SEC football: Auburn listed as trap game, potential upset for Alabama and Georgia

Auburn seems to be doing what it normally does during the offseason; flying under the radar.

The national media narrative on the Tigers is starting to shift as Hugh Freeze and his staff continue to collect talent from the transfer portal to help fill the gaps in year one. While not in any serious conversation for the SEC west (yet), Auburn has done what its needed to do during the spring to give fans confidence for a solid year one under Freeze heading into the fall.

According to 247Sports, the Tigers could be in line to spring a couple of big-time upsets this season.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports recently released an article with the SEC's potential upsets, trap games across conference play in 2023. According to Crawford, both Alabama and Georgia should be on upset watch heading into Jordan-Hare this fall.

Crawford on Auburn vs Alabama:

"Had it not been for Bryce Young's fourth-quarter and overtime heroics the last time the Crimson Tide went to Jordan-Hare, Nick Saban would ride a three-game road losing streak in the 2023 Iron Bowl. Trips to the Plains are not kind to Alabama in recent years despite the Crimson Tide always having the advantage in terms of overall talent. There is the Hugh Freeze factor, too. He beat Saban back to back years during his tenure at Ole Miss and was 2-3 overall against Alabama. One of those losses was a 48-43 shootout in 2016."

The contest with Georgia seems more of a difficult challenge for the Tigers, but Crawford believes that the stakes in this one could be very important for both teams, depending on how September goes.

"Marked as the overwhelming SEC frontrunner, top-ranked Georgia gets every opponent's best shot and Kirby Smart knows it," Crawford wrote. "The Bulldogs danced with the upset devil several times during the 2022 campaign, but came out unscathed. Will it happen again for a team expected to be 12-0 heading into the SEC Championship? Look out for the Week 5 trip to Auburn. The Bulldogs won six straight in the series, including five by at least three touchdowns, so they're not going to be worried about a team with a first-year coach and roster that still has holes putting up much of a fight. But if the Tigers beat Texas A&M the previous week, there's a slight chance they'll be ranked and unbeaten. That would make one of country's more underrated annual rivalries awfully important."

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