Do Auburn fans have unrealistic expectations for this season?

Are Auburn fans adding unneeded pressure to Hugh Freeze's first season with wild expectations?

Author:
Steve Simpson
Publish date:
Jul 26, 2023 3:56 PM EDT

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In a recent posting from Big Game Boomer, Auburn's fanbase was listed at number 1 when it comes to unrealistic expectations for the 2023 campaign.

This seems a bit puzzling. Most of the Auburn people I follow on social media and my Auburn friends seem to have very realistic expectations for the upcoming season. On a recent episode of the Locked on Auburn podcast, Zac Blackerby and Darrell Dapprich expressed their views that Auburn was looking at a 7-5 or 8-4 season. An informal survey of some Auburn fans I know, fell right in line with that expectation, as the average expectation of them all was 7-5, with some expecting an 8-4 outcome.

One person I spoke with, shared the following analysis of the upcoming season: "I have concerns over how effective we will be rushing the passer. Not 100% sure about run defense either but I have confidence we will scheme better on defense than what we have been doing under Potato Head. If we can’t get after the QB - or if we have to over commit personnel to do that, we might just get outscored in some games. IF we can put a fairly salty defense on the field then we should be competitive in every game. AND if we’re competitive in every game we will win at least one game where we don’t have equal talent. I do have confidence in our offensive personnel and coaching, so I’m not even bothering to include them in my analysis. Thus I see 7-5 as our likely floor and 10-2 our absolute ceiling. 8-4 would not shock me…"

The comments posted below the post seemed to agree that Auburn will most likely be either 7-5 or 8-4.

Last season the Tigers finished 5-6 and I just don't see this team repeating that record. Too much roster turnover with improved talent and experience, as well as improved coaching. So if 7-5 or 8-4 are unrealistic, then count me among Auburn's fans with unrealistic expectations.

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