On3 Roundtable: ‘Eight wins realistic’ for this Auburn team

A new era of Auburn football is starting once again with Hugh Freeze as head coach. The Tigers haven’t won more than six games since before the pandemic but AuburnLive’s Justin Hokanson believes that at least six victories is pretty much a given for Auburn following the arrival of Payton Thorne from Michigan State.

Thorne gives the Tigers a veteran signal-caller who has two-plus years of consistent starting with former starter Robby Ashford and youngster Holden Geriner in a backup role.

As Hokanson explained on On3 Roundtable with JD PicKell, he believes that with Thorne under center, eight wins is a “realistic and reasonable” expectation from Auburn.

“I’ve said I think that eight wins is realistic and reasonable for this team,” Hokanson said. “Adding Payton Thorne, I thought, raised the floor. I thought the floor without Peyton Thorne — if it was gonna be Robbie or Holden — I thought the floor was five wins. I think the floor with Peyton is more like seven and I think the ceiling is like nine. I think it’s like a 7 to 9 range. So I think eight is a reasonable number. If you look at their schedule, UMass, New Mexico State, Sanford. If you get by Cal, you got Vanderbilt. You got Ole Miss and Mississippi State at home.”

The Tigers will have the usual difficult schedule all SEC West teams have to deal with and a run to the division title is probably out of reach this year. But eight wins would be a great first step for Auburn under Freeze.

In his previous head coaching roles, Freeze has finished with records of 8-4, 10-2, 7-6 and then 8-5.

“I think eight is a number that you can get to,” Hokanson said. “A lot is just gonna depend on the summer and the fall and the development of the receivers, that defensive line, probably the offensive line jelling. Things have got to come together but I think eight is a reasonable expectation for this team given who they’ve brought in and you have a quarterback and you got Hugh Freeze and Philip Montgomery, who can put something together offensively to threaten teams. I think eight’s a reasonable number. I think nine is the ceiling. I think seven’s the floor.”

2023 Auburn football schedule

Sept. 2 vs. UMass

Sept. 9 at Cal

Sept. 16 vs. Samford

Sept. 23 at Texas A&M

Sept. 30 vs. Georgia

Oct. 7 – Bye

Oct. 14 at LSU

Oct. 21 vs. Ole Miss

Oct. 28 vs. Mississippi State

Nov. 4 at Vanderbilt

Nov. 11 at Arkansas

Nov. 18 vs. New Mexico State

Nov. 25 vs. Alabama