Auburn Edges Huskies in the Season's First CFP Shakedown

College football constantly lays claim to the fact that -- as opposed to the NFL -- every game means something.

Usually, in the early weeks, they mean paying out mega-dosh to beat the snot outta lower-division programs, essentially buying wins.

No shocker there. Consider it a pre-season where the games kinda count.

 

Virtually every college football fan knows the pre-season scheduling ABC drill:

• A -- a strong opponent, often a Power Fiver, that'll draw TV cash and a bitta CFP cred;
• B -- a challenging opponent, often an Other Fiver, usually at home; and
• C -- you want frosting on that cupcake?

 

Broadcast money has made for some enticing A-games in recent times, where the winner allegedly scores strong CFP cred and the loser toes a finer line for the rest of the season.

The result is a decent pairing with lotsa off-season rust to shake off.

So it was today when Auburn scored late to claim a 21-16 victory over Washington:

 

Both teams will be doing the SMH in the video breakdowns.

• The Huskies went 1-6 in red zone scoring chances, and
• The Tigers gave up huge chunks of field against fast-paced drives.

In fact, it's puzzling why Washington didn't speed it up more after their four-play, 75-yard TD drive.

 

Conversely, when the Tigers slowed down their attack, they also throttled down their productivity. Gus Malzahn & Crew might wanna rethink that.

Then there were the penalties, with laundry dropping at a rate to be expected in a Game 1:

• Auburn got dinged for 12 flags at a cost of 111 yards, while
• Washington was busted for 10 infractions, surrendering 95 yards.

The refs were clearly kept busy, but a couple of missed calls -- such as Washington slinger Jake Browning getting the crown of a helmet on a key third down with no flag in sight ...

 

... indicated they're not in top form yet, either.

That shoulda been a vital first down at a key point in the game.

 

Still, the determining factor in this one, far and away, was the Tigers' defensive line.

Dudes were awesome the entire game.

 

The bulk of Washington's rushing yardage came around the edge, and when the Huskies were inside the Tiger 20, Auburn's d-line didn't budge.

• Not from stuffing Browning's attempted QB draw, and
• Forcing the game's key turnover on Browning's ill-fated option.

 

Basically.

Now, the rest of the season happens. Chalk usually crumbles when it's least expected, so it remains to be seen if this result has any effect on the CFP when December rolls around.

Auburn's gonna have its usual barrel of laughs in the SEC, while Washington knows the Pac-12 is virtually good for an upset a weekend.

 

It's why we watch.

And why the bookies send their kids to good schools.