SEC football: Questions every championship contender needs to answer in 2020

Auburn Tigers

The 2020 Auburn Tigers are stout. The days of fielding meandering offenses and mediocre defenses are behind them. The Tigers are a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball. The running game will only get better as players mature, the receiving corps is full of talent and the defense is stacked.

Is Bo Nix the man to lead Auburn to the playoffs?

All of the doubt lies on quarterback Bo Nix and whether he can lead the Tigers to victory in the big games. He played his part well against Alabama and Texas A&M, and played very well in the comeback against Oregon. But, Nix was inconsistent in losses to Florida, LSU and Georgia.

Nix ended his freshman season with over 2,500 passing yards and 16 touchdowns. Those stats are pretty good, but what should have Auburn fans optimistic is Nix’s six interceptions on 377 attempts. Five of those pics were thrown in just two games. Nix averaged an interception every 62.8 attempts, that’s an insanely low average.

The question is about whether Nix can lead. He’s clearly not careless and he’s clearly capable of having big games, but is he capable of having those games on a consistent basis? Auburn isn’t getting through its SEC gauntlet unscathed with sub-50-percent games and three interception performances scattered around the schedule.