Paul Finebaum believes things could get worse for Auburn after loss to Texas A&M

It was a rough start to SEC play for Auburn on Saturday, and ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum doesn’t see things getting better any time soon. After a 3-0 start to the season, the Tigers fell flat against Texas A&M as they suffered a 27-10 loss.

The passing game was absolutely atrocious as Auburn played three quarterbacks and managed just 56 yards through the air with a completion rate of 39.1%. That allowed the Aggies to hone in on stopping the run as the Tigers had just 42 rushing yards in the second half.

Appearing on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Finebaum noted that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence ahead of a Week 5 matchup against No. 1 Georgia. That will mark the first of three straight games against ranked opponents, and it could be a long few weeks.

Finebaum added that he still believes Auburn can make a bowl game, but fans should be careful of expecting anything beyond that.

“I think it will get worse, frankly, because of what’s ahead Saturday,” he said. “It was pretty hard to watch as every Auburn fan out there will agree. I think it’s remarkable that Hugh Freeze managed to get to an undefeated state. Beating California, as bad as they are, still was a good move for this Auburn team.

“I still think a bowl game is what this season has always been about. I’ve never bought into Auburn fans thinking that this was gonna be a nine-win team. I think every week will be like Saturday in the sense that there will be struggles. I hope coach Freeze can figure out a way to get some yards because Saturday could be a very ugly game and there are still so many tough games ahead. I’m still bullish on a bowl game. I’m not bullish on much more than that.”

The Tigers have not managed more than six wins in any of the past three seasons and went a combined 11-14 in 2021 and 2022. However, Finebaum still believes they can reach the seven-win mark in Freeze’s inaugural season.

The back half of the schedule features a few more winnable games that should give Auburn a chance to get there. Still, based on Saturday’s performance, it’s clear the Tigers still have a lot of work to do.

“I don’t know why Auburn fans got carried away,” Finebaum said. “Some of the enthusiasm has more to do with next year than this year in terms of commitments and things like that. Anyone who’s talked to Hugh Freeze, he’s never tried to sell the fans a bill of goods. He’s been pretty realistic. He knows the difference between good offensive play and miserable offensive play, which we all saw Saturday.”

Auburn kicks off against Georgia at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at home.