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si.com

 

What Would It Take For Auburn To Reach The College Football Playoff In 2024?

Lance Dawe

4–5 minutes

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The Auburn Tigers won't be near any playoff conversations this offseason.

With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams, the Tigers could find themselves near the conversation soon, however. Hugh Freeze is doing everything he can to improve Auburn's talent roster, and the momentum on the recruiting trail is giving fans hope.

Let's say Auburn somehow finds themselves in the CFP hunt in 2024. What would it take for the Tigers to make it?

Here are five things that will need to happen.

A much improved passing attack

Auburn ranked dead last in the SEC in passing yards per game in 2023 (162.2 YPG) and will look to dramatically improve that number in 2024.

Whether or not the young receiver talent takes off in Freeze's second season will likely be answered through his scheming, but the Tigers still have solid pieces around the likes of Cam Coleman and Perry Thompson. Finding a quarterback that can actually get them the ball will be the biggest question. Incumbent Payton Thorne was subpar in his first season on the Plains, leading Freeze to claim the QB competition is "wide open" heading into the spring.

Getting Thorne, newcomer Walker White, or someone else to lead the offense more effectively than a season ago will be paramount.

At least ten wins

Not slipping up in the non-conference schedule feels like it should go without saying. After the New Mexico State shocker last year, every non-con slate should be mentioned carefully mentioned moving forward.

Alabama A&M, Cal, New Mexico (no State), and ULM seems easy on paper - we'll count those as wins for now. As for the SEC schedule:

Arkansas

Oklahoma

At Georgia

At Missouri

At Kentucky

Vanderbilt

Texas A&M

At Alabama

There has to be at least six wins here for Auburn to make a case for the playoff. Remember, the 12-team College Football Playoff field will include the six highest-ranked conference champions, which will receive automatic bids. The top four teams will receive a first-round bye to the quarterfinals. The six highest-ranked teams remaining will round out the 12-team format.

If the CFP expanded this past season the six at-large bids would have been Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Missouri, Penn State, and Ole Miss. All of those teams finished the regular season 10-2 or better.

Auburn has to go 10-2 at worst to have a shot at the playoff.

A competent rush defense

One of the ways Auburn can improve to 10-2 or better is by shoring up their defensive front. The Tigers gave up 61 more rushing yards per game in losses than they did in victories.

That is not going to cut it against Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama or Texas A&M. Auburn has to bottle things up better against, well, everyone - but especially against the toughest teams on their schedule. Speaking of that schedule...

A big time conference victory

No playoff resume is truly complete without a big win. Losing a game or two may not matter as long as a marquee victory is secured (sorry, Florida State).

It could be argued that Auburn's four biggest games are the ones previously mentioned - Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas A&M and Alabama. If the Tigers go 4-0 against Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt (easier said than done), they have to at least go 2-2 in this stretch. Any combination of victories may work here.

If Auburn goes 3-1 against the easier side of their conference slate it makes things much more difficult on their playoff chances. By the time Auburn plays Kentucky we should have an idea as to whether or not the Tigers are truly a contender. Getting through Oklahoma, Georgia and Missouri in consecutive games will be tough.

Freeze's young talent taking off

Remember those young receivers mentioned earlier? They're going to have to make some plays in big games. Highly touted defensive prospects like Amaris Williams, Demarcus Riddick and Jamonta Waller? They'll be given chances to prove their abilities. They're going to need to take off in order for the Tigers to win the games they need to if they want to make the playoff.

There is also a world where Walker White trots out as the Tigers' starting quarterback to open the season. If he wins the job, he has to ball out. Plain and simple.

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al.com

 

How will Auburn change its non-conference schedule in potential 9-game SEC slate?

Updated: Jan. 25, 2024, 12:13 p.m.|Published: Jan. 25, 2024, 6:32 a.m.

6–7 minutes

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With the looming potential of a nine-game SEC conference schedule in football beginning in 2025, Auburn athletic director John Cohen said he currently plans to play every non-conference game Auburn has set contracts for — though he is keeping open plans of how to, if needed, cut one of four non-conference games in upcoming seasons.

With the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC beginning in the 2024-25 academic year, the SEC is largely expected to follow the approach of other major conferences across the country in expanding from eight to nine conference games.

“Currently, we’re on schedule to play every game that we have on our future schedules,” Cohen said in a January interview with AL.com “Of course, a lot can change if the southeastern conference goes to a nine-game schedule as many of the other conferences have done.”

Within Auburn’s athletic department, it has been suggested that the program may consider negotiating out of currently scheduled future non-conference games against big-name opponents because of the potential addition of another SEC game.

At least for now, however, Cohen said that is not happening.

Should the SEC make that change, it would begin in the 2025 season. The SEC has already announced its 2024 slate where each team will play four non-conference games and eight league games.

Below is a list of Auburn’s currently scheduled future non-conference opponents. AL.com has acquired a copy of the contractual agreement for each game through a public records request.

2024

- Aug. 31: Alabama A&M at Jordan-Hare Stadium

- Sept. 7: California at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn will pay Cal $450,000 for the game. Auburn received a $450,000 payment from Cal when it traveled to Berkeley during the 2023 season.

- Sept 14: New Mexico at Jordan-Hare Stadium

- Nov. 16: Lousiana-Monroe at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn will pay Louisiana-Monroe $1.85 million to play the game.

2025

- Aug. 30: Baylor at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas.

- Sept. 6: Ball State at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn will pay Ball State $1.3 million for the game.

- Sept. 13: South Alabama at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn will pay South Alabama $1.3 million for the game.

2026

- Sept. 5: Baylor at Jordan-Hare Stadium

- Sept. 12: Southern Miss at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn will pay Southern Miss $1.85 million for the game.

2027

- Sept. 4: UCLA at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California

2028

- Sept. 2: UCLA at Jordan-Hare Stadium

2029

- Sept. 1: Miami at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida

2030

- Aug. 31: Miami at Jordan-Hare Stadium

Largely there are two types of non-conference games: “guarantee” games where a large school like Auburn writes a hefty check to a smaller program to play a game, or exposure games where two large programs will play in a heavily-marketed game often broadcast in primetime on a major network. Those highly-marketed games generally do not come with any sort of payout to the opposing school. The home team collects its own revenue as it would with any other home game.

Auburn lost one of its “guarantee” games in 2023, giving New Mexico State both a season-defining victory in November and a $1.85 million payout.

Auburn currently has many of its big exposure games scheduled through 2030. In 2025, Auburn currently only three non-conference games scheduled to leave it flexible on the SEC’s impending schedule decision.

The question athletic directors like Cohen are left with, however, is what type of game to cut out of the schedule when there will be only three non-conference slots.

Logically, it will be schools getting rid of a guarantee game. Most large programs often play at least three “guarantee” games in their non-conference slates. Cutting a game like that would save a seven-figure payment.

For many of those smaller programs, playing guarantee games where they often lose by large margins is the entire way in which their athletic departments are funded. Auburn is in a small tier of top programs that bring in eight-to-nine-figure revenues on its football program. New Mexico State athletic director Mario Moccia told AL.com after beating Auburn that his school plays those games because they need the money.

Multiple athletic directors at non-Power 5 schools in Alabama have raised concerns to AL.com over their budgets if fewer guarantee games are played in the future.

Cutting a game against a major conference opponent — like Baylor, UCLA or Miami — would give Auburn one fewer tough game on its schedule in a strengthened SEC. And in the age of a 12-team playoff, the prevailing thought is the SEC is good enough where a light non-conference slate will not hurt a team’s resumé.

“I think you’re sensitive to all of that,” Cohen said. “Ultimately, you have to do what’s best for Auburn University. But at the same time. There is compassion for schools that you have that you can compete with who may have budgeting issues surrounding the game guarantee. There are a lot of considerations when you’re dealing with scheduling.”

Cohen hasn’t had to make any decisions to cut games yet. Auburn’s future schedule for 2025 would not need to remove a game as it stands now and Auburn has open non-conference spots in seasons beyond even with a potential nine-game schedule.

But Cohen did say he has an internal plan to adapt if the SEC does in fact add a ninth league game.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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al.com

 

Auburn Board of Trustees to vote on Jordan-Hare Stadium north endzone videobard project

Updated: Jan. 25, 2024, 11:46 p.m.|Published: Jan. 25, 2024, 10:46 p.m.

~3 minutes

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Jordan-Hare Stadium on the Auburn University campus on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com)Ben Flanagan

Auburn’s Board of Trustees are set to vote to approve a project to put a new videoboard in the north endzone of Jordan-Hare Stadium at its Feb. 2 meeting, according to documents posted Thursday to the Board of Trustees website.

The documents currently suggest the vote is only to add a new video board to replace the antiquated scoreboard currently present but does not include the full-scale renovation to add more premium seating to the north endzone as athletic director John Cohen suggested in an interview with AL.com. but does not include the full-scale renovation to add more premium seating to the north endzone as athletic director John Cohen suggested in an interview with AL.com.

It is not clear from the Board of Trustees documents currently posted whether the vote will encapsulate the full renovation Cohen is hoping to lead. The larger-scale project approval will likely come at a future meeting.

Cohen did not give a budget or a timeframe for the project during his sit-down with AL.com in mid-January. Documents posted to the Board of Trustees website state the project is expected to be paid for with athletic department funds but does not note an expected cost or completion date.

According to the Board of Trustees meeting materials posted online, Auburn plans to use the firm LBYD Engineers of Birmingham, Alabama, to facilitate an “accelerated design process.”

Cohen has long suggested a plan to change the outdated north endzone scoreboard during interviews and appearances on Auburn’s Tiger Talk radio show.

But the expected vote in early February will be the first tangible sign of progress toward an upgrade on the north end of the stadium.

Much more information including possible designs, timelines and budgets may be discussed at the upcoming Feb. 2 meeting.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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