Five reasons why you should be excited about Auburn Football in 2022

Here's why should should be excited for Auburn football this season.

When you hear the words "Auburn football," there's usually been a negative connotation attached to it for about a year and a half now. A program that should be enjoyable and fun to discuss. A team that people have cheered for and praised for decades. Of course, any program is going to have its ups and downs. Sometimes it's best to acknowledge where things have gone wrong, and make adjustments for the future.

But according to most of the media, and then therefore the majority of the visible fanbase, Auburn football has been in a state of disarray for quite some time now. There's a cloud of uncertainty surrounding the program, especially after the saga between Bryan Harsin and Auburn's higher-ups earlier this year.

Up until January I spent a year doing daily sports talk radio in Auburn. I can tell you from personal experience almost every single call my show received was negative towards Auburn, or was bashing Harsin and the team. Now, the crowd I was listening to might have been a select few not accurately representing the mood of the entire fanbase, but I've continuously heard similar stances from people I've interacted with outside of the radio sphere.

I want to be able to appreciate this team, this game, and overall I want to see fans share some positivity about what's happening at Auburn. This isn't asking folks to support something they don't believe in. I'm just asking for fans to be positive about the situation.

With that being said, here are five reasons why you should be excited about Auburn football in 2022.

For the first time since 2016, Auburn has a legitimate quarterback battle

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Take the "2016" part of that however you want, but the Tigers have a serious quarterback battle on their hands for the first time in a while. TJ Finley is the incumbent. Zach Calzada is likely the favorite, but he's not healthy right now. Robby Ashford is the darkhorse, and Dematrius Davis and freshman Holden Geriner round out the competition.

This should be exciting to fans for a couple of reasons. First, there is significant depth in the quarterback room. The top two guys have SEC legitimate experience (not to mention one of them beat Alabama) and possess likable traits and talent that is desirable. Second, this battle doesn't seem to have a clear frontrunner, nor is it predetermined. This isn't Bo Nix vs Malik Willis. It's not Jarrett Stidham vs Sean White.

I'm excited to see how this plays out.

Auburn is forming an identity on offense

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Since 2018, the Tigers have struggled to find any sort of rhythm or identity on the offensive side of the ball. Last season was no exception. Bryan Harsin wants to have an offense that features a physical rushing attack that controls the game and wears down opponents. 

Because of Auburn's offensive line issues last season, they struggled to get Tank Bigsby going. Well, Bigsby is back, and so is Jarquez Hunter, who had a breakout season. The duo should be one of the best in the SEC behind one of the most experienced offensive lines in all of college football.

It's going to be fun to watch the Tigers take the next step offensively.

The defense is going to be solid

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Auburn's defense marginally improved this past year after it suffered in Kevin Steele's last season on The Plains in 2020.

The defensive line has some excellent edge rushers in Derick Hall, and Eku Leota. With the addition of guys like Jayson Jones and Jeffery M'ba on the interior to bolster the thin depth, and linebacker Owen Pappoe pairing up with UNC transfer Eugene Asante, the Tigers should have a solid front seven. There's speed, there's IQ, and there's reason to believe this unit will be nasty.

The defensive backfield might have lost All-American cornerback Roger McCreary, but there are still some interesting names to watch out for. Donovan Kaufman and Austin Ausberry will get looks at nickel. Cornerback is loaded with talent like Jaylin Simpson, Ro Torrence, Keionte Scott, Nehemiah Pritchett, D.J. James, and J.D Rhym. I'm really excited about all of these guys, and I think all of them will be able to contribute.

Much like the quarterback position, there's going to be a lot of competition, and I'm excited to see how the depth chart shakes out.

Auburn's schedule sets up well

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The Tigers get their first five games of the season at home before facing Georgia. It's an optimal setup for a couple of reasons. First, Auburn gets to ease their quarterback of choice into the season with five straight home environments. 

Second, the schedule ramps up in difficulty, so it's a nice way to ease into the year. Auburn plays Mercer in the season opener, then San Jose State. in week three, they look to get revenge against Penn State in Jordan-Hare. After that, Auburn plays their SEC opener against Missouri, and then they get LSU to start October. All things considered, there's a very realistic chance Auburn is 5-0 heading to Athens.

Week 1, Sept. 3 vs. Mercer

Week 2, Sept. 10 vs. San Jose State

Week 3, Sept. 17 vs. Penn State

Week 4, Sept. 24 vs. Missouri

Week 5, Oct. 1 vs. LSU

Week 6, Oct. 8 at Georgia

Week 7, Oct. 15 at Ole Miss

Week 8, Oct. 22 Bye Week

Week 9, Oct. 29 vs. Arkansas

Week 10, Nov. 5 at Mississippi State

Week 11, Nov. 12 vs. Texas A&M

Week 12, Nov. 19 vs. Western Kentucky

Week 13, Nov. 26 at Alabama

Bryan Harsin has experience

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Now that Harsin has gotten to see what the SEC has to offer, he'll be able to adjust in areas where things went wrong last season and make improvements this year.

I'm sure Harsin regrets some of the in-game decisions that were made in a few of the Tigers' close contests. I doubt he makes those same mistakes again in 2022.

Keep in mind that he's also officially piloting the offense. Fans are going to hopefully get to see the ground game in full effect in situations where Auburn needs to utilize it. I'm excited to watch Harsin operate with a chance to fix mistakes after such a hot start last season.

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