•RETURNING STARTERS: 17

•OUTLOOK: Count Auburn among the growing legion of teams implementing the spread offense. Coach Tommy Tuberville hasn’t named a starting quarterback between Chris Todd and Kodi Burns, but the Tigers will remain a strong running team behind backs Ben Tate and Brad Lester. A strong defense led by tackle Sen’Derrick Marks and rush end Antonio Coleman will keep Auburn going while the offense gets comfortable.

•PREVIOUS PICKS: No. 12 South Florida. No. 13 Virginia Tech. No. 14 Texas Tech. No. 15 Texas. 16. Kansas. No.17 Illinois. No. 18 Brigham Young. No. 19 Oregon. No. 20 Wake Forest. No. 21 Arizona State. No. 22 Penn State. No. 23 Fresno State. No. 24 Utah. No. 25 Oklahoma State.