Power ranking the SEC in 2025 preseason: #12 - Auburn
The Tigers are in pure, unvarnished put up or shut up mode in the upcoming season. Hugh Freeze has shown potential at times while on the Plains, but has yet to really break through in any meaningful sense. His best win is over a limping A&M team in quadruple overtime at the end of last year, and the ugly loss to New Mexico State in season one still hangs over him like a pall.
There is a lot of scrutiny on Freeze and the Tigers in the leadup to this season, including a recent less-than-encouraging video of Freeze becoming extremely frustrated with transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold. It's not what you hope to see out of a guy that Tiger fans need to be the engine of their offense, and significantly better than Payton Thorne, but maybe it's just a blip on the radar.
If Arnold can muster some average play, though, the Tigers' offense could be extremely dangerous. Though they lose Jarquez Hunter, the return of Cam Coleman and incoming transfer Eric Singleton make for a deadly duo of offensive weapons at the receiver spot.
They'll be tested early against a somewhat slept-on Baylor squad in Waco, at which point fans will really see what kind of team Freeze has put together this year. If he doesn't get to nine or ten wins, however, the Tigers could be looking for a change as soon as this upcoming offseason.