College Football Rankings 2018: Alabama, Clemson top way-too-early Top 25

The only team to beat the national champions, as well as the only team to beat the SEC champions and national runner-up during the regular season, Auburn capped an up-and-down 10-win season with a 34-27 loss to UCF in the Peach Bowl. Gus Malzahn’s squad showed great promise in 2017 and should compete again in the SEC West next season, but with some key contributors out of eligibility and off to the NFL a year early, there are also concerns for the future.

Strengths:

There are big shoes to fill on both sides of the football, but Auburn is in a great place at quarterback and receiver. Jarrett Stidham threw for 3,158 yards with an 18-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio while completing 8.5 yards per attempt in his first season with the Tigers, and with his top four targets back (and his top five wide receivers overall) expected to return, those numbers could rise in 2018.

The defensive line is also in terrific shape and could be the best in the SEC with the return of Derrick Brown, Dontavious Russell and Derrick Brown in the starting lineup. There is also depth in the unit.

Weaknesses:

Auburn has a history of replacing one 1,000-yard rusher with another, but the Tigers aren’t often faced with the task of replacing four-fifths of the offensive line at the same time. Versatile veterans Braden Smith and Austin Golson will be the toughest to replace. The Tigers must also replace top pass rusher Jeff Holland and shutdown corner Carlton Davis, who both left early for the NFL. With the loss of Davis, three-quarters of the starting secondary must be replaced.

The schedule also poses quite a few challenges. The neutral site matchup with Washington in Week 1 in Atlanta is a toss-up, and though Auburn will likely be favored to beat LSU at home in the season opener, the rival Tigers are just as talented as the hometown Tigers. Also, first-year coaches at Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas A&M could make game-planning more difficult for winnable home games, and Auburn must travel to what could be the three toughest SEC venues in 2018, with road games at Mississippi State, Georgia and Alabama in the second half of the season.