2018 was an odd year in Auburn. What began as a year with all the promise of a top 10 ranking, a decisive win against Washington in week 1, and even an outside shot of giving top ranked Alabama a run in the SEC West... well... didn't turn out that way.
A loss to LSU in week three was quickly followed by back-to-back losses against Mississippi State and Tennessee. Add in two more losses to Georgia and Alabama, and suddenly, at five losses, the Tigers were looking for answers at what felt like a bit of a wasted year.
But there was light at the end of the tunnel in the form of an absolute blowout of Purdue in the Music City Bowl, and even with Jarrett Stidham leaving - there's hope that 2019 will offer the Tigers a shot at redemption.
Plus, whereas last year included a brutal road schedule, this fall Auburn will get to play their toughest match-ups at home, offering them chance for some payback on their toughest opponents.
Here are the three games we'll be keeping an eye on...
Auburn vs. Mississippi State (September 28, 2019)
Don't let Mississippi State's 8-5 record fool you - this was one of the SEC's best teams in 2018. Period.
Their four losses in the regular season were all to teams that ended their year in the top 25 of the S&P+, including three teams in the top 10 (Florida, Georgia, and Alabama). And given that they themselves finished 8th in the S&P+ and that they're projected as 10th in 2019 - it's safe to say this will be a tall order for the Tigers.
But Mississippi State also struggled mightily on the road last year - four of their five losses happened away from Starkville. And while they return plenty of production from last season, Auburn will be doing the same, which is why the Tigers landed just ahead of the Bulldogs (8th) in those projected 2019 ranking.
If Auburn is able to pick up this early win at Jordan-Hare at the end of September, it will spring them to the forefront of the SEC West conversation... with the promise of bigger things to come.
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Auburn vs. Georgia (November 16, 2019)
Georgia will, in all likelihood, be a juggernaut once again in 2019.
Their returning production is second only to the last team on this list - and it's worth remembering that they were one quarter away from pulling off the SEC's biggest upset against Alabama last season.
Point being: Auburn will have their work cut out for them when the Dawgs come knocking.
But we've already talked about how good Auburn is projected to be in 2019, and while over the past two seasons, Auburn has gone 1-2 versus the newly resurgent Georgia Bulldogs program - it's easy to forget that their one win game in absolutely dominating fashion in Auburn (40-17 in favor of the Tigers).
So you'll forgive the optimism behind believing that when the Dawgs come back to The Plains this season... the rollicking home atmosphere could offer Auburn the chance to even the series.
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Auburn vs. Alabama (November 30, 2019)
Of course, all roads lead to the Crimson Tide for Auburn... and the 2019 iteration of Nick Saban's program promises to be as good (if not better) than anything we've seen in Tuscaloosa.
Following their loss to Clemson in the national championship game, Saban not only turned around and landed the country's best recruiting class - he's adding that recruiting class to the program returning the most production of any team in the country.
And given that there were, at times, questions as to whether Alabama was the greatest team in the history of the sport - that's frightening.
BUT! Saban has struggled to win in Auburn in recent years - it was just two years ago that Auburn's phenomenal November run ended with them pulling off a shocking upset against the Tide.
And if Auburn is as good as we think they'll be in 2019... then it will be a tall order for even Alabama to come into Jordan Hare and walk away with the win.
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