The Auburn football team that takes the field next season will have more talent, top to bottom, than the team that won the national championship last month. Yep, that’s what I said.

Phillip Marshall, Senior Editor, AuburnUndercover.com

There won’t be an athlete on the field at Auburn or anywhere else in college football to compare to Cam Newton, but position-by-position the Tigers will be more talented than they were a year ago.

Will they be a better team? Not likely.

The 2010 Auburn football team, with 24 seniors, was the best team in the land. As defensive coordinator Ted Roof liked to say, the strength of that team was the team itself. Matching that experience and toughness will come only with time. …

This season’s Auburn baseball team has a long way to go if it is going to contend for a second consecutive Southeastern Conference West Division championship. The talent is there for it to happen, but third-year coach John Pawlowski is still trying to get the right pieces in the right places. …

One of the more interesting positions to watch during spring practice will be wide receiver. Can DeAngelo Benton harness his considerable talent and become the player was reputed to be out of high school? Will Quindarius Carr make good on his last chance to become a go—to guy? Will Trovon Reed stay healthy and make a splash as a redshirt freshman? …

If there is one former Auburn player I’m pulling for at the NFL Combine this week it is Mario Fannin. Despite disappointment after disappointment, Fannin kept a smile on his face all the time he was at Auburn. He was a far bigger part of last season’s championship run than most realize. …

Did you notice the Auburn softball team is 12-0? That’s the best start in school history. …

You have to give Josh Langford credit. A freshman, an Alabama kid, was called on to put up a huge 3-point shot against Alabama last Wednesday. He didn’t make it, but he certainly didn’t let the moment be too big for him. He shot without fear. The ball just went halfway down and came out. …

I have long had a real problem with the technical foul rule in basketball. Doug Shows, who loves to call them, called one on Auburn at a crucial time against Alabama. There ought to be specific rules about what constitutes a technical foul and what doesn’t. Just because a coach is fussing on the bench, why change the course of the game? Most officials wouldn’t do that, but some have rabbit ears. Officials who do that want to be part of the show.

If a coach is a disrupting the game or if a player taunts another player, call a technical. Otherwise, let the players decide who wins. …

Another Auburn team you might not have noticed is the men’s golf team. Head coach Nick Clinard took over a program that had finished dead last in the SEC in 2009. In just his second season, he has the Tigers ranked in the top 10. At least one poll has them in the top five. …

It’s going to be a full day at Auburn. The basketball team plays Arkansas at 12:47. The baseball team tries to bounce back against Radford at 3. An impressive group of football players are in town to visit. The softball team will try to continue its streak in the War Eagle Classic at Jane B. Moore Field. …

The women’s basketball team showed at least a pulse in going on the road and beating No. 22 Georgia last Thursday. A win over No. 20 Kentucky at Auburn Arena Sunday could give the Tigers at least a glimmer of hope in being able to squeeze into the NCAA regional on their home court. Because of dreadful home losses to Mississippi State and Alabama down the stretch, they’d probably still have to make a run deep into the SEC Tournament. …

Until next time …