It wasn't always this way.
The Tigers used to be known as a team that would not only shut down opposing offenses, but would make them hurt in the process with a physical brand of football that became synonymous with the SEC.
That hasn't been the case for the better part of a decade, though. It seems incredible, but Auburn hasn't finished in the top half of the SEC in total defense since 2007. The man who coordinated that defense, which gave up just 297.9 yards per game—sixth-best in the country—is back to fix the glitch.
New defensive coordinator and former Florida head coach Will Muschamp.
When Muschamp arrived on campus in December, he found that the cupboard was far from bare on the Plains. Veteran linebackers Kris Frost and Cassanova McKinzy have returned after flirting with the NFL, Jonathan Jones has already established himself as an All-SEC-caliber cornerback, and Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams are potential stars up front.
So what are the realistic expectations for Muschamp's first year of his second stint as Auburn's defensive coordinator?
Top Half of the Conference in Total Defense
Defense doesn't win championships anymore; "just enough" defense does.
Auburn proved that in 2010 when it boasted the SEC's fourth-worst defense (368.4 YPG) but still ran the table and took home the crystal football.
Its ranking within the conference wasn't great, but its total defense average was just fine. That figure—or a slight improvement—will likely get Auburn in the middle of the pack in the SEC, which is where Auburn needs to be to remain competitive.
With an offense that Auburn can and likely will boast in 2015, all it needs to be is adequate defensively. Auburn doesn't put too much emphasis on time of possession, and as long as the defense isn't giving up miles of offense, it'll be just fine.
Muschamp is no stranger to operating a defense that is complemented by an offense that doesn't put too much emphasis on time of possession. His Texas defense finished third in the nation in 2009 when the Longhorns played for the BCS National Championship (251.9 YPG) despite the offense holding the ball 30 minutes, 33.86 seconds per game—46th nationally.
If Auburn can finish in the top half of the conference in defense in this transition year, it'll be just fine.
Top Five In the Conference In Rush Defense
If Auburn is going to legitimately contend, the old adage holds true—"to win, you have to run the ball and stop the run."
It didn't do much of that last year. The Tigers finished 10th in the conference last year against the run after they gave up 168.77 yards per game. What's more, they regressed from month to month as the season wore on.
Auburn can get there with Muschamp in the house and the personnel on the roster. Adams can be a disruptive force in the middle of the line similar to what Nick Fairley provided for those 2010 Tigers, who happened to finish with the SEC's top run defense (109.07 YPG) despite being the punch line to bad defensive jokes all year.
Lawson is going to be counted on to provide a pass rush out of that "Buck" position that features a defensive end standing up and playing linebacker at times, but he's much more than just a pass-rushing specialist. The 6'2", 257-pounder established himself as a true three-down defensive end during his rotational snaps in 2013 and was the man who stopped Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon on 4th-and-inches late in the "Kick Six" Iron Bowl.
There's potential, too.
Dontavius Russell, a 6'3", 295-pound redshirt freshman, impressed the staff this spring at defensive tackle.
"Russell up front had a really good spring—a guy who we redshirted last year," head coach Gus Malzahn said during his Tiger Trek stop in Atlanta in May. "He really could have played, but we had so many senior defensive linemen."
Toss in veteran, versatile linemen like DaVonte Lambert, Gimel President, junior college transfer Maurice Swain and incoming freshman defensive end Byron Cowart, and there's a solid core group of versatile defensive linemen up front who can stop the run.
Break the 30-Sack Plateau
Lawson was being counted on to provide the edge threat last year, and when he tore his ACL in the spring, there simply was no plan B. Auburn played "musical defensive ends" last year in the hopes of finding some way to get pressure on the quarterback.
"That was our Achilles' heel on defense," Malzahn said. "When you can't put pressure on the quarterback, it makes it tough on everybody."
Tough, it was.
Auburn finished with just 21 sacks, 11th in the conference, and routinely allowed quarterbacks time to stand in the pocket and go through all of their progressions (twice, if needed) before feeling threatened.
Florida hit the 30-sack mark twice during Muschamp's four-year stint as head coach, including in 2012 when it was in the national title picture up to rivalry weekend and played in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. He also hit that mark in both of his seasons as Texas defensive coordinator (2008 and 2009).
With Lawson demanding attention and serving as this team's version of former Florida standout Dante Fowler Jr., a solid threat inside in Adams and the potential for Cowart to be a star right away, getting to that mark should be the goal this year for Muschamp's Tigers.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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