Auburn football listed as College Football Playoff darkhorse in 2023
The expectations for Auburn football in Hugh Freeze's first season vary across media outlets.
There are some out there that believe the Tigers will barely get to bowl eligibility and finish 6-6. Others believe that 9-3 is in store for Auburn in year one of the Freeze era.
It's mostly dependent on how the transfer portal additions pan out - with new QB Payton Thorne playing a major role.
Auburn's floor is probably sitting at bowl eligibility. Their ceiling, however? There's never any telling how high the Tigers can climb with the right amount of luck and under-the-radar preparation.
CBS Sports is jumping out in front of that narrative. According to writer Shehan Jeyarajah, Auburn is one of five teams that could be darkhorse contenders to make the College Football Playoff in 2023.
"Picking an SEC squad is especially difficult as five teams are excluded from consideration," Jeyarajah wrote. "So ultimately, we're going way off the board and betting on Hugh Freeze to be a wild card in the SEC West with a revitalized staff and dynamic energy. The path through the SEC -- which includes Alabama and Georgia -- makes things more complicated, but it also presents a major opportunity."
It's a very different scene down in Auburn compared to whatever the past two seasons were. Everyone has their opinions on Freeze, and there's an underlying expectation that Freeze does in fact get Auburn in contention for the playoff in future seasons (despite his inconsistencies at Ole Miss), but no one is denying that he's put together a solid staff and an extremely impressive portal haul on paper.
Could the Tigers end up being a 2021 Michigan State type CFP contender?
The Auburn Tigers had ten players depart from the program during the spring transfer portal window, including three backup linebackers:
Quarterback TJ Finley
Wide receiver Tar'Varish Dawson
Wide receiver Landen King
Offensive lineman Colby Smith
Defensive lineman Jeffrey M'ba
Defensive lineman Tobechi Okoli
Defensive end Dylan Brooks
Linebacker Kameron Brown
Linebacker Desmond Tisdol
Linebacker Powell Gordon
Auburn has pulled in an impressive haul thus far during Hugh Freeze's first season on the Plains, currently sitting at No. 3 nationally in 247Sports' transfer portal class rankings.
Stay up to date on all of the Tigers' commitments, departures, and prospects for key positions at auburndaily.com.
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