re: Auburn played the #1, #3, #5, #7, #8, #9, and #11 teams last year and ended up at #14 .

Y'all did have head-to-head wins over 2 teams ranked ahead. One of them a regular season non-conference game, it was an early season gift for football fans.

You don't know what you'll get from AU before a season, but which their schedule, the win-loss record is a usually trustworthy indicator. (These are compliments.)