Auburn Football: Five reasons why Tigers will win 2017 national title

1. A new quarterback

The jury is still out on how good new Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham can be, and we will find out this season, but there is no question he is the best pure passer the program has seen since Cam Newton.

Auburn made it to the national title in 2013 partly because of a strong defense, although mostly because of a great offensive line and a great running game with a trio of rushers in quarterback Nick Marshall and running backs Tre Mason and Corey Grant.

In 2014, the offense and defense regressed. Opposing teams exploited Marshall’s inability to throw the ball well and losing Mason at running back hurt. Auburn struggled in 2015 due to ineffective quarterback play. Last season, injuries hurt and while quarterback play was better, it was still majorly lacking. John Franklin III lacked the ability to throw the ball effectively, while Sean White struggled to stay healthy.

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As the team enters 2017, excitement is high because Jarrett Stidham has shown he is a dual-threat quarterback with a strong arm. Coming out of Texas in high school and having played for a year at Baylor in a pass-heavy offense, Stidham has shown he is a talented passer.  With a talented offensive line, a talented defense and the best quarterback the program has seen in some time, Auburn football has all the pieces to make a run at the national title.