Auburn ranked near bottom of the SEC in preseason power rankings

Hugh Freeze has tried to downplay expectations for Auburn heading into his first season on the Plains.

"My expectation is for us to play a passionate 60-minute football game every Saturday and hopefully it's fundamentally sound where we give our chant, our kids a chance to win some games in the fourth quarter," Freeze said at SEC Media Days. "I don't really set some goal on where we're going to finish in the West or where I just, man, can we just play well today at practice, then tomorrow at practice and then 60 minutes on a Saturday and see where that puts us."

Where the national media has currently put them is 6th in the SEC West (according to the preseason media poll) and towards the bottom of the league overall.

Jesse Simonton of On3 recently put out his preseason SEC power rankings, placing the Tigers at No. 10.

Auburn ranked ahead of Mississippi State, Florida, Missouri and Vanderbilt.

Simonton explained why he has the Tigers 10th:

"Hugh Freeze and the Tigers are going to catch a team (or two) this fall," Simonton wrote. "Auburn is still at least a year away from actually competing for a top spot in the SEC, but in short order, Freeze has positioned the Tigers to be a bowl team in 2023.

The Tigers have completely overhauled their offensive line, defensive line, pass rusher unit and linebacking core thanks to the transfer portal. They still have questions at wideout, plus a quarterback battle to sort out, but the feeling around Auburn’s program is a complete 180 compared to this time a year ago. Regardless of what happens this fall, this is a program to buy stock in for the future — especially in a division-less SEC and a 12-team playoff."

The Tigers kick off the 2023 season on September 2nd at home vs UMass at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Here's a look at the entire 2023 schedule:

Sept. 2nd vs UMass

Sept. 9th at California

Sept. 16th vs Samford

Sept. 23rd at Texas A&M

Sept. 30th vs Georgia

Oct. 14th at LSU

Oct. 21st vs Ole Miss

Oct. 28th vs Mississippi State

Nov. 4th at Vanderbilt

Nov. 11th at Arkansas