Auburn football: Two big questions heading into Week One

College football is officially back. It’s Week Zero, and Auburn football will kick off their season next weekend in head coach Bryan Harsin’s second-year debut. But after a chaotic offseason on the Plains, there are plenty of unanswered questions concerning the 2022 team.

But there are two big questions that will have to be answered immediately in Week One this year, revolving around key position players. The first is the biggest and most apparent– who will be the Tigers’ starting quarterback?

It’s been quite the drawn-out competition between TJ Finley, Robby Ashford, and Zach Calzada throughout the offseason, and for much of that time, it was widely assumed that Calzada would ultimately earn the starting job. However, by the time fall camp rolled around, Calzada was consistently taking reps with the third team and first-team reps were split between Ashford and Finley.

Just seven days out from game one, it seems like the most likely scenario is that TJ Finley starts and Robby Ashford gets some playing time. Should Ashford prove himself in game situations early on, it’s possible that he passes Finley on the depth chart. A lot is riding on the quarterback this season, as Harsin’s job and the potential success of recruiting depends on the Tigers being successful this year.

The other question is one that made its way to the spotlight more recently with the news that Nick Brahms’ ability to play is very uncertain right now. He underwent multiple surgeries over the summer and has missed all of fall practice, and it’s likely his role on the team switches to more of a player-coach, per Auburn Live:

"Right now, the best guess would be that Brahms isn’t able to play this season, but remains on the team, and part of every practice and game, essentially acting as a player-coach. Don’t expect Brahms to just leave the team if he isn’t able to participate."

So who will take Brahms’ place at center? Best guess at this point is Tate Johnson, but both he and Brandon Council have been taking reps at the position in practice.

It’s been a long offseason, but in the next week two big questions will have to be answered for Auburn football.