College Football Preview: Auburn hoping for return to championship game in 2014

Last season the Auburn Tigers (12-2, 7-1 SEC) caught opponent off guard. That won’t happen this year to Gus Malzahn’s team, which is returning 13 starters.

He said, “I think it’s completely different [this year]. You know, last year we weren’t on anybody’s radar. We snuck up on a lot of people. This year we know we’re going to be circled. We talked about that with our players. But at the same time I feel like that’s good pressure. We’ve got our program back to where it should be, where people have us circled. But, hey, we got to play better, and we have to play better early.”

Even though the Tigers no longer have running back Tre Mason scaring defenses, returning quarterback Nick Marshall will have Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant running the ball. Also, Sammie Coates and new junior college transfer D’haquille Williams will be catching passes. Something else of note is the fact Auburn has four starters returning to the offensive line.

After a less than spectacular 2013 season, Defensive Coordinator Ellis Johnson’s squad should be better this year with linebacker Cassanova McKinzy and defensive linemen Gabe Wright and Montravius Adams

The onus this season is on Malzahn and the Tigers to prove last year’s improbable run wasn’t so much a fluke as just a sign of things to come. However, the SEC is a tough battleground meaning one slip up could keep Auburn from competing in the first ever College Football Playoff.

ODDS to win the National Championship: 8/1