In 2014, the NCAA implemented the College Football Playoff to determine its title champion, replacing the “archaic” BCS. Since then, Auburn football has failed to make the four-team CFP field, but it will look to break its ten-year drought this season, its second under former Ole Miss frontman Hugh Freeze.
Since its inception in 2014, Auburn has appeared in the CFP Top 25 seven times but only finished the year ranked four times. On Tuesday, Brett McMurphy of the Action Network ranked his biggest overachievers and underachievers of the CFP era. Auburn ranked at the top of the most overrated teams of the past decade.
Auburn Football is Biggest Underachiever of the CFP Era
On Wednesday, NCAA insider Brett McMurphy revealed the most overrated and underrated teams in the College Football Playoff era when comparing preseason AP Poll rankings to their final rendition. A significant factor in earning consideration for overachieving comes from entering the season ranked. Auburn has opened the season ranked numerous times but routinely fails to live up to expectations. Only twice has Auburn football opened the season ranked and ended the year with a better placement.
Since @CFBPlayoff era in 2014, most overrated teams based on preseason/final polls:
1-Auburn
2-USC
3-Wisconsin
4-A&M
5-LSU
6-Texas
7-Oregon
8-Oklahoma
9-Miami
10-Florida StateRest of 25 most overrated ⬇️https://t.co/flj5ZyY11G
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 27, 2024
McMurphy compiled the rankings by awarding “positive or negative points for each position they finished above or below their preseason ranking in the final poll.” Auburn took the cake for the most overrated team since 2014, followed by the USC Trojans, Wisconsin Badgers, Texas A&M Aggies, and LSU Tigers. Among the five schools, only LSU has won or made the CFP since 2014.
Auburn Underachieving Since BCS Title Appearance in 2013
In 2013, the Auburn football program faced off against the Florida State Seminoles in history’s final BCS Championship game. Although losing a heartbreaker 34-31, Auburn entered next season primed for a repeat as SEC winners, with a preseason AP Top 25 Poll ranking of sixth. The Auburn Tigers faltered, going 8-5 and finishing the year ranked 22nd. The following season, their third with head coach Gus Malzahn, saw the Tigers again ranked sixth in the preseason poll, but going 7-6 and finishing unranked.
From 2016 to 2020, Auburn football earned a spot in the preseason AP Top 25 in all but one offseason. However, they finished unraked twice during that stretch, most notably going 8-5 during Malzahn’s final year with the team. Auburn has been 18-21 since 2021, never appearing as a preseason-ranked team and making just one bowl game. They will enter the 2024 season with aspirations to return to SEC relevance.
Auburn Tigers Eyeing Rebound Season
Following a healthy amount of transfer portal traffic and introducing a top-ten recruiting class, Auburn football will look to rebound in 2024 after a 6-7 season. Auburn will return quarterback Payton Thorne following a disastrous first season with the Tigers. The signal-caller threw for just 16 touchdowns against ten picks. In 2021, his second season with the Michigan State Spartans, the transfer tossed 27 touchdowns against ten interceptions.
Auburn also overhauled its receiving core this offseason, bringing in a trio of new starting pass-catchers. Georgia State transfer Robert Lewis will play a significant role for Auburn football after posting 70 receptions for 877 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023. Meanwhile, KeAndre Lambert-Smith posted nearly 700 receiving yards with Penn State last season, while true freshman Cam Cameron joins Auburn as a consensus five-star mega prospect.
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