As of last week, this author was supremely confident with the current football climate and Auburn’s place in it. Auburn excels as the underdog.
There are several situations that seem to define the underdog role for Auburn. The first is a previous year of disappointment after high expectations. The second is the return of a wealth of overlooked talent. And, the third is the wildcard. The combination makes for perfect entropy. The components and energy in the system just add up.
Until last week, the 2016 Tigers could check all those boxes. Auburn was an extreme disappointment in 2015, slipping from a preseason playoff team to a 7–6 record and a Birmingham Bowl win.