Greg McElroy predicts Auburn will be ranked in top 25 at end of season despite being unranked in preseason
Consider Greg McElroy a believer in Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers ahead of the 2024 college football campaign.
As the summer rages on, McElroy predicted Auburn would be ranked in the Top 25 at the end of the season during the latest episode of his Always College Football with Greg McElroy, despite the Tigers being unranked in the preseason.
“One team that currently is unranked but will finish the season ranked, I’m going with the Auburn Tigers,” McElroy started. “I have them in my Top 25 coming into the season, and the negative on Auburn is, well, they didn’t go out and get a game changer at quarterback. Well, Payton Thorne — Payton Thorne, yes, that quarterback, he’s won a NY6 bowl game in the past. He’s been on really good football teams. One was at Michigan State, when he was surrounded by a ridiculously talented supporting cast. While people say, ‘Well, he can’t elevate those guys,’ well, those other guys can elevate him, and he might end up having a heck of a year.
“I’ve heard pretty good things about what’s gone down the Plains the last few weeks, with where he’s at, where the receiver corps is, the depth of that group, the weapons that they have, how they’ll run the football, and the offensive line is coming together. And then you look at the schedule, like I said with Iowa a second ago, we’re not going to assess the schedule, Auburn has a lot of big opportunities to make some noise. I would have Oklahoma in the Top 16, 17, just like the AP does. Oklahoma comes to Auburn, right after they play Tennessee at home in a very emotional, ‘Welcome to the SEC’ game, then you go on the road to Auburn. That’s a massive opportunity for Auburn. You don’t think they can get that win? They might be favored right now, if the game was played tomorrow.
“So, if you look at just the amount of opportunities that Auburn has to solidify a big time, program-defining win, they’re all throughout their schedule. Which is why I think Auburn, at the end of the year, we’ll fast forward, they’ll be 8-4, but they’ll have a great win, maybe two, and that will elevate their perception. So, I think Auburn will finish the season in the Top 25. I mean, goodness gracious, they have two points right now in the poll, two. That’s right. Behind Kentucky, who has three, and above Colorado, who finished 4-8 last year.”
That’s a pretty compelling case for the Tigers, and their fans certainly have a reason to believe Auburn can make some noise in 2024. While last season didn’t end the way anyone would’ve liked for their squad, perhaps a new campaign can help Freeze and company turn the program back into a feared one.
Greg McElroy believes it’s possible, and there’s a ton of Tigers fans willing it into existence. We’ll see if Auburn can make some serious noise in 2024, and bludgeon opponents when they’re least expected to.