What is Auburn’s Future?

Who would have dreamed back in September that when the first college football committee rankings come out tomorrow, Auburn will be sniffing the Top 10? Yet, that’s what we we’ll be watching and hoping for when the selection committee has their first say.

While the rankings are nothing more than fun at this point, Auburn has put itself in real position to grab a big boy bowl or more. Before letting our minds wander, let’s not sleep on Vanderbilt.

There’s something about the Commodores and an early kickoff that keeps me up at night. A trip the following week to Athens will have its own challenges, even if Kirby Smart is shaping up to be Will Muschamp 2.0.

But what if?

Yeah, let’s play that game. Say Auburn goes to Tuscaloosa on Nov. 26 sitting at 9-2 and pulls off the huge upset. Do they have a chance to crack the playoff? Certainly, that depends on what happens to the four remaining undefeated teams and those with one loss. But Auburn would have a strong argument.

Assuming Clemson runs the table, that six-point opening loss to the Dabos might not look so bad. Obviously, Texas A&M needs to lose for Auburn to have any hope. The Aggies have remaining conference games with Miss St., Ole Miss and LSU. So, a loss is certainly possible.

Should Auburn find itself in the SEC Championship against tenth-ranked Florida and come away with a win, would the committee look Auburn’s way. It will come down to how many undefeated teams are left and who the remaining one-loss programs are and who they’ve played.

In Auburn’s favor, would be knocking off the assumptive top-ranked team and winning 10-straight games including the SEC Championship. Would a one-loss Louisville, Ohio State or Wisconsin have a better argument than Auburn?

What about a one-loss Washington (assuming they lose)? Working against Auburn would be an Ohio St. upset over Michigan. Assuming three undefeated teams remain, Auburn would most likely lose out to the Buckeyes because of a win over the Wolverines.

Should Auburn win out and then lose at Alabama, what happens then? It would likely go back to where Texas A&M finishes. If they lose another game, and Auburn plays Alabama close, it’s possible the Tigers end up in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl.

In other words, there’s still a lot to play for in this most unusual season.

Playing the game is fun, but totally unscientific. The bottom line is that Auburn is every bit in the race for a national title today, which is mind-blowing considering how the year started. We too know that it can all go away in four-quarters.

Auburn must get better in the defensive secondary and find a way to rest Kamryn Pettway. How the kid can continue to get this many reps down the stretch is a concern.

The sign of a good team is one that gets better every week. Some may argue that Saturday’s win at Ole Miss was not better, but I disagree.

They were tested on the road and won. That’s a huge hurdle and one that should serve them well two weeks from now in Athens.

But let’s not sleep on Vandy.

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