Predicting ’22 SEC football records: No. 7 teams in the West and East
By Ronald Evans
2022 SEC Football West Division – No. 7 – Auburn Tigers
Yes, this post is an effort to shoulder to the front of the ‘Auburn is a dumpster fire’ parade. We have lots of competition.
Two things should happen with Auburn in 2022. One is Bryan Harsin, should have more success after reshaping the roster and the staff to his liking. After seven losses in the 2021 season, including the Tigers’ last six games, the team should not regress.
Plus there is the Auburn football history for the last couple of decades. Going back to Senator ‘Tooberville’ Auburn blossoms into a double-digit win team every three of four seasons. It happened twice under Tubs, once under Gene Chizik, and twice under ‘Offensive Guru’ Gus Malzahn. Coming off just 29 wins in the last four seasons, Auburn is due to be good in 2022.
It is not going to happen. Confirmed by the openly shared perspectives of Auburn insiders, the Tigers are in total disarray. The staff is both weakened and unstable. The roster has had a double door, stream of exiting players. Recruiting is the weakest it has been at Auburn for a long time.
To win with the 2022 roster, Bryan Harsin will have to be one of college football’s best coaches. He isn’t. And worse, there is considerable doubt in Auburn about how much Harsin cares. More than a few Auburn insiders think he will gladly leave, as long as he can collect the remaining chunks of his almost $32M contract.
How bad will Auburn be in 2022? The Tigers can win three games – and maybe not one more. If the 2022 record becomes 3-9, there is little chance Harsin will last the entire season.
dark. Next. How not to run a football program
The next post in this series will predict the No. 6 finishers in the SEC East and West. After the first two picks, the rest will not be so easy.