Auburn Football: Birmingham Bowl Predictions

The Auburn football team had big plans for 2015, entering the season as an SEC favorite. After limping to 6-6, though, another team of Tigers stands in their way of finishing the season above .500.

Gus Malzahn’s offense won’t miss a beat without Nick Marshall at quarterback. False.

Jeremy Johnson is going to be better than Nick Marshall. False.

Will Muschamp will be a one season miracle worker when it comes to fixing Auburn’s defense. Wrong again.

Malzahn’s offense produces elite rushing numbers, regardless of who is running the ball. Fal….well kinda. The quarterback play was so bad in 2015 for Auburn football, the numbers that were produced really don’t look too bad.

People assumed each of the prior statements to be true when they considered Auburn as a threat to win the SEC in 2015. We should have known something was amiss when the media picked the Auburn football team to win the SEC Championship during SEC Media Days in July. The media is batting about .050 on getting the SEC Champion right.

Regardless, Auburn struggled mightily and limped to a 6-6 record. They’ll have to defeat the Memphis Tigers or face hearing all offseason about how Auburn football was predicted to win the SEC but finished below .500.

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How Auburn can win:

The passing game is going to struggle regardless. Auburn needs either Jeremy Johnson or Sean White to lead an efficient rushing attack that nets the Tigers points more often than not. Even field goals should suffice. The other key component will be how Auburn’s defense fares without Will Muschamp (who has left for the head coaching spot at South Carolina). The defensive line must get pressure on Paxton Lynch for them to hope to be successful.

How Auburn can lose:

As meaningless as the Birmingham Bowl is, the game is still must-win for the Auburn football program. At least as far as Gus Malzahn continuing to be a part of it is concerned. Alabama and Nick Saban are beginning to leave Auburn in the dust after it looked like Malzahn was the man to answer the challenge from Saban. Auburn can lose the same way it has lost 6 times this season: the defense gets lit up, the passing attack is non-existent and the ground game only keeps them in it for the first half.

Predictions:

John: Auburn is way too talented to let this game slip. Memphis showed that it can beat an SEC opponent, but that was at home. This essentially amounts to a home game for Auburn and Malzahn’s crew will want to win this one badly. The quarterbacks will be fighting for the job so competition will be at a peak during bowl prep. Auburn comes out firing on all cylinders and wins this one 45-31. I didn’t say they’d stop Paxton Lynch.

Andrew: This isn’t the season anyone predicted for either one of these programs. Auburn was picked to win the SEC, while Memphis was projected to finish in the middle of the American Athletic Conference. Yet, here we are with Auburn sitting at 6-6 and Memphis at 9-3 in the Birmingham Bowl. Auburn’s pass defense has been lacking this season and Memphis QB Paxton Lynch will likely be able exploit the secondary. The Tigers (of Memphis) win a shootout 49-42.

Ben: Paxton Lynch doesn’t need Fuente around to hang up Gaudy numbers against this weak Auburn D and take the w.

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