After two seasons on the Plains, there are a lot of Auburn football fans who are disappointed with Hugh Freeze's tenure so far. The Tigers ended the last two seasons with losing records and didn't even make a bowl game in Freeze's second season.
When it comes to Auburn football, fans expect to be playing for championships, whether or not that is always realistic. Fans' standards are high, and over the past few years, the standards to get into the College Football Playoffs have been high.
For many years, it was only possible to play for a championship if you won all of your games. Teams that made it all the way usually had no losses, and only recently, as the BCS Championship changed to the Playoffs and then the four-team format expanded to twelve, has that changed.
In light of the new changes, along with the news that the SEC is considering a change to nine conference games each season, Freeze believes that people need to start changing their mindset towards the win count, especially in conferences like the SEC, where the schedules are rigorous week in and week out.
"I honestly don't care, but the only thing I think is necessary is a re-education of where we truly are," Freeze said, per Auburn Undercover. "The days of teams running the gauntlet two or three years in a row, going 12-0, I just think those days are in the past. And we need to adopt more of the NFL mindset. An SEC team that ends up 8-4 or 9-3, you should have a realistic shot at a playoff berth. You might be playing your best football then.
"Right now, if you're Auburn — let's be real — if you're not going to the playoff, there are a lot of people that are saying, 'Well, that's not the best season. We've got to do something to put a realistic hope on it, like the NFL. You go 8-4 in this league, playing nine games? You probably deserve at least a shot to get into the thing."
The Tigers return to action on August 29 against Baylor.