SEC Preview: Auburn Tigers

After an unimpressive 2008 campaign, the Auburn Tigers have a new head coach in former defensive coordinator Gene Chizik. Although the Auburn Family was less than thrilled with the hiring, Chizik silenced many critics by assembling one of the top assistant coaching staffs in the nation. The Tigers are also hot on the recruiting trail, making the short list for several of the top high school players across the country. If Auburn expects to sign any of the top players in the 2010 recruiting class, they need to show some progress on the field in 2009.

New offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has brough much excitement to the Loveliest Village on the Plains. Malzahn's offense was number one in the nation last year at Tulsa. Malzahn will look to senior quarterback Chris Todd to lead his version of the spread offense. The new OC has been adamant about running the football successfully and controlling the tempo of the game. Senior running back Ben Tate is poised for a breakout season if Malzahn follows through with his promise to focus on the ground game. The Tigers must focus on getting the ball into the hands of the playmakers on offense if they wish to improve on a dreadful 2008 numbers. Mario Fannin and Onterrio McCaleb have been outstanding in scrimmages, but must prove they can handle the load during actual games. True Freshman quarterback Tyrik Rollison has been very impressive in preseason and appears to be the favorite for the backup role unless junior Neil Caudle can hold him off. Either way, it appears as though Rollison is the future franchise player for the Tigers.

New defensive coordinator Ted Roof is an experienced guy who plays a very aggressive style of defense. Roof comes from Minnesota to help the Tigers improve their number of takeaways and continue to focus on stopping the run. The loss of Sen'Derrick Marks and Jerraud Powers will hurt the Tigers, but the biggest question mark on the team is depth at linebacker. A few injuries at the LB position and the Tigers will be turning to freshmen and walk-ons to contribute. Look for Auburn to play more nickel and dime packages to keep less linebackers on the field during 2009. Junior college transfer Eltoro Freeman (nicknamed "The Bull") has fans excited with a stellar spring and summer performance. Freeman absolutely flies to the ball and punishes ball carriers with a downhill, hard hitting style of play. Opponents expect Auburn's strength to be their defense and this year should be no exception.

The Tigers return kicker Wes Byrum who had a major sophomore slump in 2008. Byrum had an oustanding freshmen campaign, including a game winning kick as time expired at Florida (which he actually kicked twice) but had a pitiful sophomore season. Walk-on punter Clinton Durst was finally awarded a scholarship after a tremendous summer and fall camp performance. He should be among the SEC's best punters. The return game is up in the air at the moment- coaches have not set a depth chart.

The Tigers play only four road games in 2009, but they are in extremely hostile stadiums: Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU and UGA. An out of conference home game against West Virginia will be the first major test for the Tigers before getting into the heart of their schedule. If the offense comes together as expected (and those expectations should be tempered after the botched Tony Franklin experiment) and the defense can stay healthy, the Tigers could potentially be a force in the SEC West, but there are too many question marks to say for certain.

PREDICTION:

Realistic Best Case Scenario: 9-3

Realistic Worst Case Scenario: 5-7

X Marc's The Spot Predicts: 6-6 (3-5), 5th place in the SEC West