DESTIN, Fla. — Auburn fans will have mixed emotions when they see The Sporting News’ SEC football preview.

They will be pleased to see their Tigers are ranked No. 3 in the country, a testament to the solidity of coach Tommy Tuberville’s program. But they also will frown at the memory of TSN’s 2003 prediction.

Three years ago, TSN ranked the Tigers No. 1 in the country. The team proceeded to lose its first two games and didn’t even score a touchdown until the third game.

A year later, when the Tigers weren’t picked to finish in the top 10, they went 13-0 and finished second nationally.

Tuberville hasn’t forgotten those preseason rankings.

"They picked us No. 1 and I almost got fired, didn’t I?" he said at the SEC spring meetings.

But he also could say, "I told you so."

Tuberville said before the 2003 season that his team was overrated, that he would have a better team a year later. He was right on both counts.

"You would think they would listen to the coaches more," he said. "We know the most about our teams."

Unfortunately, you can’t trust coaches when it comes to preseason predictions. Most are notorious sandbaggers; a few are overly optimistic.

Tuberville has a track record for candor. So his reaction to TSN’s current outlook for Auburn is worth eliciting.

He doesn’t add an "amen" to TSN’s No. 3 ranking. He doesn’t refute it, either.

"I think we have a chance to have a pretty good team, but we don’t have anywhere near the experience of 2004," he said. "Our schedule is very difficult.

"We’ve got good talent. We’ve recruited well. Hopefully, we will get off to a good start.

"We’ll find out if this team can challenge that 2004 team. We have some possibilities, but again, experience will be a major factor in that. Things will have to fall for us pretty good."

Tuberville’s major concerns — based mainly on lack of experience — are in the offensive line, at linebacker and wide receiver. But he has an exceptional offensive nucleus with running back Kenny Irons, quarterback Brandon Cox and wide receiver Courtney Taylor. And his defense has gained speed, if not experience.

A couple of off-season moves could have a big impact on the defense. One switch involved veteran strong safety Will Herring, who now starts at linebacker. The other occurred on the coaching staff, where Will Muschamp is the new defensive coordinator.

"It was a good move for (Herring) and us," Tuberville said. "If he’s going to play on the next level, he’ll have to play closer to the line of scrimmage.

"His experience up there will help us. And I think we’ve got more speed in the secondary now."

Muschamp also could be a plus for the defense. The former University of Georgia safety is a highly regarded young coach who served on Nick Saban’s staffs at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins.

You might wonder how a third coordinator in three years will impact the defense’s consistency. But it’s not as though each coordinator has implemented his own system.

Tuberville, a former defensive coordinator himself, still has a firm hand on the defense; his philosophy doesn’t waffle from one coordinator to the next.

But he’s not as hands-on as Muschamp’s last boss. Saban maintained a dictatorial grip on the defense while repeatedly shuffling coordinators and defensive assistant coaches.

"We won’t do anything I don’t believe in," Tuberville said. "But you also have to give your coaches a chance to have some imagination. You can’t tie them down.

"That’s a lot better than one guy being a total dictator. I’ve seen some of those guys. It’s worked at some schools. I think for consistency you need 10 guys doing their job instead of one guy trying to do everything."

The teamwork approach is working at Auburn, which has reached the point where it can lose key players and replace them with other productive players. Or, as Tuberville puts it, "We’ve got it going pretty good."

The Sporting News would agree.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.