Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network has good news and bad news for Auburn. He also has good news and bad news for Alabama.

In an interview with ABC 33/40 sports director Jeff Speegle, he said Auburn could finally break a three-year losing streak, but he also said they were not ready to compete for the SEC title.

“I think Auburn is going to be a much more exciting team this year,” Finebaum said. “I think they have a lot more compliments, obviously because of recruiting and Cam Coleman. But I don’t know if Auburn has that much potential.”

“I think eight wins would be a pretty good season for the Tigers,” Finebaum continued. “That’s not usually a good season. Gus Malzahn was fired for less. This is not the year Auburn is going to break the glass ceiling. I think that could happen next year.”

As for Bama, Finebaum believes the Tide will make the 12-team playoffs, but he is hesitant to call them a national title contender.

“I don’t think so. I hope I don’t get kicked out of this office for saying that,” Finebaum said. “I’m not sure I’ve felt that way for a long time. I think the loss of Nick Saban is so significant. Kalen DeBoer is one of the best coaches in the country. He has one of the top five or six teams in the country. But after Georgia, Ohio State and maybe Oregon, I think there’s a little bit of a drop off. I think Alabama is the next level.”