In Hugh Freeze’s first season with Auburn, the Tigers finished the season at .500 with a 6-6 (3-5 SEC) record and bowl eligibility. Winning only 6 games is generally not acceptable on The Plains; however, Auburn is showing consistent progress, both on and off the field. The product we saw on Saturdays in 2023 reflected plenty of improvements as a whole from week 2 in Berkeley to the Iron Bowl. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect, as there were many ups and downs throughout all 12 games. But, I think it’s safe to say Auburn, as a football team, got better from the beginning to the end of the season. One thing people want to see with a first-year head coach is fight, competitiveness, and a good culture that can be used to build a program. Auburn has gotten this from Hugh Freeze’s opening chapter.
In addition to positive change on the gridiron, Auburn has also experienced massive success on the recruiting trail, which is a direct result of the relentless effort by Hugh Freeze and this coaching staff. More to come on that in future articles.
While the Tigers still have the Music City Bowl against Maryland remaining this season, I thought it would be fun to look ahead to the 2024 schedule, which was just recently announced, and give my predictions. I think year 2 of the Freeze tenure will be very successful and have a much more talented roster than 2023’s.
Aug. 31 vs. Alabama A&M – W 55-13
Sep. 7 vs. California – W 31-17
Sep. 14 vs. New Mexico – W 48-10
Sep. 21 vs. Arkansas – W 34-16
Sep. 28 vs Oklahoma – L 28-24
Oct. 5 @ Georgia – L 42-21
Oct. 12 BYE
Oct. 19 @ Missouri – W 35-30
Oct. 26 @ Kentucky – W 31-24
Nov. 2 vs. Vanderbilt – W 49-20
Nov. 9 BYE
Nov. 16 vs. ULM – W 45-14
Nov. 23 vs. Texas A&M – W 27-20
Nov. 30 @ Alabama – L 24-20
2024 Auburn Tigers: 9-3 (5-3 SEC)