College Football: Preseason Top 25 Projections

In 2017, Auburn was the only team in the country who played both of the College Football Playoff finalists and the only team to finish the year undefeated. The Tigers took down both Georgia and Alabama during the regular season, but they finished the year with a close loss to UCF in the Peach Bowl. It was an up-and-down season on the Plains for Gus Malzahn’s crew, but they have plenty of pieces to make another go at the SEC West and a major bowl berth.

Jarrett Stidham is back for his final year of eligibility at quarterback after transferring from Baylor. Ryan Davis, Darius Slayton, and Will Hastings all return after finishing as the top three receivers on the team last year. The running game could suffer a bit, as Kerryon Johnson is off to the NFL and Kamryn Pettway has also departed Auburn. Kam Martin returns to the Tigers backfield as the top running back after posting 773 yards and five touchdowns in his first two seasons.

Daniel Carlson was drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, leaving a hole at placekicker that could prove costly in close games this year. The defense and offense both lost five starters. But with the players that do return to the Plains, hope runs high among the War Eagle crowd that Auburn can quickly vault back up into the top 10 of the AP Top 25 with a big non-conference win over Pac-12 contender Washington to start the season.