SPORTS N STUFF

The first thing everyone even MLB baseball betting students knows about Auburn this season is that Cam Newton wont be the teams starting quarterback one year after winning the Heisman Trophy and the national championship of college football.

Barrett Trotter was actually the starter heading into fall in 2010 before giving way to Newton. He might be in the same position again, only this time the challengers are sophomore Clint Moseley and freshman Kiehl Frazier. Trotter will manage the offense well but isnt much of a threat to run the ball. Moseley and Frazier are true run threats and thats something offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has shown a willingness to use. Whoever gets the job will hand the ball off to a bevy of talented running backs led by sophomore Michael Dyer, a powerful runner who is hard to find between the tackles. The change of pace back will be junior Ontario McCalebb who is incredibly fast and a very good receiver out of the backfield. The Tigers also added freshman backs Quan Bray, Tre Mason, and Mike Blakely. Few teams will have a better group of young running backs than Auburn. Blue collar hybrid back Phil Lutzenkirchen also returns in the backfield.

In addition to the questions at quarterback and receiver, Auburn has the difficult take of replacing four offensive linemen from last years veteran line. Senior Brandon Mosley at right tackle is the only returning starter. Presently, Auburn is looking at starting a former walk-on at center. The line will continue to be a patchwork job until fall camp arrives. Dont be surprised if freshmen Greg Robinson and Christian Westerman both see early playing time.

The picture on the defensive side of the ball isnt much better, and truth be told, it wasnt a very good defense in the first place. Auburn head coach Gene Chizik will have some work to do this season. The community of sports betting experts knows this.

Defensive Tackle Nick Fairley was a dominant defensive tackle and left for the NFL after just one season. The only returning starter up front is Nosa Eguae. Across from him is sophomore Corey Lemonier who played a lot as a freshman and is poised for big things in 2011. The picture at tackle is a little murkier where Jeffrey Whitaker and Kenneth Carter are the likely starters. Freshman Gabe Wright was one of the nations more sought after defensive tackle prospects and he will undoubtedly see the field as a freshman.

In the back seven Auburn is still looking for answers at linebacker, but does return a pair of quality defensive backs in TSharvan Bell and Neiko Thorpe. Thorpe is an excellent tackler that will be moving from cornerback to safety. Like most of the other positions, Auburn signed a handful of potential impact freshmen that will provide immediate depth and see meaningful snaps from the minute they step onto campus. The Auburn defense relied on Fairley being able to get to the quarterback and be disruptive in his own and was able to avoid having to blitz often. They wont have that luxury in 2011. With the new faces up front, Auburn will have to generate pressure with numbers and that means having to leave the secondary in a lot of man coverage.

The schedule is very difficult for a team that will be markedly young in 2011. Auburn hosts Mississippi State and then travels to Clemson in weeks two and three. October features a demanding slate of games at South Carolina, at Arkansas, home against Florida, and at LSU in consecutive weeks. The Tigers travel to rival Georgia two weeks later before hosting Alabama in the Iron Bowl to finish the season. Its a tall mountain to climb for this group; anything more than eight wins will be a remarkable job by Chizik and company. A smart sports bet will put Auburn fourth in the SEC West.