Auburn on Wrong End of College Football Rankings Trend

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Grant Bricker | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 5:29 PM ET

The Auburn Tigers have not had the best of luck since the days of former head coach Gus Malzahn, who holds their last winning season (2020).

The Tigers finished 6-5 in the shortened Covid-19 season, but the struggles go back further than that. The team's last bowl win was in 2018, and it has been 12 years since Auburn competed for a national title.

On Tuesday, Auburn appeared on an unfortunate top 25 list via On3's Brett McMurphy. McMurphy labeled the Tigers as the AP voters' No. 2 most overrated preseason team since the College Football Playoff era started in 2014.

The only team above them was the USC Trojans.

The last time Auburn was ranked in the AP Poll was in 2020, when it started the year at No. 11. Of the last three times that the Tigers were ranked to start the year in 2015, 2018, and 2020, they ended the year outside the top 25.

Current head coach Hugh Freeze is entering a crucial year in his Auburn tenure after posting an 11-14 record through two seasons.

Recruiting has been a strength of Freeze's since taking the job in 2023, earning top-10 classes in 2024 and 2025 via On3 Sports. Things have not gone well in the 2026 class, however.

The Tigers lost key commitments over the offseason, and the class now ranks at No. 37 overall. Auburn already received a boost recently with the addition of four-star receiver Jase Matthews.

On3's Steve Wiltfong believed the potential of playing with former five-star quarterback Deuce Knight swayed Matthews in the recruiting process.

He also predicted that Auburn would be flipping plenty of prospects this year if the Tigers can compete for a CFP spot.

Auburn hopes to reach that level after going for broke in the transfer portal with key additions like Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets receiver Eric Singleton Jr., and Virginia Tech Hokies offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin.

The first game of year three under Freeze is the Baylor Bears on August 29.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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