Many people were confused by Auburn’s Gene Chizik hire given his 5-19 record in two years at Iowa State, but few are questioning the move now. Chizik guided the Tigers to a 14-0, BCS National Championship season in 2010 and they earned 8-5 records in 2009 and 2011. Still, few see Auburn as being in the class of an Alabama or LSU or, in other words, as a perennial power. This sentiment is certainly reflected in the latest Auburn Tigers 2012 College Football Predictions, which have the school favored to win Over 7 games at -150 odds ($150 to win $100) but set at +1600 odds to win the SEC West and +7500 odds to win the conference championship. 2013 BCS Odds are also long for Tigers, who are presently a +10000 moneyline play to win their second national title in three years.

Auburn seems to be flying under the radar a bit this off-season, especially for a team that returns 15 starters and 48 lettermen from a squad that went 8-5 overall and 4-4 in the tough as nails SEC. The odds makers clearly see the Tigers as being inferior to their division brethren Alabama, LSU, and Arkansas as well as SEC East foes Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida.

Perhaps, that has something to do with how Auburn performed, on average, against those schools last season. The Tigers earned close wins over the Gamecocks (16-13) and Gators (17-6), but they lost to the other four by an average of 31.3 points per game.

So some ground needs to be made up, but not all of those teams are the same either, which means Auburn has an opportunity to, possibly, put together another surprise season. Its schedule, while still difficult, is easier than last year’s slate as they get LSU, Arkansas, and Georgia at home (a perk they did not enjoy last season) while avoiding South Carolina and Florida altogether. Auburn does have to travel to Tuscaloosa for its annual Iron Bowl clash with the Crimson Tide, though.

Auburn Tigers: 2012 College Football Predictions and 2013 BCS Odds

Odds to win the BCS National Championship +10000 ($100 to win $10000)
Odds to win 2012 SEC +7500 ($100 to win $7500)
Odds to win 2012 SEC West +1600 ($100 to win $1600)
Regular Season Wins – Over 7 wins (-150), Under 7 wins (+110)

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