Auburn football: 3 potentially catastrophic losses Tigers must avoid in 2022

The 2022 Auburn football season has boom-or-bust potential, and most talking heads aren’t saying anything optimistic about how the Tigers will fare this year.

Auburn Wire tabbed the Tigers as losers of eight games, while Big Game Boomer listed AU at the bottom of the SEC West standings. You name the publication and Auburn football is likely nestled at the low end of any conference projection.

These are the damnations that go along with being a part of an SEC culture that has soared to the forefront of college football relevancy in the CFP era. You get the best, especially in the west. With the great power of representing one of the most football-hungry states, comes the great responsibility of having rivals that sit regularly represent the top of the totem pole in the annual pigskin, four-month fall semester sprint.

2022 may not be a championship year, but certain results must be avoided at all costs. These 3 catastrophic results cannot happen this upcoming season for the Tigers:

Auburn football catastrophic result to avoid No. 1: Losing a non-conference game before Penn State

It’s very possible Penn State comes down to the Plains and hands the Tigers their first loss of the season for the second year in a row. If the Nittany Lions don’t even get that chance, Auburn’s 2022 season would be in a dangerous hole before Week 3.

It goes without saying that losing to FCS Mercer would be on a tier right below Michigan-Appalachian State during the 2007 season’s spectacular upset opener. Bryan Harsin might not survive such a disaster.

But losing to San Jose State would be an embarrassing defeat in its own right. Auburn must make it to Week 3 undefeated for this season to have any hope.