Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - 2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: There is no doubt that Tommy Tuberville is a winner. He is 80-33 in nine years at Auburn despite facing a daunting level of competition every season.

Last year, the Tigers got off to a rough start. After besting Kansas State in the opener, the club dropped back-to-back decisions to South Florida and Mississippi State but a combined total of eight points. Fortunately, those setbacks seemed to light a fire under the team, and it proceeded to win four in a row, including a memorable triumph over Florida. At 5-2, Auburn needed just one more victory to qualify for a bowl game. After a narrow loss to eventual national champion LSU, the club bested Ole Miss and Tennessee Tech as expected. A loss to Georgia and a win over rival Alabama closed out the regular season, and Auburn's 8-4 record was good enough for a berth in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The opponent was Clemson, a hard-nosed team from the ACC, and what ensued was one of the most competitive games of the bowl season. When the dust settled, Tuberville and company walked away with a 23-20 overtime victory over the Tigers. For a young team, the triumph served as a source of momentum and confidence heading into the offseason.

2008 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: The success of the Auburn's offense figures to rest largely on the ground attack, as all five offensive linemen as well as tailback Ben Tate are back in place. Tate ran for 903 yards and eight touchdowns on 202 carries a year ago, and he will share carries with the likes of Brad Lester, Mario Fannin and Tristan Davis. Still, offensive coordinator Tony Franklin has installed a spread offense, seemingly getting away from what Auburn does best and putting a great deal of pressure on unproven sophomore signal caller Kodi Burns.

Last season, Burns threw a total of 26 passes and now will be asked to lead a complex system. Should he fail, junior Chris Todd will be waiting in the wings. The former Texas Tech recruit understands the offense quite well but isn't as much of a threat to run as Burns.

No matter who is under center, Rodgeriqus Smith will be the main target in the passing game. The talented wideout hauled in 52 balls for 705 yards and five scores a year ago.

"There might be some games that we go into and find out, hey, you know, something's working in the passing game, and we might throw it 50 times," remarked Tuberville when discussing the team's new offensive system. "But our game plan is to go into the season, use our running backs, use our offensive line, you know, move the ball down the field."

DEFENSE: There are two standouts along the defensive line for Auburn: Antonio Coleman and Sen'Derrick Marks. Coleman is the team's top pass rusher, and he managed 8.5 sacks a year ago. As for Marks, he has made the move from end to tackle this season, and the big man figures to apply some interior pressure.

All three starting linebackers from 2007 are back in place in the persons of Craig Stevens, Tray Blackmon and Chris Evans. The hope is that Blackmon can avoid the injuries and suspensions that have held him back his first two seasons with the program. If he is able to do so, the team will benefit tremendously.

In the defensive backfield, Zac Etheridge (65 tackles) is back after an impressive freshman season at his strong safety position. Corner Jerraud Powers intercepted four passes as a sophomore and is capable of even better numbers this year. Corner Aairon Savage, who started at safety last season, recently suffered a season-ending knee surgery, but Auburn has the depth and talent to overcome the loss.

SPECIAL TEAMS: As a true freshman in 2007, Wes Byrum showed all the poise that a coach can ask for in a kicker. He nailed 17 field goals and proved to be cool in the clutch, especially against Florida. He is joined by punter Ryan Shoemaker, who averaged over 42 yards on 49 punts last season. Auburn's kicking game would seem to be one of the best in the SEC.

OUTLOOK: Last season, Auburn finished near the bottom of the NCAA rankings in offensive production. Is there reason to believe that a major improvement is possible. Well, not unless you have a great deal of faith in the new system. It seems that Auburn is built to be a running team, and the spread attack will likely take some time to catch on. In the SEC, you need to be at your best every week or be rendered insignificant. The fact that the team does not have to face Florida this season is huge, and many of the tough games are at home.

Expect a strong showing by Tuberville's squad once again. "I'm looking for consistency," says the coach. "That's gonna be the theme of what we need this year. And I think that our players will understand it a lot better by being picked number one in the West."