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We’re now just three days away from the Peach Bowl against UCF, and things are coming together nicely when you consider all of the pre-bowl festivities that take place.
Yeah, UCF won the go-kart competition by a mere fraction of a second, but Auburn cleaned their clocks in the actual sporting match of basketball.
+ @AuburnFootball wins the basketball shootout at @CFAPeachBowl. AU starting five: Jason Smith, @Trigga_Tray28, @JatarviousW, @Trew30_ & @trillforlife14 pic.twitter.com/e5cNAD2Xou
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) December 29, 2017
That evens the pre-bowl scoring to 1-1, and I imagine there’s a rubber match to see exactly who the winner of the entire event is. Is the game itself the rubber match? I don’t actually know.
When we look at the game, the big focus is UCF’s offense against our defense. Yeah, they’re good, but they just haven’t played anyone worth a damn on defense. That’s a fact. Now, with a month off since the SEC Championship, Auburn’s had plenty of time to get healthy. One guy that we should have back is basically the main cog in the middle of the defense.
A nagging shoulder injury made his senior season more "frustrating" than he would have liked, but Tre' Williams is fighting through it to end his Auburn career the right way https://t.co/1V2vTmyzyC
— Josh Vitale (@AUBlog) December 28, 2017
William’ absence in the second half of the SEC Championship (along with that of Carlton Davis) was detrimental to Auburn’s chances to win and advance to the Playoff.
With Williams hopefully closer to full strength, and that defensive line foaming at the mouth, Auburn should be able to pressure UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton, especially since there’s going to be a huge shift on the Knights’ offensive line.
Will Auburn capitalize on change to UCF offensive line? https://t.co/3kq81Migp5 pic.twitter.com/PBRGaf4dxA
— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) December 28, 2017
Let’s eat.
If you’re in Atlanta with nothing to do before the Peach Bowl, why don’t you take the advice of Rod Bramblett and visit the College Football Hall of Fame for a special edition of Tiger Talk?
Hey #Auburn fans, if you're in Atlanta this weekend come out to the @cfbhall Sunday afternoon 2-5 ET for a special Peach Bowl edition of Tiger Talk. Whole crew and special guests will be there! #WarEagle
— Rod Bramblett (@VoiceofAUTigers) December 29, 2017
And while we’re looking at the Peach Bowl, we’ll have our staff predictions coming later, but here’s one pretty good look at some of the nuances we’ll have throughout this matchup.
Auburn vs. UCF: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Prediction, Game Preview, Gametime, Line, History, TV, Scores https://t.co/Cvxbvcbsk4
— CollegeFootballNews (@ColFootballNews) December 29, 2017
Oh, and Auburn basketball finishes us non-conference play tomorrow before meeting Tennessee to start SEC action on January 2nd, and at the moment, the Tigers are postseason-bound, according to the guy who knows best.
Auburn men's basketball goes from next four out to last four in in Joe Lunardi's latest NCAA Tournament bracket projection: https://t.co/4NeY0vKg2B
— Josh Vitale (@AUBlog) December 28, 2017
We’ll look at the front lines for UCF later today! War Eagle!