Bowl projections have Auburn playing for national title
No Nick Marshall, no Cameron Artis-Payne, no Sammie Coates ... no problem?
That's what at least one expert is saying, as Associated Press college football writer Ralph Russo has Auburn playing for the national title in his bowl projections, which were released Wednesday.
Russo has Auburn taking on Notre Dame (another surprise selection) in the College Football Playoff semifinals, then facing national-title frontrunner Ohio State in the championship game. There was no projected winner for that game since only bowl matchups were provided.
There also were no accompanying explanations, and offseason bowl projections are little more than a shot in the (distant) dark anyway, but even on a Wednesday in June, national-title talk is worth something. Russo presumably expects Jeremy Johnson to fulfill the potential he's shown thus far as he takes over for Marshall, running backs Jovon Robinson and Roc Thomas to step into the void at running back and produce at a high level, and new coordinator Will Muschamp to turn a talented, more experienced Auburn defense into a good one.
Those are all possibilities, of course, but with Auburn coming off a five-loss season and having a number of personnel questions on both sides of the ball, a national-title-game selection is a bold one, to say the least. In Gus Malzahn we trust, apparently.
Also bold was Russo picking Auburn as the SEC's lone representative in the College Football Playoff; he has Alabama, a team most see as one of the top two or three in the country, being relegated to the Peach Bowl.
Tigers fans everywhere can be heard rejoicing at the possibility.
As for the rest of the conference, here's the full list of SEC bowl projections from the Associated Press:
College Football Playoff semifinal: Auburn vs. Notre Dame
College Football Playoff championship game: Auburn vs. Ohio State
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. TCU
Peach Bowl: Alabama vs. Clemson
Citrus Bowl: LSU vs. Wisconsin
Outback Bowl: Arkansas vs. Nebraska
Liberty Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech
TaxSlayer Bowl: South Carolina vs. Minnesota
Music City Bowl: Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech
Belk Bowl: Missouri vs. North Carolina State
Texas Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Texas
Birmingham Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Memphis
Independence Bowl: Florida vs. Miami
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