CBS Sports Projects Auburn Football to Make Modest Improvment in 2026

The Auburn Tigers are expected to improve enough to be back in bowl season and finish with a winning record

Auburn is expected to slightly improve | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

AUBURN, Ala.- CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson recently joined CBS Sports HQ to discuss college football teams and players that are expecting a turnaround this season. During the broadcast, Chip Patterson discussed the Auburn Tigers and how they can possibly improve this season. 

Chip Patterson has the Tigers sitting at 7.5 total wins for the 2025 football season. A slight bump up from 5-7 last season. The Tigers have had five straight seasons with six or fewer wins, only making a bowl game three times of the last 5 years, but failing to win any of them. The last time Auburn won a bowl game was in 2018. 

Patterson talks about the new and reloaded wide receiver room on the Plains. Stating, “They have assembled one of the best wide receiver rooms in the SEC.” With the addition of Eric Singleton Jr., the wide receiver room boasted much more speed and more deep-ball catching ability. 

Even CBS’s Will Backus has the Auburn wide receiver room as the fourth best in the country. It is important that this new wide receiver room gets the ball in their hands, insert, transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold. 

“They go out to get Jackson Arnold from Oklahoma, who was up and down with the Sooners, but always a top talent,” Patterson stated. Jackson Arnold is coming to a quarterback room where, in previous seasons, have underperformed. If the Tigers are to be successful, a lot of it falls on the shoulders of Jackson Arnold. 

But not only is it up to Arnold, but also up to the offensive line. Last season, the offensive line gave up 27 sacks, far too many if Auburn wants to win a lot of games. Hence why Hugh Freeze brought in offensive linemen Xavier Chaplin and Mason Murphy. 

While concluding his segment, Patterson stated, “You mention pressure, I think Hugh Freeze, if he doesn’t have one of the biggest turnarounds in the SEC, is going to be facing a very hot seat type conversation going into the final week of the season.” Freeze’s predecessor posted a record at Auburn of 9-12 before being fired. Currently, Freeze has an 11-13 record at Auburn, not too much better. It is hard to visualize Freeze has much longer of a leash if Auburn isn’t sitting well near midseason. 

Freeze has brought in two full recruiting cycles that were both ranked in the top 10. The build-up has occurred, and now it is time to execute.