Tag: SEC Power Poll

Auburn finishes season in bottom of final SEC Power Poll

The Tigers finished near the basement of the final SEC Power Poll

The Auburn Tigers won’t be going bowling this season. For only the second time since 2012, the Tigers failed to qualify for the college football postseason after posting a disappointing 5-7 record in 12 contests. Hugh Freeze’s squad won just two SEC games throughout the season, losing their lone Power 4 non-conference game against California as well.

Despite the inconsistent, at times ugly campaign, Auburn was an Iron Bowl victory away from earning a spot in a low-level bowl game. The Tigers were unable to conquer their Tuscaloosa demons however, dropping the final game of the season 28-14 on Saturday. The loss not only dropped Auburn out of postseason contention, but dropped Payton Thorne and company in SEC columist Chase Goodbread’s final SEC Power Poll as well.

Auburn’s loss kept them in the basement of the conference in Goodbread’s power poll. Hugh Freeze’s Tigers finished above just Kentucky (15) and Mississippi State (16) in the conference. The Tigers finished just behind Arkansas (13) and Vanderbilt (12), who they lost at home for the first time ever this season, in the poll. Iron Bowl opponent Alabama (5) secured a spot in the final top 5 after defeating Auburn while Ole Miss (4), Tennessee (3), Georgia (2), and Texas (1) made up the final top 5.

Hugh Freeze certainly is disappointed with how his second season on the Plains ended, and the Tigers head coach will now focus fully on National Signing Day this week in hopes of reviving a program that was once a yearly contender in the best conference in college football.

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Auburn jumps one spot in SEC Power Poll following win over Texas A&M

Auburn gained ground in Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread’s weeky power rankings after stunning Texas A&M last Saturday.

The Auburn Tigers earned their fifth, and most impressive, victory of the season last Saturday night under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s squad took down the College Football Playoff hopeful Texas A&M Aggies in four overtimes, now giving themselves a chance to earn a postseason bowl game with a win over Alabama next week.

The win was spectacular and impressive for an Auburn team that has been searching for a statement victory for what has seemed like a decade. Despite the showing, Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread only jumped the Tigers up one spot in his SEC Power Poll. Auburn is now two spots ahead of last place, with No. 15 ranked Kentucky replacing Auburn for the second-to-last place spot. Texas A&M meanwhile dropped just one spot as well, from No. 6 to No. 7, in this week’s poll.

Auburn’s victory may have not jumped the Tigers drastically up Goodbread’s power poll, but a victory over No. 5 ranked Alabama likely will. Other than Alabama, Ole Miss (No. 4), Tennessee (No. 3) , Georgia (No. 2), and Texas (No. 1) make up the top 5. The Tigers are highly unlikely to finish the season anywhere near the top 5, but a win this week and a victory in an eventual bowl game could help Hugh Freeze and company finish in the upper half of the conference.

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Auburn stays put in Week 12 SEC Power Poll

Auburn remained one spot ahead of last place after the victory.

The Auburn Tigers finally picked up their fourth win of the season on Saturday, storming past UL Monroe 48-14 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. While the win provided plenty of optimism around the program as the final stretch of the season approaches, the blowout was an expected outcome.

Auburn came into the contest as just over 24-point favorites. That talent disparity, along with the fact the Tigers still sit at (4-6) on the campaign, is likely why columnist Columnist Chase Goodbread did not elevate Hugh Freeze’s squad from second to worst in his SEC Power Poll. Goodbread pokes fun at UL Monroe in his explanation of Auburn’s No. 15 ranking, explaining “All it took for some offense on the Plains was a visit from [the Warhawks.]

Hugh Freeze and the Tigers may be stuck at the bottom of the rankings for now, but they do have the chance to move up Goodbread’s list as soon as this week with a home victory over No. 6 ranked Texas A&M. Auburn could feasibly finish within the top six or seven with wins over A&M and No. 3 ranked Alabama to finish the season.

As for the rest of the top third of the poll, Texas (No. 1) retook the top spot from Georgia (No. 3) this week. Ole Miss (No. 2) moved up the poll following a bye week, while Tennessee (No. 3) moved into a three-way tie with Alabama and Georgia to round out the top six.

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Auburn falls in SEC Power Poll following loss to Vanderbilt

The Tigers are getting comfortable at the bottom of Tuscaloosa News’ columnist Chase Goodbread’s weekly ranking.

Just a week after Auburn looked like it had finally found an identity as a football team, the Tigers put up another stinker with a 17-7 home loss at the hands of Vanderbilt.

The Tigers followed up a 300-plus yard rushing effort with just 88 rushing yards in the loss, scoring points in only one of four quarters against a middle-of-the-pack Commodores defense.

Columnist Chase Goodbread dropped the Tigers back down to the second to last spot in the conference following the showing, ahead of only measly Mississippi State. The columnist pokes fun at the aforementioned Freeze in his reasoning for dropping the Tigers, citing Auburn fans are almost as tired of his anemic offense as Freeze is “tired” of seeing Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] fell to (0-3) in his career against Pavia last Saturday. More importantly, the loss dropped Freeze’s team to (3-6) on the season, all but securing a second-straight losing campaign for the Tigers. Not much went right on Saturday, and Auburn’s ranking in the SEC Power Poll indicates just that.

On the other side of Goodbread’s rankings, Georgia (No. 1) held on to the top spot in the conference following another victory while Texas A&M (No. 4) dropped two spots. Texas (No. 2) and  Tennessee (No. 3) both benefited from the Aggies free fall and Ole Miss (No. 5) entered the top 5 for the first time since early October.

Auburn isn’t likely to finish anywhere near the top of the Power Poll by season’s end. Still, it does have the opportunity to create some chaos atop the conference with games against Texas A&M (No. 4) and Alabama (No. 6) left on the schedule. However, the Tigers will need to take care of business against ULM this week before that.

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Auburn jumps in SEC Power Poll following victory over Kentucky

Auburn leapfrogged Kentucky in this week’s power poll from columnist Chase Goodbread.

The Auburn Tigers finally re-found the win column on Saturday, playing a mistake-free, dominant game on the road against Kentucky.

Auburn’s 24-10 victory may not have vaulted the Tigers far up most rankings lists, but it did enable them to leapfrog Kentucky in this week’s SEC Power Poll from The Tuscaloosa News. The Tigers, who had consistently been ranked as the second-worst SEC squad in columnist Chase Goodbread’s poll for most of the season, now sits at No. 14 in the Poll.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s squad was in danger of another brutal loss early, but the Tigers rallied behind a career-high night from running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] to earn a huge 24-10 road win, putting them back into postseason contention as we enter the final month of the season.

The aforementioned Hunter ran for 278 yards in the win, earning himself a spot among the top 4 single-game rushers in Auburn history. His total was the highest rushing output by a Tiger since Tre Mason in 2013, and Hunter sits at the top of the SEC rushing leaders list this season (863 yards). While quarterback Payton Thorne didn’t too anything super impressive, Auburn’s signal caller did take care of the football and make key throws in important spots, helping the Tigers extend drives behind Hunter’s outstanding night.

As for the programs at the top of Goodbread’s rankings, Georgia (No. 1) held on to the top spot in the conference following an idle week. Texas A&M (No. 2) moved up from two spots after another major victory, while Texas (No. 3) fell for a second straight week.  Tennessee (No. 4) dropped a spot after an idle week and Alabama (No. 5) climbed back into the top 5 following a 34-0 beatdown over Missouri.

With a matchup against No. 9 Vanderbilt on the cards this Saturday, Hugh Freeze’s team has a chance to knock on the door of the top 10 with a second-straight victory.

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Auburn remains at No. 15 in SEC Power Poll following loss

Auburn is still clinging to the final step on the basement stairs of the SEC

The Auburn Tigers dropped another winnable game on Saturday, telling an all-too familiar story in what has become a lost season for Hugh Freeze’s team on the Plains. After leading for much of the second half, the Auburn offense once again went dormant, leaving the door open for Missouri to score a walk off touchdown in front of its home crowd in a 21-17 victory.

Despite running the ball well for much of the contest, Payton Thorne’s offense mustered just seven more total yards (22) than Missouri points (15) in the final frame, ultimately leading to the Tigers dropping a fourth straight contest to put them on the brink of a fourth straight losing season for the first time since 1950. Auburn lost a program record 10 games in that 1950 campaign, a record that had never been seriously contested until this season.

Luckily for Hugh Freeze and his Tigers, Mississippi State’s football program exists. Because of the Bulldogs ineptitude, Auburn is still clinging to the final step on the basement stairs of the SEC, as Hugh Freeze’s team is once again ranked No. 15 in Chase Goodbread’s SEC Power Poll. 

The Tigers have room to improve as well, with this week’s opponent Kentucky checking in one spot ahead of Auburn, at No. 14.  As for the programs with a real semblance of hope this season, Georgia  (1) moved back into the top spot following a victory over last week’s one seed, Texas (2). Tennessee (3) climbed back into the top 3 after an emotion-filled home win over Alabama‘s (7), Texas A&M (4) fell back to No. 4, and LSU climbed into the top 5 with a victory over Arkansas.

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Auburn remains at No. 15 in SEC Power Poll following loss

Hugh Freeze’s Tigers remain ranked as the No. 15 team in the conference after six weeks of college football

The Auburn Tigers showed signs of fleeting life on Saturday, but were ultimately outclassed and out-coached again in a lopsided 31-13 loss at the hands of No. 4 ranked Georgia in Athens. Hugh Freeze’s squad dropped to 2-4 on the season and 0-3 in SEC play after the loss.

After allowing Georgia to strike first for the first time in its last eight SEC games, Auburn’s offense looked competent behind Payton Thorne, registering solid drives in the first half, although again failing to punch the ball in the end zone. The Tigers did find paydirt in the third quarter, but Carson Beck and company were well in control and able to strike back by that time in the contest.

While the loss dropped Auburn further down the overall standings, the Tigers stayed put in Tuscaloosa News’s SEC writer Chase Goodbread’s SEC Power Poll. Hugh Freeze’s Tigers remain ranked as the No. 15 team in the conference after six weeks of college football, just one spot ahead of last place Mississippi State.

Goodbread’s previous quips and quick analysis regarding Auburn’s struggles were somewhat comedic and light in undertone. This week Goodbread simply speaks about a possible buy out of head coach Hugh Freeze, stating the money spent on buy outs of Gus Malzahn, Bryan Harsin, and Hugh Freeze would have given Auburn a “NIL war chest that could make a national championship run for five straight years.”

Auburn’s ranking may have not changed this week, but the top five of the SEC Power Poll saw more movement after a hectic Saturday. Texas (1) moved back up to the top following Alabama‘s (6) loss to Vanderbilt, Georgia  (2) moved back up into the top 2 following the victory over Auburn, Ole Miss (3) climbed back into the top 5 after a win, Texas A&M (4) entered the top 5 for the first time this season, and  Tennessee (5) fell again following a loss to Arkansas.

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Auburn stays put in SEC Power Poll following loss to Oklahoma

The Tigers stayed put in the basement of the SEC following another loss.

The Auburn Tigers found another interestingly infuriating way to lose last Saturday, this time blowing a late-game lead at home against Oklahoma to drop to 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in SEC play.

After giving up a long touchdown on Oklahoma’s scripted drive to begin the game, Auburn struck back with two touchdowns of its own to take a 7-point lead into the halftime locker room. Unfortunately the Tigers were outscored 20-7 in the second half, due in large part to another brutal Payton Thorne interception among other signs of offensive ineptitude.

One of the small tidbits of good news for Auburn is the Tigers couldn’t fall much further down in Tuscaloosa News’s SEC writer Chase Goodbread’s SEC Power Poll, as the Tigers entered and ended their week five contest ranked at No. 15,  just one spot ahead of last place Mississippi.

Goodbread seems to have written off Auburn enough that his analysis of the Hugh Freeze’s squad has now come in the form of quick quips. The columnist simply writes, “[The] biggest hit all day from Auburn in a loss to Oklahoma? The Auburn cheerleader who wiped out an OU player before the game.” His analysis, while half-hearted, is fairly accurate considering the Tigers did not show much signs of resistance against the Oklahoma offense and freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.

While Auburn’s ranking may have not changed this week, the top five of the SEC Power Poll saw some movement. Alabama now sits in the No. 1 spot following its victory over Georgia, while Texas (2), Tennessee (3), Georgia  (4) and Missouri (5) make up the rest of the top 5. Ole Miss, who was ranked in the top 5 over the first four weeks of the season, fell to No. 6.

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Auburn falls to No. 15 in this week’s SEC Power Poll

The No. 15 ranking is the worst of the year for Hugh Freeze’s squad

The Auburn Tigers put up another dud in front of the home crowd last Saturday, this time losing the SEC home opener in hilariously incompetent fashion.

After starting the game with freshman quarterback Hank Brown, and finishing it with Payton Thorne, Auburn’s offense accumulated another 5 total turnovers to push the Tigers season total to a FBS-leading 14 football’s surrendered. The defense looked better, but was forced on the field for the majority of the afternoon, causing tired legs and missed assignments towards the final whistle.

All the optimism surrounding Hugh Freeze’s program just a week ago has turned to complete negativity since the loss. That negativity is shared by Tuscaloosa News’s SEC writer Chase Goodbread, who dropped the Tigers all the way down to the No. 15 spot in his SEC Power Poll on Sunday. The No. 15 ranking is the worst of the year for Hugh Freeze’s squad, as they now sit just one ranking ahead of last place Mississippi.

Goodbread keeps his analysis of Auburn’s season short and sweet. The columnist simply mentions how every Auburn and SEC fan has head coach Hugh Freeze on the “hot seat”. He specifically sights former Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace, who posted a soliloquy of sorts of X (formerly known as Twitter) bashing Freeze and his ability to coach quarterbacks. It’s clear Goodbread, Wallace, the Auburn family, and many other critiques need to see an improvement on the Plains soon, or Auburn could be ranked towards the bottom in more than just the SEC Power Poll.

Currently, the top five of the SEC Power Poll consists of Texas (1), Georgia  (2), Tennessee (3), Alabama (4), and Ole Miss(5). Auburn sits just one spot ahead of dead last, as the Tigers have fallen behind Vanderbilt (14) for the second time this season.

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Auburn jumps up to No. 13 in SEC Power Poll after week three win

Auburn was able to leapfrog Vanderbilt for the No. 13 spot in the rankings this week

The Auburn Tigers re-found the win column last week against New Mexico in entertaining fashion. Freshman quarterback [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] was fantastic in his first career start, leading his offense to 41 points against the Lobos. While the defense showed some issues, it ultimately bent but didn’t break in the Tigers 41-19 victory.

Auburn’s lopsided win behind a new quarterback not only created optimism for fans, but for experts as well, as the Tigers are near-touchdown favorites in the SEC opener against Arkansas this Saturday. Even Tuscaloosa News’s SEC writer Chase Goodbread, who has been hesitant to provide any kind of optimism towards Hugh Freeze’s program, shot the Tigers up to No. 13 in his week three SEC Power Poll.

Even with the jump into the top 13, Goodbread still manages to take a subliminal jab at Auburn’s head coach, saying Hugh Freeze is officially “out of moves” after switching up his offensive coordinator and quarterback in the same season. While that may be the case, there is no denying Freeze made the correct decision in starting Hank Brown last week against New Mexico. If Brown performs well in the next few weeks moving forward, we may see Auburn climb into the top 10 in the Power Poll for the first time this season.

Currently, the top five consists of Texas (1), Georgia  (2), Tennessee (3), Ole Miss (4), and Alabama (5). As for the basement of the rankings, Auburn was able to leapfrog Vanderbilt (14) for the No. 13 spot in the rankings. As it stands, the Tigers sit directly behind Florida (12) and Kentucky (11) on Goodbread’s list.

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