Auburn plummets to No. 32 in this week’s ESPN FPI rankings
After losing their first game of the season, the Auburn Tigers have fallen six spots in this week’s edition of ESPN’s Power Football Index.
Auburn spent the first three weeks of the season hovering around the top 25 but has now dropped down to No. 32 on the list.
The ranking doesn’t come as a surprise considering the Tigers were completely outclassed in College Station last week, losing 27-10.
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’s a look at where the Tigers rank in several major categories in the ESPN FPI after their first loss of the season.
Overall Ranking: No. 32
The Auburn Tigers have dropped out of the top 30 in the ESPN FPI for the first time in 2023.
After an anemic 27-10 loss to A&M on Saturday, teams jumping Auburn in the FPI include the Maryland Terrapins, Duke Blue Devils, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, and the Wisconsin Badgers.
Auburn’s overall ranking is likely to drop after week 5 as well, as the FPI gives the Tigers an 18.2% chance at upsetting top-ranked UGA this coming Saturday.
Strength of Record: No. 30
Auburn was once ranked in the top 3 in this category after beating Cal on the round early in the season.
The Tigers have now fallen to 30 after losing their first game of 2023.
Auburn could jump all the way back up to the top 3, and possibly take over the one spot, if they are able to upset UGA in Jordan-Hare.
Strength of Remaining Schedule: No. 6
Despite an upcoming stretch featuring games vs UGA, @LSU, and vs Ole Miss, Auburn’s rank has also fallen in the “strength of remaining schedule” portion of ESPN’s FPI.
Ahead of them are two SEC teams (Kentucky and Texas A&M), two Big Ten teams (Michigan State and Maryland), and one PAC-12 team, (USC).
Overall Efficiency: No. 33
After being ranked 11th in this category after their win over Cal in week 2, Auburn has continued to trend down in overall efficiency.
The defense is not the reason why.
Auburn’s offense was beyond anemic in week 4 vs A&M, as they collected only 200 total yards of offense despite holding the ball for five minutes more than their opponent.
Offensive Efficiency: No. 98
Auburn’s offense was absolutely atrocious in week 4.
They didn’t turn the ball over for the first time this season, but that was overshadowed by a horrendous 56 total passing yards, 10 penalties, and a 20% third down conversion rate.
Starting quarterback Payton Thorne looked more rattled than a freshmen navigating the Haley Center for the first time, the offensive line wasn’t very good, and the running game never got a chance to get going.
Things don’t get any easier for an Auburn offense that ranks behind mid-major teams like Buffalo, Ohio, and BYU heading into week 5, as they take on the UGA Bulldogs and their barking defense on Saturday.
Defensive Efficiency: No. 6
The Auburn Tigers’ defense was a major question mark heading into this season.
Through four weeks, they are the only thing keeping the team afloat.
Linebacker Eugene Asante has been a revelation. His 20 solo tackles lead the team and are tied for first in the SEC.
Behind him, the Auburn secondary has held opponents to just 171.3 passing yards per game, good for 17th in FBS.
For how bad the offense has been, the defense has been just as good.
Auburn will need that defense to play their best game of the season if they hope to upset UGA on Saturday.
