Auburn Tigers a Dark Horse Playoff Team according to The Athletic

After finishing 5-7 last year, the Auburn Tigers find themselves in a precarious spot. First, the pressure to succeed rests with head coach Hugh Freeze and quarterback Jackson Arnold. Next, thanks to an extremely productive recruit and transfer portal class, expectations rise.

Additionally, if you factor in a subpar year from Alabama and much of the SEC in general, perception changes about the Tigers. We see think pieces regarding how bad things could get, but what about the reverse?

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic touted Auburn as a team that could be a sleeper in the race to gain a spot College Football Playoff.

"This is the best O-line the Tigers have had in years,” Feldman wrote on The Athletic. “They have some dynamic players outside in Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton Jr. It’s a favorable situation for a new quarterback to step into, and it’s a talented group of options featuring Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold, Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels, and Deuce Knight, a freakish freshman who could be special in this system before too long."

To think, Jarquez Hunter ran for 1,201 yards last year with a line that pales in comparison and an inconsistent passing game. Bookend tackles Xavier Chaplin and Mason Murphy transferred in. They solidified the boundaries. As a result, the Tigers don't need a standout running back, just a competent back with adequate vision.

"The season opener at Baylor will be tricky,” Feldman continued. “The schedule isn’t easy, but Auburn doesn’t play Texas or LSU and gets Georgia and Alabama at home at least."

Granted, Baylor head coach Dave Aranda's team will always play hard, regardless of talent level. However, Auburn boasts an advantage when you look at Baylor’s offensive line facing a hungry Tigers defense that wants to make an early statement.

Can Auburn make the CFP? Conceivably, yes. Will they? This feels like one of the biggest boom or bust teams in college football. In all honesty, with the roster depth and playmakers all over the field, the team has a decent shot at the playoffs.

Now, bear in mind that everything must break positively right for the Tigers to even sniff the playoff. Meaning, Jackson Arnold needs to fulfill the promise that such a highly touted player possesses.

Similarly, a playoff run would probably mean that Keldric Faulk would enjoy a monster season, one that etches his name among the first picks of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Lastly, it would mean that Hugh Freeze would've brought the program all the way out of the abyss and back to national relevance. While the playoff feels like a bold statement, it's not impossible. Remember, sometimes the ball mysteriously bounces Auburn's way.