It's a slow news day until Auburn takes to the practice field this evening. In the meantime, I stumbled across this interesting ESPN ranking.

It's not a preseason top 25. It's a list of the teams most likely to play in the national title game.

Auburn came in at No. 12, which, in the SEC, is behind only Alabama (No. 4) and Florida (No. 9). Here's writer Andrea Adelson's reasoning for the ranking:

12. Auburn Watch out for the Tigers. If their defense shows any signs of improvement, they could give Alabama a run. The schedule features the toughest game on the road, at Alabama, but they were a few minutes away from beating the Tide last season. LSU, Arkansas, Georgia, Clemson and South Carolina are all home games.

Who's No. 1? You're never going to get it. Iowa. No. 2 is Oregon.

Here's the full list. Click on the link for full explanations:

1. Iowa
2. Oregon
3. Ohio State
4. Alabama
5. Oklahoma
6. Nebraska
7. Boise state
8. TCU
9. Florida
10. Wisconsin
11. Texas
12. Auburn
13. Virginia Tech
14. Miami
15. Boston College
16. Arkansas
17. North Carolina
18. Pittsburgh
19. Oregon State
20. West Virginia