Alabama football fans may not have noticed, but grumbling is growing down on The Plains. Auburn fans have some good reasons to be optimistic about the third Hugh Freeze season. Freeze has improved the roster. His wide receiver group is outstanding. The Auburn offensive line group may no longer be a weakness. There is talent on the defensive side of the ball.
Some of the optimism is preseason hype, like the statement from Freeze in late July, "I actually got an NFL grade back from the first guy that's been here, and he has all five of those guys draftable that are projected to be starters, plus Too Tall (Izavion Miller). I think there's high, high expectations on that group."
Having 'draftable' offensive linemen is a low threshold for going against SEC defensive linemen. Whether good or just average, the Tigers' offensive line is not Auburn's biggest problem. Neither is the recent run of arrests of Auburn football players, none of whom are expected to miss a game.
Auburn's biggest problem, per Auburn fans on message boards, is that Hugh still does not have a quarterback he can win with. Jackson Arnold has been unimpressive in August. Some Auburn fans are beginning to think that Arnold is not much of an upgrade over Payton Thorne. Oklahoma fans will not be surprised that Arnold, so far, is not measuring up in Auburn, as he didn't in Norman.
How bad could it be for the Tigers in 2025? Saturday Down South's Connor O'Gara predicts the Tigers will lose six regular-season games. If O'Gara is correct, one of the losses would spell doom for Hugh Freeze. O'Gara predicts Diego Pavia will beat the Tigers again. Vandy over Auburn in Nashville would be Auburn's fifth loss, and the sixth would come in an Auburn Iron Bowl.
Not all good news for Alabama football fans
Alabama fans would enjoy another Auburn regular season without a winning record. In the longer term, disappointment could follow. After a Freeze firing, Auburn might stumble into a real coach. Jimbo Fisher and Jon Gruden want to coach again. Jimbo might not be a big upgrade from Freeze, but Gruden could possibly turn the program around. Like it was with Gene Chizik, Gus Malzahn, and Bryan Harsin, many Alabama fans would love Auburn to give Freeze a lifetime contract.