.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Malzahn on Auburn's hype: 'You've got to go out and earn it'
Auburn has been picked by some experts and analysts to play in the College Football Playoff this season, which seems like a bit of a leap of faith for a team returning no more than 12 total starters after a disappointing 8-5 finish in 2014.
But with Jeremy Johnson expected to fill Nick Marshall's shoes at quarterback, Will Muschamp having been brought in to upgrade the defense and Gus Malzahn being, well, Gus Malzahn, there are reasons to think that the Tigers might be back to the form they showed in 2013, when they went 12-1 before getting edged out by Florida State in the national championship game.
Malzahn was asked Monday evening at a preseason press conference how his team is handling the hype, which if anything is intensifying as the season approaches. His response? It's all about keeping your collective head out of the clouds.
"Our team is pretty grounded. The bottom line is you've got to go out and earn it," Malzahn told the media, adding that preseason rankings are of little to no consequence.
"It's great to have high expectations. We want to win championships every year at Auburn."
