Auburn football 2019 season preview: Best and worst-case scenario

Auburn faces a tough road on their journey to bounce back from a disappointing end to their 2018 season.

Auburn opened the 2018 season as a top 10 team in the country and held that status through their first 5 games. In that span, they won four games, with their sole loss coming in a hard-fought game against LSU.

The Tigers, led by Jarrett Stidham, could not carry that momentum into the back half of the season. They lost four of their last seven games of the regular season, ultimately finishing 7-5 (3-5 in SEC play).

Their 30-24 loss at home to a struggling University of Tennessee team seemed to be the ultimate turning point in their season. They also took late-season losses to Georgia (27-10) and Alabama (52-21), showing they are far off the mark from contending for an SEC championship.

Auburn did finish their 2018 season with a dominant bowl win against Purdue. They beat the Boilermakers 63-10 in Nashville to win the Music City Bowl.

Auburn heads into the 2019 season optimistic about their dynamic group of playmakers on offense. They have two highly-touted young quarterbacks, Bo Nix and Joey Gatewood, battling for reins of the offense.

Whichever quarterback wins that battle will be feeding a talented wide receiver corps., highlighted by Seth Williams-the sophomore who averaged 20.5 yards per reception on his 26 catches in 2018.

Their offense will also feature redshirt junior running back Jartarvious Whitlow, who ran for 787 yards and six touchdowns on just 150 carries last season.

The Tigers will look to their defensive unit to anchor them. In particular, their defensive line features three pass rushers who are top 2020 NFL Draft prospects. If Derrick Brown, Marlon Davidson, and Nick Coe can wreak havoc in backfields, Auburn could pull out some big wins this season.

Auburn best-case scenario

• Aug 31 – Oregon (Neutral Site) – W
• Sep 7 – Tulane – W
• Sep 14 – Kent State – W
• Sep 21 – at Texas A&M – W
• Sep 28 – Mississippi State – W
• Oct 5 – at Florida – W
• Oct 19 – at Arkansas – W
• Oct 26 – at LSU – L
• Nov 2 – Ole Miss – W
• Nov 16 – Georgia – L
• Nov 23 – Samford – W
• Nov 30 – Alabama – L

Record: 9-3 (5-3 in SEC)

Auburn faces a tough road in 2019. They start the season against the Oregon Ducks in a neutral site game in Arlington, Texas. The Ducks will come into the game ranked 13th in the nation, 3 spots ahead of the Tigers. A big early-season victory could give them the momentum to head into College Station and defeat a tough Jimbo Fisher led Aggies team.

Auburn fans would also be thrilled if the team could head into Gainesville and take down a University of Florida team that is widely considered the 2nd best team in the SEC East.

That would give them 7-0 start to the season, which would likely be accompanied by a top 5 national ranking. I cannot see them, even in the best-case scenario, heading into Baton Rouge and taking down the LSU Tigers, who head into the season ranked 6th in the nation and as Alabama’s top contender for the SEC West this season.

Auburn showed they were far from contending with Georgia and Alabama late last season, and I do not believe that they have closed the gap since then. Wins against them are not likely.

Auburn worst-case scenario

Aug 31 – Oregon (Neutral Site) – L
Sep 7 – Tulane – W
Sep 14 – Kent State – W
Sep 21 – at Texas A&M – L
Sep 28 – Mississippi State – W
Oct 5 – at Florida – L
Oct 19 – at Arkansas – W
Oct 26 – at LSU – L
Nov 2 – Ole Miss – W
Nov 16 – Georgia – L
Nov 23 – Samford – W
Nov 30 – Alabama – L

Record 6-6 (3-5 in SEC)

Auburn’s potential for success in 2019 is curbed by a particularly tough schedule, even by SEC standards.

Their opening game will be a toss-up, it is currently at a 3 point spread in favor of Auburn. They will have an uphill battle to take home victories on the road against Texas A&M and Florida.

The Tigers are loaded with dynamic players on offense, and a strong defensive front. They have the potential to bounce back from a tough 2018 season and continue building their program into a team that once against contends for the SEC title.

Their season, however, will likely be curbed by inexperience and a tough schedule. Auburn has a baseline of a bowl game in 2019, but they will have the sights set on a lot more.