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Auburn finished the 2012 season 3-9. They performed even more poorly than the John L. Smith Hogs. But as we all know, they were the big story of 2013, going 12-2 and yada yada yada.
And now they are picked to finish 2nd in the West this season and Vegas has set the spread at 21.5 points in the Arkansas game.
I'm of the opinion that Auburn might be a little bit overrated. It could be because six of their wins last season (Washington State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Georgia, and Alabama) were single possession victories that frequently came down to the end of the fourth quarter - sometimes literally.
Who knows what happens to Auburn if they allow that late touchdown to Washington State in the season opener or don't convert against Mississippi State? At the very least, parts of the season wouldn't have unfolded as they did.
So while Auburn, may be a 21.5-point favorite against Arkansas (that number may go down since Nick Marshall is not starting due to his citation for marijuana possession), it seems unlikely that a team that beat Arkansas by 18 last season should be favored by more due to their lucky FORTUNATE BY MEANS OF OBVIOUS AND EXTREME SKILL wins from 2013. Then again, if Arkansas has two turnovers before half time as they did in Fayetteville last year, it probably won't take another performance like Tre Mason's four-touchdown effort to put the Hogs away.
How do you feel about the Hogs' chances vs the spread?