Auburn football 2023 schedule outlook, early predictions

What’s the ceiling for Hugh Freeze and these Auburn Tigers? Here's a schedule prediction for 2023.

In my humble opinion, the worst things about the Christmas holiday are two things – Eggnog and the end of college football’s regular season. Sure, the bowl games are here and the playoff still needs to crown its champion, but it’s time to do chores on Saturday again for the rest of us.

Auburn’s 2022 campaign may not be remembered for double-digits in the win column, but it will be remembered for greatness from the players and coaches who came together to make the program fun and full of energy, even in the face of adversity.

Now, with the next calendar year upon us and a new season with a new coaching staff, it’s time to look ahead and see what the future holds for the 2023 Auburn Tigers. Will they struggle to right the ship under a new regime, or will we see shades of 2013 as Hugh Freeze and Co pull a few rabbits out of the hat? History tells us ‘good luck’ with predicting what goes on in the Plains, but that won’t stop us.

Writers note: I am confident in Robby Ashford as QB1 for the Tigers this season. There has been plenty of buzz surrounding more experienced signal callers in the transfer portal, but I think Hugh was hired for a reason outside of recruiting prowess, which was to develop Auburn’s talent at that position. Robby now has a year of SEC playing experience under his belt with new confidence and excitement for Freeze’s system, and his mobility (the non-teachables of the quarterbacking world) comes naturally, and his passing ability can be honed over the offseason. So let’s look forward assuming Hugh already has his guy on campus.

Vs UMass – 09/02

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This is a group that finished the year with a 1-11 record and ranks 104 out of 131 in scoring defense. In no conceivable way should Auburn lose this home opener, so I’ll just go ahead and say if Auburn somehow loses this game, I’ll buy a UMass shirt and wear it all week. Auburn by 50, moving on.

At California – 09/09

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Coming in at No. 89 nationally in total offense, Justin Wilcox is struggling to get the Golden Bears to any form of relevancy in a loaded Pac-12. After finishing the year with a 4-8 record, the only thing the Bears will have on their side is the time zone change. Still, Auburn has the better overall defense and Freeze should have the boys ready to play. Auburn wins a sluggish road game in the fourth quarter, 27-17.

Vs Samford – 09/16

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The Bulldogs usually have talent from within the state to make them one of the more physical “cupcake” games every year. The 2022 squad went undefeated in Southern Conference play, and finished with an overall 11-2 record averaging over 430 yards per game. Auburn should win, but don’t be surprised if it takes a second for things to get going. 38-20 Tigers, which is a perfect primer for SEC play because next is...

At Texas A&M – 09/23

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

It used to be a given that the visiting team would win the game in this series, but in recent history who can really tell. Auburn eked out a 14-10 victory last season in a game that showcased what the Auburn spirit really is about, and the Aggies went home making plans for the holidays since they probably weren’t going bowling in December. Now, the pressure is on Jimbo Fisher to deliver what he was paid a gazillion-and-a-half dollars to do- Bring a championship to College Station.

The Aggies however lost a bevy of talent to the transfer portal and Devon Achane is off to the NFL, so an offense that averaged onlye 22 points per game is in for a wake-up call… Again. Still, Conner Weigman looked good as a passer down the stretch, but for now I’ll take the Tigers in a 21-20 type game to get to 4-0. Welcome to the hot seat, Jimbo.

Vs Georgia – 09/30

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At this point, Georgia could probably beat the Houston Texans with how loaded the roster is. Kirby Smart has built a monster in Athens, and while Hugh Freeze has a winning record over Smart, Auburn is still a few pieces away from keeping up with the Bulldogs. 

The retirement of 37 year-old quarterback Stetson Bennet and the home crowd advantage should keep this from being a total blowout, but unless Camden Brown becomes Stefon Diggs overnight, Auburn isn’t getting away with an upset… Yet. Georgia, 34-21, 4-1 overall record.

At LSU – 10/14

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Brian Kelly has proven he can recruit the South as good as anyone, win the SEC West and beat Bama, but also he’s proven that he can lose ugly. The losses to UT and Georgia in the SEC title game were by double digits, and lowly Texas A&M surgically removed their College Football Playoff hopes before the SEC title game in the biggest upset in the conference. This game probably would’ve been in LSU’s favor just because of the home-field advantage, but star WR Keyshon Boutte has declared for the NFL draft. No more voodoo for the Bayou Bengals, so give me Auburn in a toss-up game. 28-13, 5-1 overall.

Vs Ole Miss – 10/21

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Auburn almost beat the Rebels last year in a close one. We almost stole their coach too, but then decided we really wanted their offensive line coach instead and Kiffin lost 5 out of six games to close the year, which at Ole Miss is enough to get you a $9 million raise. It will be an interesting year for the Rebels, as the serviceable Jaxon Dart returns to an offense that seemed figured out in November, but Kiffin will probably have a few new tricks up his sleeve.

Still, the Rebels will be coming off a slugfest with the Razorbacks and Auburn could be fired up to beat Hugh Freeze’s old stomping grounds. Expect another offensive shootout, but this time Auburn wins 45-42, 6-1 overall.

Vs Mississippi State – 10/28

Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive mastermind Zach Arnett takes over a Mississippi State program that sadly lost one of the best coaches to ever roam the sidelines. College football will never be the same without the Pirate, Mike Leach. What should be the same is a high-powered offense he left behind in the capable hands of my perennial Heisman dark horse Will Rogers. He failed to pass 4,000 yards of offense like he did last year through the air, but he still passed for 34 touchdowns, which was good enough for 7th in the country.

The thorn in Auburn’s side continues as the Tigers climb down from an emotional victory, 35-28. 6-2 overall.

At Vanderbilt – 11/04

© Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Clark Lea has the Commodores believing they can play with anyone after upsetting Kentucky and Florida back-to-back near the end of last season. The Commodore’s have a stingy unit on defense, but the offense is still too inconsistent to make me think the Tigers will lose this one in Nashville.

Auburn bounces back as it looks to a tough home stretch, but Vandy will come out swinging with a few trick plays to try to keep Freeze and Co off-balance. 31-17 Auburn, 7-2 overall.

At Arkansas – 11/11

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Kendall Briles has built an offensive unit that ranked 17th in total offense, which returns KJ Jefferson at Quarterback next season. He’s no Cam Newton, but the big-bodied signal caller from Sardis is still a problem for opposing defenses. Still, the revenge-hungry Tigers will have not have home-field advantage but already know how to shut the Hogs down.

The big deciding factor will be if Ashford can out-throw Jefferson, as both QB’s will have to use their legs often to keep the drive alive. Arkansas hasn’t beat Auburn back-to-back since 2011-2012, so don’t expect that to change anytime soon. 38-27 Auburn, 8-2 overall.

Vs New Mexico State – 11/18

Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

The Aggies got the better of Hugh Freeze last year, but that was at Liberty. Again, I’ll buy a shirt if Auburn somehow drops this one right before the Iron Bowl. Tigers cruise, 56-17, 9-2 and moving on to -

Vs Alabama – 11/25

© Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

First-year head coach? Check. At Jordan-Hare? Check. Mobile quarterback? Check. Ranked Auburn? Also check. Alabama will be playing for a spot in the SEC title game, but Auburn will be playing to beat Alabama. The Tigers always play their best game against the Tide, no matter the year they’re having, and Freeze has beaten Alabama before with his vertical passing game. Complimented by a three-headed monster at running back (Hunter, Alston and the incoming Jerimiah Cobb) Alabama could be in trouble. After watching Alabama put up with a lackluster Bill O’Brien offense (which may be returning to the NFL soon) the Tide enter an offseason with questions at offense without any real star-power to help answer them.

I expect Saban to have talent in the building, but this is the first year it didn’t magically come together as tight as it’s accustomed to being. The loss of Bryce Young and Will Anderson isn’t as quick a fix as the Tide thinks, and Auburn gets the upset 38-35 thanks to a Jeffrey M’Ba fumble recovery to seal it. 10-2 overall, Second in the SEC West!

Conclusion

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Realistically, Auburn might have a ceiling of 9-3 with LSU and Alabama being toss-ups, but they also have a floor- yes, floor of 8-4. Still, stranger things have happened on the Plains, and Auburn has the talent to compete with anyone and will surprise a few teams here and there. Hugh Freeze and Phillip Montgomery are two of the best offensive minds in the country, and depending on how fast Robby Ashford can improve in the passing game, Auburn should finish the year ranked in the top 25 and with brighter days to look forward to.

A strong debut should be the expectation for Freeze. You can call me a homer, but then again stranger things have happened on the Plains.

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