ESPN Football Power Index shares early prediction of Auburn’s 2023 season
Spring practice has concluded, so now we must wait over 130 days for Auburn’s first official game of the Hugh Freeze era.
In anticipation of what should be another exciting season of college football, ESPN has revealed its early prediction of Auburn football’s record through its Football Power Index.
The FPI, which is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season, has released its early rankings for the 2023 FBS season. According to the FPI, Auburn is currently the No. 39 team in the country and is No. 11 in terms of SEC standings.
Of course, it is still too early to truly gauge what kind of season Auburn will have as the transfer portal window is still open until April 30. Because of this, rosters could change for better or for worse, which could affect each team’s FPI ranking.
As the spring practice period comes to a close, let’s take a look at how the ESPN FPI predicts Auburn football’s season to shake out.
UMass
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Saturday, Sept. 2
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, Alabama)
Prediction: Auburn (97.2%)
Cal
Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Saturday, Sept. 9
Location: California Memorial Stadium (Berkeley, California)
Prediction: Cal (56.3%)
Samford
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Saturday, Sept. 16
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, Alabama)
Prediction: Auburn (98.1%)
Texas A&M
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Saturday, Sept. 23
Location: Kyle Field (College Station, Texas)
Prediction: Texas A&M (76.5%)
For more Texas A&M news, check out Aggies Wire.
Georgia
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Saturday, Sept. 30
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, Alabama)
Prediction: Georgia (90.8%)
For more Georgia news, check out UGA Wire.
The Montgomery Advertiser
Date: Saturday, October, 14
Location: Tiger Stadium (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
Prediction: LSU (88.7%)
For more LSU news, check out LSU Wire.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Saturday, Oct. 21
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, Alabama)
Prediction: Ole Miss (66.2%)
Mississippi State
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, Alabama)
Prediction: Auburn (55.4%)
Vanderbilt
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
Location: First Bank Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
Prediction: Auburn (68.9%)
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Saturday, Nov. 11
Location: Reynolds Razorback Stadium (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
Prediction: Arkansas (66.8%)
For more Arkansas news, check out Razorbacks Wire.
New Mexico State
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Saturday, Nov. 18
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, Alabama)
Prediction: Auburn (96.2%)
Alabama
Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Saturday, Nov. 25
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, Alabama)
Prediction: Alabama (91.5%)
For more Alabama news, check out Roll Tide Wire.
Final thoughts on ESPN's early prediction
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
The early prediction does not favor the Tigers early on, but it is still early.
The transfer portal is still in its early stages, so there is the possibility that Auburn could add several players that could boost its chances of making a bowl game. On the other hand, there is also a chance that several teams on Auburn’s schedule could lose or add players that could also change the way that the ESPN FPI views Auburn’s schedule.
If neither were to happen, the best thing for Auburn fans to do is to be patient. Hugh Freeze has already shown that he is improving the program through recruiting, so the right players will continue to come.
Do I think Auburn will end with a 5-7 record as ESPN suggests? No. I see the Tigers making it to at least seven wins, possibly eight with an upset somewhere in the mix. I see Auburn showing signs of improvement, thus creating momentum toward much more successful seasons down the road.
