Alabama Football: Game No. 12 preview Auburn Tigers

For Alabama football fans, the Auburn Tigers have provided an offseason balm for the pain of a lost National Championship game. Inexplicably, Auburn power brokers watched Gus Malzahn run their program in the ground and waited to act until the solution was Bryan Harsin.

It is hard to be so wrong twice in succession, but somehow the Auburn group pulled it off. Bryan Harsin is not a bad football coach, but there was nothing in his resume to indicate he would succeed in the SEC.

Realizing the Harsin hire was a mistake, power brokers staged a coup to get Harsin fired. After holding on to Malzahn too long, then hiring Harsin, the seedy attempt to fire Harsin became the most damaging of three, bad head coaching decisions.

Now some predict Auburn could go winless in the SEC. Will it really be that bad? My guess is they will win an SEC game or two, to finish with five wins at best. Almost every media source has the Tigers finishing last in the SEC West.

Alabama Football will dominate the Iron Bowl

The 2022 Iron Bowl will bear no resemblance to last season’s thriller. The Alabama football team will be at least four touchdowns better than the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn Tigers’ Strengths

• At edge rusher, Auburn has the best in the SEC not wearing Crimson. Derick Hall had 52 tackles and nine sacks last season. If Eku Leota can take some pressure off him, Hall can be more productive in 2022.
• Auburn running back Tank Bigsby is one of the best in the SEC.
• Auburn is loaded with offensive line experience.
• The defensive line should be solid with Colby Wooden, Marcus Harris, Marquis Burks, Oregon transfer, Jayson Jones and former JUCO, Jeffrey M’Ba.
• The Tigers may have gained more than they lost in the Transfer Portal.

Auburn Tigers’ Weaknesses

• The Tigers may have lost more than they gained in the Transfer Portal.
• The hot seat situation for Bryan Harsin
• Harsin has no proven game-changer at quarterback. Among four possible options, Zach Calzada and Robby Ashford are the top choices and the starter will look over his shoulder during the season.
• The experienced offensive line must improve or the experience will not be a plus.
• Returning experience at wide receiver is limited because of the Portal and the NFL, with only one proven receiver returning, Shedrick Jackson.
• Even with a healthy Owen Pappoe, linebacker talent and depth is questionable.

Check out an earlier preview of the Utah State, Vanderbilt and Louisiana-Monroe games.

The most potentially dangerous situation for the Tigers is collective frustration late in the season. The Tigers will likely go into the Iron Bowl at 4-7 or 5-6 and Harsin’s team may have quit on him by then. Even worse in the short term, by the time the Aubies get to Tuscaloosa, an interim, rather than Bryan Harsin may be on the sideline.