Auburns 2010-11 campaign was one to remember. The Tigers finished a perfect 14-0 and hoisted the BCS championship trophy after edging Oregon 22-19. Quarterback Cam Newton led the way.

The Heisman Trophy winner completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He added 1,473 yards and 20 scores on the ground in what was one of the best seasons in college football history. Im sure Auburn fans already know not to expect as much without Newton at the controls.

Newtons departure isnt the only one that will hurt. The Tigers will also greatly miss defensive tackle Nick Fairley. In all, just five starters return from last seasons national title team.

Offense: Only two offensive starters are back from a unit that led the SEC in both scoring and total offense. The Tigers averaged 41.2 points and 499.2 yards per game last season.

Auburn did most of its damage on the ground with Newton and Michael Dyer, who returns after rushing for 1,093 yards and five scores. Dyer will be an even bigger part of the offense this year.

The quarterback position is a question mark with Barrett Trotter, Clint Moseley and Kiehl Frazier all in the mix. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn really likes Frazier, a highly regarded prospect from Arkansas who he personally recruited.

Whoever lands the starting quarterback job will have the luxury of throwing to DeAngelo Benton and Trovon Reed. These two highly recruited wideouts appear poised for breakout seasons. Emory Blake, who hauled in 33 passes for 554 yards and eight touchdowns in 2010, is the teams top returning receiver.

An offensive line that was among best in the nation last season only brings back one starter, right tackle Brandon Mosley. Thats not a good sign.

Defense: Three starters return from a stop unit that finished eighth and ninth respectively in scoring and total defense. The Tigers gave up 24.1 points and yielded 368.4 yards per game in 2010.

Auburn finished dead last against the pass, allowing 259.3 yards per game through the air, but finished No. 1 against the run with only 109.1 yards allowed per game.

The defensive line wont be nearly as dominant without Fairley. Defensive end Nosa Equae, who recorded 3.5 sacks last season, is the lone returning starter up front. Auburn is depending on him and tackles Kenneth Carter and Jeff Whitaker to have breakout seasons.

Daren Bates, the lone returning starter at linebacker, will land one of the spots in the second tier of the defense, while Jake Holland, Jonathan Evans and Eltoro Freeman contend for the other two.

Neiko Thorpe, the teams top returning tackler, moves from corner to safety to lead the defensive backfield. He hits like a ton of bricks. TSharvan Bell is Auburns best cover corner.

Prediction: 5th Place SEC West The Tigers didnt just lose the best player in college football, they lost 16 other starters from last years national championship team. With that many losses, Auburn will inevitably take a step back. Plus, the schedule is tough. The Tigers go to South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU and Georgia in conference play. With only a handful of starters back and a challenging slate, just becoming bowl eligible will be quite the accomplishment.  College football lines makes have listed Auburn at +10000 to win the BCS title.

Check out how I see the rest of the SEC shaking out in my 2011 SEC predictions.

Jimmy Boyd’s expert college football picks will help you enjoy a profitable college football betting season!

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