Why is Auburn Outside Preseason Top 25?

(photo:AuburnTigers.com)The Auburn Tigers will enter the season unranked in the AP poll.

Surprised? Probably not. After a meteoric fall from the top in 2015, the head scratching situation at quarterback, a historically bad stretch of defense, the sixth defensive coordinator in less than a decade, and the mass exodus of running backs, most fans, if they are honest with themselves, weren’t terribly surprised.

Some even welcomed it. Why not? Only Auburn can bounce back from disappointment, not just by adding one or two unexpected wins but going all the way. After all, it was only a few short years ago that Gus Malzahn took over a 3–9 team from former boss, Gene Chizik, and was 13 seconds short…