Undefeated ‘08 could be in cards for Auburn

By Lee Roberts  |   Monday, July 14, 2008  |  Comments( 4 )

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In 2004, the Auburn Tigers became the poster child for all that is wrong with the BCS. They rolled through the regular season undefeated, winning arguably the best conference in college football -- the SEC -- in the process. However, thanks to undefeated seasons amassed by USC and Texas, not to mention a low preseason ranking, Tiger fans were left to wonder what might have been. Those fans are probably sick of the conversation now, but the end may be in sight.

The 2008 edition of Auburn football bears some striking similarities to the 2004 team that went 13-0 but was snubbed from the BCS title game. Like the 2004 edition, these Tigers have a loaded backfield, multiple wide receiver threats and a fast, athletic defense eager to make plays. Perhaps most importantly, the Tigers are flying under the radar in the national title discussion, just like '04.

If Auburn can go undefeated this year, it won’t face the same criticism as it did in 2004, when its non-conference schedule included Louisiana-Monroe, The Citadel and Louisiana Tech. This season, Louisiana-Monroe is back for its annual beating, but Auburn added Southern Miss and potential Big East champion West Virginia.

The matchup against West Virginia will be one of the best non-conference games of the season. It’s entirely plausible for both WVU and Auburn to be undefeated heading into that Oct. 23 matchup. Prior to facing the Mountaineers, the Tigers' toughest games are against LSU and Tennessee, but Auburn hosts both of those games.

If Auburn can avoid losing and getting burned by flaming sofas in Morgantown, W. Va., the Tigers will head into the homestretch with their eyes on the BCS title game. After that trip, Auburn travels to Ole Miss and hosts Tennessee-Martin, both of which should be wins.

After those games, Auburn faces Georgia, which is many folks' top-ranked team in the preseason. However, Georgia must travel to the Plains for this matchup and Auburn will be looking to exact revenge from last season’s 45-20 defeat.

Survive that fight with the Bulldogs, and all that’s left for Auburn is the Iron Bowl. Anything can happen in the rivalry with Alabama, but no one on the Tigers' roster has ever lost to the Crimson Tide. It’s unlikely they would let their rivals ruin a perfect season.

It won’t be easy, but with Florida off the schedule and most of its big games being played at home, the schedule sets up as nicely as possible in the SEC for Auburn. If the Tigers can pull off another undefeated regular season, they will be playing for the national title in January. Should that happen, '04 will finally become an afterthought for fans.
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About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ACC.
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CommentsComments: 4  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
rr007		10:50 AM
07/14/2008
I am not one to criticize sports articles or even blogs. But, this article, while optomistic, is way off base. First of all, it...
No.2
wareagle1		08:31 AM
07/15/2008
Yep, you set the writer straight on the 2004 undefeated team being Oklahoma and not Texas, however, if you are so set on getting...
No.3
rr007		03:07 PM
07/15/2008
wareagle1, I cant retract a comment I didnt make. I didnt say that it doesnt matter to CUM that Florida is not on Auburns...
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