Auburn Tigers 2008 College Football Predictions

The Auburn Tigers have some questions to answer, but so does every other team in the SEC West. This makes winning the West a realistic goal since most of their critical SEC games will be played at home. SportsBetting.com has the Auburn Tigers 40 to 1 odds to win the 2009 BCS Championship . Find out if Auburn has what it takes to come out on top in SEC West play in College Football Predictions Expert Dave Price 's 2008 Auburn Tigers predictions for Point-Spreads.com.

Offense – New offensive coordinator Tony Franklin first employed his no-huddle spread offense in last year's bowl game and the result was a season-high 423 yards. This will be the way Auburn will start the season offensively, but it does not look good that the Tigers are still in search of a QB. Sophomore Kodi Burns and junior college transfer Chris Todd emerged as the frontrunners in the Spring. Todd is a more polished passer and more experienced in a spread offense but Burns is a better runner and could be used similarly to the way Florida uses Tim Tebow. Don't be surprised if we see a two QB system this season. The line returns all five starters and that is a big plus for this team as it goes after an SEC West title. There is a lot of excitement surrounding Mario Fannin. He is a versatile speedster who played tailback last season, but will likely see an expanded role. Expect him to be used similarly to how the Saints used Reggie Bush in his rookie season. The receiving corps is solid and will be able to get the job done if the QB's can deliver the ball.

Defense – Auburn has speed for days on defense led by middle linebacker Tray Blackmon. New defensive coordinator Paul Rhodes has expressed his excitement over inheriting so much speed and overall talent. With Sen'Derrick Marks, one of Auburn's best players and leaders moving down from end to tackle, the defense should be even stronger. Michael Goggans will take over his spot at end after having a nice spring and Antonio Coleman and Antoine Carter will share time at the other end. This kind of depth and speed on the outside is sure to disrupt their opponents' passing games all season. The lack of nose guard will be the most glaring hole. There is great linebacker depth with seven guys capable of playing. The only potential concern is that six newcomers will share time in the secondary, but their transition should be made easier by Auburn's stellar pass rush off the corner

Special Teams – Wes Byrum is a keeper. He made 17 of 23 field goals in his true freshman season including a game winning dagger at Florida. This season he will be asked to handle kickoff as well. Wide receivers Robert Dunn and Tristan Davis have shown big play ability in the return game as well.

College Football Predictions for the 2008 Auburn Tigers – 2nd in SEC West

The SEC West title could be decided in a showdown with LSU, but I like the other Tigers at this point. Both teams are similar in that they will have to develop QB's and that they have good defenses. LSU's defense is a little more physical and better on the defensive line. Also, Auburn's offensive scheme is still relatively new and might not be as potent as they hoped for.

SportsBetting.com has posted football betting odds on various 2008 College Football Predictions:Alabama        
60 – 1
    
Arizona        
100 – 1
    
Arizona St        
100 – 1
    
Arkansas        
100 – 1
    
Auburn        
40 – 1
    
Boise St        
100 – 1
    
Boston College        
100 – 1
    
California        
100 – 1
    
Clemson        
30 – 1
    
Florida        
6 – 1
    
Florida St        
60 – 1
    
Georgia        
6 – 1
    
Georgia Tech        
100 – 1
    
Illinois        
50 – 1
    
Iowa        
100 – 1
    
Kansas        
75 – 1
    
Kansas St        
100 – 1
    
Kentucky        
100 – 1
    
LSU        
12 – 1
    
Louisville        
100 – 1
    
Maryland        
100 – 1
    
Miami FL        
100 – 1
    
Michigan        
30 – 1
    
Michigan St        
100 – 1
    
Missouri        
15 – 1
    
Nebraska        
75 – 1
    
North Carolina        
100 – 1
    
North Carolina St        
100 – 1
    
Notre Dame        
100 – 1
    
Ohio St        
6 – 1
    
Oklahoma        
6 – 1
    
Oklahoma St        
100 – 1
    
Oregon        
100 – 1
    
Oregon St        
100 – 1
    
Penn St        
50 – 1
    
Rutgers        
100 – 1
    
South Carolina        
75 – 1
    
South Florida        
100 – 1
    
Tennessee        
100 – 1
    
Texas        
30 – 1
    
Texas A&M        
100 – 1
    
Texas Tech        
75 – 1
    
UCLA        
75 – 1
    
USC        
3 – 1
    
Virginia        
100 – 1
    
Virginia Tech        
40 – 1
    
Wake Forest        
100 – 1
    
West Virginia        
20 – 1
    
Wisconsin        
50 – 1
    
Field (Any Other Team)        
25 – 1