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CBS Sports calls Auburn football a College Football Playoff Cinderella team

CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli lists Auburn football among several CFB Cinderella teams ahead of the 2024 season.

By Mary Kate Hughes

Auburn Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne (1) throws the ball during the A-Day spring game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 6, 2024.
Auburn Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne (1) throws the ball during the A-Day spring game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 6, 2024. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY
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CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli lists Auburn football among several CFB Cinderella teams ahead of the 2024 season

There is a lot of anticipation on the Plains for the 2024 football season, the second season under head coach Hugh Freeze. Year one ended in disappointment, but Freeze has put in the work during the offseason to correct last year's errors, replacing multiple staff members and making waves on the recruiting trail.

The Tigers' 2024 recruiting class is the first full class to be brought in by Freeze, and the group ranks in the top 10 nationally. With 5-star wide receiver Cam Coleman as the headliner, many are cautiously optimistic that this year's Auburn football team will show real improvement from the past few seasons.

CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli is among the cautiously optimistic, tabbing the Tigers as a College Football Playoffs Cinderella team ahead of this fall. He only selected teams who were given a preseason win total of 7.5 or less, and selected one team from each of the Power 4 conferences.

"While I've chosen Auburn for this project, the truth is nine other teams in the league have a better shot at making the playoff than the Tigers," wrote Fornelli. "But it's not impossible! Auburn has been a chaos agent for a while, and it's won a national title and played for another in the last 15 years.

"Plus, it's a talented team. The Tigers don't have the depth of talent others in the SEC have, but if they get lucky with injuries, they have enough to compete with just about anybody they'll face during the regular season. I'm not overly high on  Payton Thorne -- Auburn's passing attack was pretty bad last year -- but I've learned over the years to give coach Hugh Freeze the benefit of the doubt with his QBs. He does a good job of wringing every ounce of ability out of them."

With the fifth-toughest schedule in the nation, it won't be easy for the Tigers to make the playoffs, but if the offense can click this year there's no telling how many games Auburn can win.

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