A good confidence boost is all the Auburn Tigers need entering Week1 of college football season. ESPN's latest FPI rankings give them exactly that.
Auburn heads to Waco, Texas, to take on the Baylor Bears for its season-opening game this Saturday. Opinions stand divided on which team will have the upper hand, but a lot of them agree on Auburn having a menacing wide receiver squad, an equally promising defensive line, and a decent offense lineup.
There is a cloud of doubt at the quarterback, but nothing that can't be managed. Their strengths have continued to grow stronger, which might be one of the reasons why the Tigers ranked among the top teams in ESPN's Week 1 FPI rankings.
ESPN ranks Auburn as the 20th-best team in college football and a No. 11 team in the SEC in their Week 1 computer-generated rankings. Additionally, the Tigers got a 10.5 Football Power Index (FPI) score measuring the program's true strength on a net-point scale.
The concerning prediction for Freeze here was their win-loss score. ESPN predicted Auburn to have a 7-5 record this season. Although a winning one, Freeze desperately needs a record of three losses or under to make a case for himself to continue his job in the Plains.
Freeze already faces blue blood programs like Georgia and Alabama this season, a win against which would be a long shot. Their remaining SEC competitors, like Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Vanderbilt are the teams that would be more concerning. Auburn can win if they don't make the same mistakes it did last season, but its opponents will not go down without a tough fight.
All these teams have their own strengths and weaknesses, making them equal competitors against Auburn. This is precisely why a win against these will make-or-break the season for the Tigers. More importantly, it will decide whether Freeze remains Auburn's head coach next season.