Another national college football expert has come around on Auburn | Auburn Tigers Podcast

another National media member coming around on the Auburn [Music] Tigers you are locked on Auburn your daily podcast on the Auburn Tigers part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day yes welcome on into locked on Auburn your daily Auburn Tigers podcast I'm your host Zack blackerby and thank you so much for making lock on Auburn your first or second listen every single day it's a happy hour edition of the show welcome back into lockon Auburn we jump in to an interview that I did on locked on college football with the Spencer mlin he's going through several of the top teams throughout college football and in giving their predictions we both think Auburn's an eight for football team this year let's jump into it Auburn's going to overachieve this year depending on what you think they're capable of achieving that is Zack blackerby locked on joining me here on the show I'll say right at the outset Zach I think this is an 8 and4 Auburn football team and after last year six and six six and six a loss in the bowl game I think most people are kind of like Auburn that's kind of what they are but I look at the moves they've made I look at Hugh F's track record as they head coached the fact that they were a fourth and 31 away from being a seven and5 team which feels a little bit different maybe it's a different bowl game maybe they win eight games the margins were pretty slim so as long as pton Thorne is capable competent decent I think this Auburn team can go eight and four the schedule is not horrible no it's the easiest schedule Auburn's had in a long time in a long time and so I think they're going to kind of benefit like most SEC West teams or former SEC West teams with this new version of the SEC the schedule is going to get easier so we'll see what that looks like but there are several reasons to think that Auburn can go eight and four I'm with you for a big chunk of the off season I wavered back and forth depending on what kind of mood I woke up in if Alber was a seven to5 team or an eight and4 team and I think they're going to be an eight and4 team when it's all said and done this upcoming year I'm still kind of bouncing around on who those four losses are because I think there's Arguments for for a few of them there but Auburn has done everything they possibly can this offseason to make it not about the guy you mentioned to make it not about pton you go out and get Cam Coleman Perry Thompson Bryce Kane and Malcolm Simmons they call them the freeze four four true freshmen that are exceptional Spencer they they have you always stand next to these athletes and it's like you're watching practice or whatever then one of them walks by and you point you say that's different that looks different and Auburn hasn't had a class of receivers like this arguably ever so we'll certainly see what kind of impact they make as true freshman we're all expecting cam Coleman to do it I think Perry does it I think Malcolm does it I think Bryce has a chance he's more of a slot guy and there's more slot receivers on this roster but they went out and got those guys they got ke Keandre Lambert Smith who who I think you thought I think you think pretty highly of him they got him from Penn State Robert Lewis uh very skilled and talented receiver from Georgia State there there's a lot to like they made the offense not as much about pton Thoren it's easier to play quarterback now with auburn than it was a year ago and that's important and I'm I'm big jarquez hunter fan big big fan I I think the balance that Auburn can have offensively with that offensive line could be really good and allow pton Thorne to only need to play complimentary football now does pton Thorne factor into the ceiling I put on this Auburn team which is N9 and3 yes yeah he absolutely does if you put a better quarterback into this Auburn system on this team in 2024 I think aubert ceiling could be 10 and two I don't know if I could get him to go over the hump and and beat bam or or Georgia this year even with a better quarterback but I would be more inclined to pick nine and three if the quarterback situation were different as it is I think it's enough yeah yeah and you mentioned Auburn's schedule kind of being I think it's interesting um but when you look at nine and three if those are the right three losses and things go kind of weird in the top 10 aubert's got an outside shot of at least being in the conver ation to be a playoff team this year I don't think a 9 and3 team get in there in the conversation sure sure yeah I was careful with my wording there so are they 15th or 16th that probably gets you in the conversation it gets you on the graphic of who's left out whenever whenever they do the you know the the broadcast of you know who's in so and I think that's all Albert can ask for right now you got to take baby steps in the way Hugh FES has built this because he chose to invest more in this high school class that are now true freshman than he did in his second transfer portal class because he wants to build with these guys and he's got the talent on the roster to do that uh but yeah I mean nine and three would be an exceptional year I I still think Auburn goes eight and four Spencer and it sounds like you do as well but if if something goes the right way if something goes the right way and Auburn can close out games kind of like they weren't able to do a year ago nine to three is certainly on the table the reason I look at this schedule and say eight and four is really really within the realm of possibility and what my official prediction is here there are two games that that kind of trip me up and we'll get to that in just a sec is Auburn plays their first five games at home and the ability I'm a big routine guy Zach big routine guy I'm a routine guy in the golf course I'm a routine guy when I wake up in the morning I'm a routine guy when I go on the same vacations every year I love routine the ability for those players to be in the same routine to not have to travel for over a month I think is huge to have the home cooking factor I think they're beating Cal week 2 who's a solid ACC team by the way but Auburn is not going to you're your cow your favorite team in my cow my my California Golden Bears are not going to go cow isn't it it is H that c o l l e g e and then football is actually just cow you know with with a word jumb and such I think 4-0 is an expectation for Auburn and 5-0 is a goal I think they're going to win that game against Oklahoma because it'll have such a rinse and repeat feel to it and I think Oklahoma is a good team I think Auburn's also a good team I have questions about both but I have more questions about Oklahoma's roster and questions about Auburn's quarterback but you put the Tigers at home Hugh fre in year two if this was Brent Venable's year three and Hugh Free's year 1 I'd probably go Oklahoma even at J and hair but hre's year 2 and Jackson Arnold that's going to be a big time test for him I I think Auburn wins and starts the season Five-0 yeah and I I think either outcome for Oklahoma the week prior when they host Tennessee it'll be their first SEC game ever I think if they win against Tennessee the emotions are so high I think if they lose there's a chance the emotions are so low and there's almost pressure where I think there's a real chance Oklahoma starts 0 and three in conference play and almost becomes a fear of like being a meme of being a joke a laugh the laughing stock of the secs like you wanted this for so long and you lose to Tennessee lose to Auburn then you lose to Nebraska to the Big 10 sort of move is what the feel would be like wait are we just go in here and gonna just sit in mediocrity forever yeah and I don't think Oklahoma's gonna do that is a good coach and I I think their first their draw of this schedule the SEC was nicer to Texas than they were to Oklahoma and I don't think anybody that's going to I think Texas people would agree with that they probably think it's hilarious I would too I don't blame them but I think the pressure is on Oklahoma and this is a game for a big chunk of the offseason I said ah I I think Auburn drops this one as we get closer and closer to the season I think omer's got a real shot in this one no question about it all right more of our conversation with Spencer mlin in just a moment right here on lockon Auburn Today's Show is brought to you by our friends at eBay Motors passion drive and patience this the winning formula for winning championships and it's also what keeps your ride or die alive and eBay Motors gets it they get it I mean can you imagine can you imagine buying a part for your car truck SUV anywhere other than our friends at eBay Motors no you'd pay more it take longer to get to your door it just seems inefficient ebaymotors.com is the place to go they've got over 122 million part parts for your number one Rider die you'll always find exactly what you're looking for and with the eBay guaranteed fit your parts going to it's going to fit your car they guarantee it or you get your money back so keep your ride or die live at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusions apply eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers I think if they win this game Auburn that is it'll be the first for a lot of Auburn fans maybe that kind of tune in and out with football season that'll be the first time their ears perk up and like beat who did 5 and to take on Georgia 5 and0 going to Athens okay I think Georgia's going to win that football game I apologize if I'm uh breaking any news here to Auburn fans I think Georgia is a loss I'm going to jump ahead a little bit and come back to those two games in the middle I think Vanderbilt's a win Louisiana Monroe is a in I think Texas A&M's a loss I like Conor wigman I like Mike Elco Jordan har is tough everybody knows that I I think S&M gets it done that week and they lose the iron ball so those are three losses that I put on uh on the schedule here Alabama Texas A&M and Georgia I think Auburn's season and how successful it'll be viewed at the end of it gets to find in consecutive weeks with back-to-back Road games to Columbia to take on Missouri to Lexington to take on Kentucky my gut tells me Zach this is a win one lose one for Auburn I go back and forth on which one that is I think Missouri is good I don't think Missouri is great I don't I don't buy them as an SEC title Contender I think Kentucky is decent they've been decent the last several years they've pushed Georgia before certainly they could win this game at home against Auburn what's your feeling on these two games yeah Missouri is so interesting because I mean they lost so much on the defensive side of the ball I think their offense is going to be respectable but when they play a team that hold their own on the defensive side of the ball which I do think will be Auburn this year what does that look like what does that look like and I think they're going to have a hard time stopping the run I think that's going to be one of the strengths of Auburn's offense this upcoming season and so could that be a mismatch on the road Missouri should be around the top 10 team at that point of the year because I think a lot of their stuff happens afterwards I think they go to Alabama the week after they host Auburn and before that they're going to UMass which is odd Auburn has a bye going into that game I think there's a lot of variables where you can say yes this makes sense for Auburn Kentucky I don't know what kind of HomeField Advantage Kentucky has like I I know that they've been fine under Stoops but they don't typically beat good SEC teams or teams that finish with a winning record in the conference is Auburn in that territory this year I think they're going to be right around it I think they're going be a four- four a five and3 team in the conference and historically under Stoops Kentucky doesn't win those types of games they're good at beating bad SEC teams and it's been able to profit up their record because the former SEC stunk outside of Georgia for the vast majority of Stop's run and they really were able to benefit from Tennessee and Florida being down historically over the last half decade and so to me I don't really respect Kentucky a ton um we'll we'll see we'll see what happens when they go to Lexington but I think both of those games are winnable the big question to me is like Auburn wasn't the same team away from Jordan hair Stadium last year unless it was when they playing a bad Arkansas Team and when they were playing a bad Vanderbilt team what does that look like this year they should be better than a year ago Spencer should should should that's why we play the games on the field though Zachary because it's way more exciting to then compare your predictions actually on the field we're not running an EA college football 25 simulation here real honest to goodness football starts in 11 days is that the greatest thing you've ever heard I don't know if it's the greatest I've ever heard but it it that felt good that felt good The Sensation that you just gave me thank you I am glad that I could provide that for you Zack blackerby locked on Auburn and just for clarification purposes I think Auburn splits the Missouri Kentucky games win one lose one I think they could win either game I think they could lose either game all go one- one Auburn 8-4 and I think that's a darn good second season for Hugh freees and Company Zach also Landing in the 8 and4 sort of range yeah we could look sharp we could look look dumb but whatever we do we will do it together that's right real quick tell me tell me your thought process on the loss to A&M I think the Texas A&M roster despite their departures is still incredibly talented and Mike Elko is a guy who has been doing less with or more with less for the last couple of years he's got a starting quarterback in Conor wigman who has experience he hasn't you know logged a full season under his belt but he's going to have capable quarterback play I think they're going to have enough I don't love the running back injury I I I definitely don't run that love that however at the end of the year they'll had the chance to figure out what their rotations are establish their ground game as long as they are just solid in the trenches and Auburn's not overwhelming them on either side of the ball I think Elco is as good of a coach schematically as Hugh freees is and it's one of the reasons I like Auburn but I think that Texas A&M game is is just tough enough but I think it'll be a heck of a battle sure sure all uh all viable arguments there I I just I don't think that's one if Albert Goes eight and four I don't think that's one of the losses I think I think it's Bama Georgia I think Oklahoma is more likely to be a lost in A&M and then I think it's one of those Road games that you mentioned between Missouri and Kentucky so we're close yeah we're close on our prediction I think we disagree on A&M more than anything else I I would think that about Oklahoma if they didn't have a new offensive line with a potentially a brand new quarterback wigman's got more experience than Jackson Arnold so early in the year like if you put that Oklahoma game later in the season Stadium yeah yeah that's that's that's uh that's that's tough that is Zack blackerby never tough doing a segment with him locked on Auburn Zack always appreciate it love you a long time thank you so much to Spencer for having me on locked on college football and uh Hey like the video please subscribe go check out Spencer's full show maybe for your second listen today locked college football or check out Chris Gordy of lockd on SEC for your second listen great stuff over there I'm loving this trend of more and more folks getting on the boat with the Auburn Tigers and I think we're going to see that Trend continue over the next few weeks as football gets closer and closer and closer I'm Zach blackerby please like the video please subscribe we'll see you next time this has been locked on Albert