Auburn jumps to No. 25 in ESPN FPI after win vs. Arkansas
The Auburn Tigers secured their second three-game win streak of the year on Saturday, bullying the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville 48-10.
Auburn’s offense was able to sustain drives throughout the game, while the defense held Arkansas out of the end zone until garbage time late in the fourth quarter.
The dominant win catapulted Auburn up the ESPN Football Power Index, as the Tigers have cracked the top 25 for the first time since week one.
The FPI ranks each college football team by a variety of factors; Strength of record, strength of schedule, offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, and overall efficiency.
Here is where Auburn ranks in each category ahead of senior day on the Plains.
Overall Ranking: No. 25
After things looked bleak in mid-October, the Auburn Tigers are a few wins away from a great first year of the Hugh Freeze era.
Auburn improved to 6-4 overall (3-4 SEC) after it’s dismantling of Arkansas on Saturday. The Tigers now have a hopeful chance to finish the season at 9 wins, with a very realistic chance to finish with 8.
Auburn remains the eighth highest ranked team in the SEC, trailing Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Missouri.
The Tigers will have a chance to jump up the list again if they can beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl in two weeks.
Strength of Record: No. 31
Despite Arkansas having only three wins on the season, and one win in the SEC, Auburn jumped eight spots in the “strength of record” category this week.
The Tigers are going to need an even more convincing win against senior day opponent New Mexico State if they hope to hold onto this ranking next week.
Strength of Schedule: No. 13
Arkansas bad record may have not affected the Tigers in the “strength of record” category, but it definitely hurt them in “strength of schedule”.
Auburn dropped out four spots in the ranking, falling to No. 13 overall and sixth in the SEC.
4 SEC teams rank in the top 5 in this category. Ole Miss, Arkansas, LSU, South Carolina rank 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively.
The only other SEC team ahead of Auburn, Florida, ranks 11.
Overall Efficiency: No. 22
Hugh Freeze’s team somehow dropping in overall efficiency after Saturday would be a bigger shock than Chris Davis running down the sideline after an Alabama field goal attempt.
The Tigers did not drop in the category, instead climbling 9 spots to No. 22 in overall efficiency.
Payton Thorne and the Auburn offense ran 24 more plays than Arkansas on Saturday, out-gaining the Razorbacks by 262 total yards.
Auburn also committed only two penalties and allowed only 1 sack.
Offensive Efficiency: No. 78
Payton Thorne, Jarquez Hunter, and the Auburn offensive line played their best collective game of the season last week.
The Tigers offense picked up 32 first down, converting 7/12 third down opportunities on their way to 48 points on the road.
The unit didn’t have to rely on the big play like they did a week ago against Vanderbilt. Auburn held the ball for 38:15 of this game, sustaining long drive after long drive to take the life out of the Razorbacks defense.
If the leaders of the Auburn offense can continue playing like this for the rest of the season, the sky is the limit for the Tigers.
Defensive Efficiency: No. 8
The Auburn Tigers have one of the best defenses in the country.
After Arkansas scored 38 points in the Swamp against Florida two weeks ago, the Tigers held KJ Jefferson’s offense to just 255 total yards and 10 points.
The Razorbacks were an atrocious 1/12 on third down and averaged just under 5 yards per play at home.
This defense is for real.
