Entering the second year of his tenure [autotag]Bryan Hasin[/autotag] needs to have a good season to silence his detractors and fully put the attempted coup behind him.
One way he could accomplish that is by taking Auburn to their first-ever College Football Playoff, something ESPN gives them a slight chance of accomplishing.
According to ESPN’s Allstate Playoff Predictor, the Tigers have a 2.1%chance of making the playoffs and a 0.1% chance of winning the national championship. They are one of 20 teams that have a chance greater than 1%.
Something Auburn has going for it is its strength of schedule, Heather Dinich wrote.
“The No. 1 strength of schedule. Auburn faces Georgia and Alabama, the two teams that played for the national title last year — on the road. Yikes.”
A potential cause for concern is their matchup with Penn State on Sept. 17. Auburn is looking to get revenge for their 28-20 loss to the Nittany Lions last season.
“A Sept. 17 home loss to Penn State. It’s highly unlikely Auburn will survive the SEC schedule without a loss, so the Tigers need to beat the Nittany Lions for a 4-0 nonconference record to give their résumé a boost and provide a cushion heading into league play. Without a win against Penn State, Auburn’s nonconference schedule includes Mercer, San Jose State, and Western Kentucky. The Tigers also open the season with five straight home games, and if they can beat PSU and LSU, they should be undefeated heading to defending national champion Georgia.”
Auburn will start its season against Mercer in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 3.
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