Auburn head football coach Hugh Freeze has been bullish about a lot of things this off-season that sound wild after a 5-7 year. Though the boldest proposition of them all would be his utter confidence in the Tigers reaching the College Football Playoff this season.
“I truly believe that in the playoff run we’re going to be in this discussion because I love this team,” Freeze said Tuesday during the SEC Media Days.
“… Now, we’ve got to stay healthy and we need the ball to bounce our way a couple times this year instead of against us, I’m sure, but that’s our full expectation. We embrace the fact that is what Auburn should be, in those talks year in, year out."
Freeze has never missed an opportunity to show his optimism about the Tigers' restorative overhaul this offseason. Their aggressiveness in the transfer portal makes up for a good enough reason to believe in that optimism, but a College Football Playoff claim this early without any impressive wins to back them up sounds like a long shot.
“It takes a little time to build it, and we’ve been doing that. Certainly I wish we would have won more games a few times, but the future is very bright in my eyes," Freeze added.
After consistently missing the mark for years, Freeze will need some solid, emphatic wins to even get in the playoff talks. He does have Arnold leading at QB with massive expectations, Georgia Tech WR transfer Eric Singleton Jr., and several other additions to his offense to get there.
Until they do that, all of those ambitions would largely be a pipe dream.