Auburn Tiger fans are a little unsatisfied with how the team looked against in-state Group of Five opponent South Alabama on Saturday. The Tigers handled the Jaguars in a 31-15 slog, but AU's passing game didn't shine against a defense one figures it would have.
3-0 is 3-0. But the excitement has only waned in the aftermath of a spectacular season-opening win over the Baylor Bears. Perhaps it's bettors not being happy about the lack of spread-covering against far inferior teams. Then again, unless the secondary is sleepwalking through these matchups, there are scary, exploitable holes that AU has that can be ripped apart by the SEC's top quarterbacks.
Like the Oklahoma Sooners' John Mateer and the Texas A&M Aggies' Marcel Reed. Conveniently, the team's next two opponents.
AL.com's Peter Rauterkus made it clear to Auburn in a post-South victory message: Week 3 was good, but it won't cut it moving forward.
"The reality Auburn faces now is that what was good enough against South Alabama and Ball State -- and arguably Baylor too -- won’t be good enough against Oklahoma. That’s who the Tigers face next, and that matchup will be the first of back-to-back SEC road games against ranked teams," Rauterkus wrote.
Rauterkus went on to say that there's a week to fix these issues. He's optimistic about Hugh Freeze and Co. fixing these issues.
Even if these issues are fixed, there's a not insignificant talent advantage for Auburn's next three opponents. Optimism could soon fade on the Plains, with road games against two higher-ranked opponents and a battle-tested Georgia Bulldogs coming to town in October. UGA just won the most exciting game of the weekend on Rocky Top against the Georgia Bulldogs.
If the Tigers can win some games over the next month, you won't see a more fired up fanbase across the sports landscape.
Buckle up for a massive emotional swing either way. Right now, the fanbase is as quiet as it can be after they got the job done against two Group of Five opponents, but not enough to inspire irrational confidence.