The Auburn Tigers 2024 schedule provides plenty of opportunity for the football team this year.
The Auburn Tigers football team enters 2024 with a more team-friendly schedule than some others
in the SEC. As head coach Hugh Freeze enters his second year with the Tigers, it will be interesting to see how it plays out. After a somewhat disappointing year one, Freeze has hopefully learned from those mistakes and is ready to attack in year two.
This series will be broken down into three parts: the schedule, the offense, and the defense. Part one is going to cover the schedule. Let’s dive in.
Easy Wins
In college football, especially the SEC, easy wins are not as easy as they appear. Every team has “light” parts of their schedule, which usually includes the bottom feeders in the conference. And for Auburn, there are a couple games on their schedule that should classify as easy wins.
Auburn ranked as a composite top 10 recruiting class and 28th in their transfer recruiting class. That combined with the talent they already have, should allow the Tigers to beat Alabama A&M, New Mexico, Vanderbilt, and ULM.
Vanderbilt will be a revenge game on the Auburn schedule in 2024. Former New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia, upset Auburn last season. Pavia has since transferred to Vanderbilt, making it an interesting revenge game for the Tigers.
Another game on the schedule that could be a victory for Auburn is against the California Golden Bears. Auburn defeated Cal in California last year in a weird game where Auburn was extremely sloppy on offense. This year, the Golden Bears come to Jordan-Hare and have to experience the aura that surrounds that stadium – as well as a much better Auburn team.
Arkansas is another sneaky team that always plays Auburn well – but should be a victory for the Tigers this season. The game is in Jordan-Hare this year, and Arkansas’ schedule overall is very difficult. Auburn should walk out of Jordan-Hare with a win against the Razorbacks.
Toss Ups
The Auburn Tigers football schedule is easier than some of its counterparts in the conference. However, there are three games that should be considered toss ups. These games are against Kentucky, Missouri, and Texas A&M.
Kentucky is going into year 12 with Mark Stoops as head coach. Coach Stoops has elevated the standards for Kentucky football and continues to maintain that. That makes them a scary team to face. Auburn has to go to the Blue Grass State to play the Wildcats; and while Kentucky isn’t known for their home field advantage, any SEC road game is a challenge. However, there’s a possibility that Auburn will come out on top against Kentucky.
Meanwhile, Missouri is being picked as a dark horse to make the College Football Playoff from the SEC. Coach Drink has quarterback Brady Cook and wide receiver Luther Burden returning to his offense. That pair will be a dynamic duo for anyone to face in college football. Drink has also created a team that excels on the defensive side of the ball. This game is a true toss up and might end up being a bit of a shootout – or a defensive struggle. The team that wins will be the one that can crack the other’s defense first.
The last toss up on the Auburn schedule is Texas A&M. With potential Heisman candidate Connor Weigman leading the offense and returning starters in the offense, Texas A&M will be a challenge for Auburn. However, they lost superstar wide receiver Evan Stewart to the Oregon Ducks via the transfer portal.
Mike Elko will have a tough year in College Station in his first year as the head coach, and Auburn should take advantage of that.
Probable Losses
The Georgia Bulldogs are one of the best teams in the country. And unfortunately for the country, they also have a chip on their shoulder this year. However, the disrespect from Georgia has already occurred by making the Auburn game their homecoming. Auburn should be going into Athens angry, and ready to play because of this.
Last year, Auburn played Georgia and Alabama (who we will talk about later) down to the wire with a lesser football team. Don’t be surprised if this game is also close, and don’t be surprised if this game is a blow out because last year it was in Auburn (which Carson Beck shared his thoughts at SEC Media Days).
Another team that could give Auburn fits on the schedule this year is Oklahoma’s football team. Oklahoma is considered by most to be a playoff contender in 2024. Brent Venables is an incredible coach and has brought grit to the defensive side of the ball that Oklahoma has not had in years. The biggest question with the Sooners is going to be within Oklahoma’s quarterback room. More specifically, Jackson Arnold.
Arnold will be playing in his first SEC away game at Jordan-Hare. Things could get interesting, but in the end, Oklahoma likely gives the Tigers a loss.
The Iron Bowl
Auburn versus Alabama is in Tuscaloosa this year, and Nick Saban is no longer the head coach. Kalen Deboer will have to make a statement in his first year with the Crimson Tide and win the Iron Bowl.
Because Saban has been the GOAT for the last decade, Deboer’s talent pool and job should be relatively easier than most in this situation. He also has the experience of starting quarterback and Heisman candidate, Jalen Milroe. In this game, you have to expect the unexpected, and that usually plays favor to Auburn.
Alabama still has one year of talent built up on Auburn, however, which will lead to a loss on the Auburn schedule this year. Yet going forward, this matchup will get back to a level of elite play on both sides.
Recruiting Roundup
Each article in these previews will include some news on Auburn football recruiting. Sometimes that update may be that there is no update. This week, however, Auburn has received two predictions for commitments for their 2025 class. Five-star DE Jared Smith and four-star safety Anquon Fegans have both announced their commitment to the Tigers for 2025.
Both of these could be huge additions to what is shaping up to be a top 5 recruiting class for Hugh Freeze and the Tigers. Another recruit that fans should be excited about is running back Alvin Henderson. This running back is a fun follow on X and has done interviews hinting that more recruits are coming.
Finale
Ultimately with the team’s strong 2024 recruiting class and what they are building toward, the bare minimum record this year is 7-5 with losses to Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia, Missouri and potentially Kentucky. Realistically, an 8-4 or 9-3 is attainable for the Tigers this year. The ceiling for this team is 10-2 with those two losses being to Georgia and Oklahoma.
The determining factor to all of this will be the level of play of quarterback Payton Thorne, who will be the centerpiece of Part 2 of the Tigers’ 2024 preview.
