College Football Rankings 2020: Projected preseason Top 25 sans Pac-12, Big Ten
By Zach Bigalke
10. Auburn Tigers
- Where they were ranked in the 2019 preseason: 16th (578 points)
- Where they were ranked at the end of 2019: 14th (726 points)
- Where they were in our way-too-early Top 25: 14th
- Where they ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll: 11th (898 points)
Auburn surprised many around the country last year when they came from behind to upset Oregon 27-21 in the season opener. Through the first month of the season, they were one of the hottest teams in the country as they peeled off five straight wins. Then the Tigers effectively regressed right back to the mean, going .500 the rest of the way against a schedule that included FCS Samford in the mix.
Even with their disappointing loss to Minnesota in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day, Auburn will still get the benefit of the doubt that comes from A) playing in the SEC and B) doing so in a year where two Power Five conferences aren’t taking the field. A team that ranked No. 11 in the preseason Coaches Poll could thus find itself easily sneaking into the top 10 of the inaugural AP Top 25 for 2020.
Fans will be pinning their hopes on another wave of developmental growth from quarterback Bo Nix in his sophomore season. He will be playing behind a gutted offensive line, however, and leading rusher JaTarvious Whitlow entered the Transfer Portal this offseason. The defense lost three starters in the first two rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft, as well as safety Daniel Thomas in the fifth round.
Playing an all-SEC schedule means that Auburn added Tennessee and South Carolina while losing games against North Carolina, Southern Miss, UMass, and FCS Alcorn State. That ramped-up level of difficulty could make the difference in their top-10 bid.