in Montgomery.
The Hornets struggled to put away Division II’s Miles College this past Saturday, winning by just one point.
Bryan Harsin heaped praise on ASU, but it’d be unbecoming to talk down to a team in the FCS ranks.
This should be another epic beatdown on the gridiron that solidifies the Tigers ahead of their biggest non-conference matchup of the season against Penn State at Beaver Stadium.
#10 Auburn football remaining opponent: Georgia State
Army football is a program you know is going to run it down your throats. While they do it at a high level, they are somewhat predictable in their schemes.
So if you’re allowing 43 points and 248 rushing yards anyway, there are probably some serious holes in your interior defense.
Georgia State should be in for a rude awakening when they take on the Tigers on September 25th at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
#9 Auburn football remaining opponent: Mississippi State
Almost losing to Louisiana Tech is a blackeye on Mississippi State’s early season record. They only won the game because LA Tech Bulldogs kicker Caleb Phillips missed a potential game-winning field goal as time expired.
Overreacting to what turned out to be a win in a non-conference early-season tune-up isn’t what’s at play here. What’s evident is that any prediction of the MSU Bulldogs being anything but a bottom-tier SEC West team is one most would want a refund for.
#8 Auburn football remaining opponent: South Carolina
The Gamecocks put a beatdown on FCS Eastern Illinois, conceding not a single point in their opening kickoff inter-Division subdivision matchup at Williams-Brice Stadium.
More impressively, they did it with graduate assistant coach-turned starting QB Zeb Noland, who had last played at North Dakota State and was not expecting to suit up at all in 2021.
Those results are likely not sustainable for a full season, and they would be wise not to overlook Eastern Carolina this coming Saturday. The Pirates hung in tight with Appalachian State this past Thursday.
#7 Auburn football remaining opponent: Arkansas
KJ Jefferson didn’t have any sort of defining Week One outing through the air against a sturdy Rice defense from a year ago that Saturday Blitz called one of their most prolific in program history, but he did show off his dual threat versatility in collecting two touchdowns and 89 yards with his legs.
The Tigers LB platoon looked sturdy on Saturday, but Jefferson is a step up in weight class from Akron’s DJ Irons and Kato Nelson.
#6 Auburn football remaining opponent: LSU Tigers
UCLA made LSU look very beatable because, well, they beat the Bayou Tigers by two possessions during Fox’s primetime opening kickoff game this past Saturday night.
LSU’s Max Johnson struggled mightily in the absence of Myles Brennan, who is missing his second season in a row due to injury. With another year of inadequate QB play, and a defense that looked less formidable than advertised, ‘Coach O’ is already drawing negative comparisons to former Auburn HC Gene Chizik.
#5 Auburn football remaining opponent: Penn State
We have to hand it to Penn State. Despite kicking off the season on the road in a notoriously tough place to be a visitor in Camp Randall Stadium, the Nittany Lions pulled out an impressive win that showed off stout defensive play and big-play ability from under center.
Sean Clifford’s late-game connection with Jahan Dotson ended up being the game-winning score, and despite having a pretty uneven performance, his arm should have the attention of the Tigers secondary ahead of a massive non-conference meeting Week Three.
#4 Auburn football remaining opponent: Ole Miss
Ole Miss’ 43-24 victory over the Louisville Cardinals during the final college football game of the weekend was one marred by poor officiating and players being ejected at what felt like a historic pace.
That said, Matt Corral (381 yards, two total touchdowns) looked more impressive than the likes of Spencer Rattler and Sam Howell in their respective 2021 debuts. The Rebels defense also looked much improved from 2020, though Louisville is a cushier matchup than every 2020 Ole Miss opponent outside of Vanderbilt from their all-SEC schedule a year ago.
#3 Auburn football remaining opponent: Texas A&M
Texas A&M’s run game was unstoppable on Saturday, with both Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane breaking the 100-yard rushing plateau.
The passing game left quite a bit to be desired, though. Haynes King threw three picks against a less-than-formidable Kent State defense. Even backup Zach Caldaza threw a pick to the Golden Flashes.
Luckily for Aggie fans, the defense looks like it should grade out to be a top unit once again during the 2021 season.
#2 Auburn football remaining opponent: Georgia
While Clemson is a formidable opponent, and the Georgia Bulldogs are likely to rise in the AP Top 25 nothing about their offense was scarier than what was seen at the Chick-Fil-A kickoff…even with QB JT Daniels and RB Zamir White being projected NFL first-round picks in 2022.
Perhaps it was Kirby Smart’s coaching staff’s game plan to win in the trenches, but such a matchup might be preferable for the Tigers on October 9th when UGA makes its way to Jordan-Hare Stadium.
#1 Auburn football remaining opponent: Alabama
The Crimson Tide, against a ranked opponent, left no doubt that their #1 overall ranking is justified.
Alabama is up to Alabama things, beating the Miami Hurricanes into the ground with a 44-13 outing that was even more convincing than their Iron Bowl win last year.
That said, it’s still been close to six years since the Tide have won on the Plains. Week One revealed to Tiger fans that every game is realistically winnable.