Joel Klatt Reveals Historic SEC Program That Can Crash College Football Playoff

"Let me tell you why I considered Auburn," Klatt said. "Auburn, did you know last year, they had the most starts by freshmen of anybody in the Power 4. So this 5-7 season was in a large context, a learning year and a building year, and a developmental year for Auburn. Can they and will they improve on that? Well, absolutely, they can, and will they? Probably. Now 5-7 to into the playoffs."

Last season, the Indiana Hoosiers shocked everyone and made their first College Football Playoff under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti. For Auburn to do the same, it will need to put in some work.

The Tigers were voted as one of the most overrated preseason AP Poll teams by On3's Brett McMurphy, coming in at No. 2. Auburn has been ranked inside the preseason top 11 three times (2015, 2018, 2020), and each time it has finished unranked.

One thing that Auburn has typically done well under Freeze is recruit. The Tigers had top 10 classes in 2024 and 2025 via On3 Sports, but have struggled in the 2026 class. Auburn's 2026 class ranks No. 37 overall, but the team recently added a commitment from four-star receiver Jase Matthews.

Rivals' Steve Wiltfong reported that the commitment may have been influenced by the potential of playing with Deuce Knight, who was a five-star prospect in the 2025 class.

Reaching the CFP would be a crowning achievement in the Freeze era.