Auburn Football: 2017 Game-by-game predictions
In one of the better games at the beginning of the 2016 season, the Clemson Tigers edged out the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium 19-13. Deshaun Watson was responsible for the game-clinching fourth quarter touchdown to Hunter Renfrow.
Watson was a first round selection of the Houston Texas, leaving the quarterback position as a major question mark for Clemson entering 2016. Junior Kelly Bryant looks to have the inside track to start out of the gate, but that’s a byproduct of his time with the program more so than anything else.
More: Breaking down the Clemson quarterback battle
The next two options after Bryant are redshirt freshman, Zerrick Cooper and true freshman, Hunter Johnson. There’s a decent chance that any of those guys will be simply a placeholder until Trevor Lawrence, the No. 2 quarterback in the 2018 class, arrives on campus next season.
Regardless,one of those three will be tasked with making their first Saturday night start in Death Valley against an SEC heavyweight. Auburn’s challenger, Jarrett Stidham, looks to have the step up on whomever Clemson chooses to start and he should ultimately be the difference in this game for the Tigers on the road.