Roundtable: The Auburn Wire staff predicts every game on Auburn’s schedule
The 2023 season is upon us. As the days draw closer to the first kick-off of the season, many outlets around the country are taking the time to predict how each team will perform this season.
The Auburn Wire staff decided that they would take part in the discussion by predicting each game on Auburn’s schedule.
There is plenty of excitement ahead of the 2023 season, which is the opposite of what was said last season. Hugh Freeze has changed the mindset of players and fans alike, and it is time now to see all of his efforts come to light on the gridiron.
The Tigers are expected to improve this season, but by how much? Here’s how writers Taylor Jones, JD McCarthy, and Brian Hauch see the 2023 season shaking out for the Auburn Tigers.
Sept. 2 vs. UMass
TJ: The feeling heading into this game is at a fever pitch. The Tigers want to show out in front of their new coach and will do just that in this game. Prediction: Win
JM: Auburn is significantly better than UMass and should cruise to an easy win to start the Hugh Freeze era on the Plains. Prediction: Win
BH: Auburn is favored by 39.5 points in this game. Payton Thorne has a great debut and Robby Ashford comes in and plays well in the second half. Auburn wins 48-10, moving to 1-0. Prediction: Win
Sept. 9 at Cal
TJ: Auburn hopes to have a better outcome on this West Coast trip than the one they endured in 2022, which was a loss to USC. It will be a late one, but the Tigers will win in a game that you will have to read about the next morning. Prediction: Win
JM: Auburn is more talented than the Golden Bears and should be able to pick up another comfortable win to start the season. The fact that Auburn has so many newcomers and is traveling across the country is a slight concern but Auburn should be able to overcome the challenges. Prediction: Win
BH: The Tigers should be favored to win this game too, but don’t be surprised if it’s close. There is no sugar-coating how bad Cal has been as a football program the last few years, but they did manage to only lose by a single score to Washington, USC, Notre Dame, and UCLA last year. Add in the fact Auburn has to travel across the country early on in the season, and this thing could come down to the final 15 minutes. Auburn gets it done, barely, 16-10. Nonetheless, the Tigers moved to 2-0. Prediction: Win
Sept. 16 vs. Samford
TJ: The Bulldogs will bring an All-American quarterback with them to Auburn in Michael Hiers. He will have impressive stats in this game, but they will be meaningless as his defense will not be able to keep up with Auburn. Happy homecoming, folks. See ya at Toomer’s. Prediction: Win
JM: Samford is coming off a good season and has some good players but the talent gap is just too much and Auburn should pick up another win here is their final tune-up game of the season. Prediction: Win
BH: Homecoming game. Auburn rolls, Toomer’s gets rolled, and happy families at Skybar. Auburn stays undefeated, winning 55-14, and cracks the top 25 for the first time in 2023. Prediction: Win
Sept. 23 at Texas A&M
TJ: Is Texas A&M actually going to live up to the hype this season? I like Auburn in an early-season matchup with the Aggies. You also can’t discount the fact that Auburn is 4-1 inside Kyle Field since Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2022. Prediction: Win
JM: Auburn’s great start to the season continues with the Tigers going into College Station and picking up a win. The Aggies are a tough team to predict but I think Freeze has done enough to make this game winnable for Auburn. Prediction: Win
BH: A pair of ranked 3-0 SEC teams square off in College Station, where Auburn has had some success. Since 2013, the Tigers are 4-1 against A & M and the “12th man”. This will be the first major test for Payton Thorne and the new-look Auburn offense. While they hold their own and make some plays, the hostile crowd and talented A&M defense is too much. Auburn falls 27-17, dropping to 3-1 on the season. Prediction: Loss
Sept. 30 vs. Georgia
TJ: There is not much film on new Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. However, his supporting cast of Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey, Kendall Milton, and Daijun Edwards will help him be great. You can’t forget their defense, either. Hugh Freeze will have to try his hardest to keep this game close. Prediction: Loss
JM: The Bulldogs are significantly ahead of Auburn right now and while Freeze has made up some ground, it’s not enough yet and Auburn is once again in trouble of getting blown out by their rivals. Prediction: Loss
BH: If Auburn is going to have a special season, they need to win this game against the two-time defending champion Georgia Bulldogs they are the odds-on favorite (+225) to win their third straight championship. Payton Thorne will need to have a Heisman-like performance, the defense will have to shut down Brock Bowers and the UGA juggernaut, and a lot of luck will have to be involved. None of that is going to happen, UGA blows out Auburn again, 45-21. Auburn falls to 3-2. Prediction: Loss
Oct. 14 at LSU
TJ: Auburn snapped a long losing streak in Death Valley in 2021. This season’s LSU team is not as vulnerable as their 2021 squad is, so expect the Bayou Bengals and the Tiger Stadium crowd to be too much for Auburn. Prediction: Loss
JM: LSU was a surprise team last year under Brian Kelly, that won’t be the case this year as they are one of the best teams in the country and will be too much for Auburn. Prediction: Loss
BH: Every player on Auburn’s roster is going to give it everything they have for the UGA game. That doesn’t bode well for healthy bodies the following week. It’s never easy playing in Death Valley, it’s even harder after an emotional and physical game against the best team in the country. Thorne struggles again, creating rumblings for a change at the helm. LSU takes it 31-16. Auburn loses their third straight, falling to .500 on the season. Prediction: Loss
Oct. 21 vs. Ole Miss
TJ: Jaxson Dart appears to be the front-runner to win the starting quarterback job. If he doesn’t pan out by mid-October, Lane Kiffin has two more in his arsenal ready to go. No matter who the quarterback is, Quinshon Judkins is going to haunt Auburn by having a great day on the ground. Ole Miss wins, but it is close. Prediction: Loss
JM: This game could go either way for me but with questions about Auburn’s run defense, I’m going to take Quinshon Judkins to lead Ole Miss to victory. Prediction: Loss
BH: Finally Auburn gets to play an unranked team again. (Ole Miss is currently in the Top 25, but will find themselves unranked after losses to Alabama, LSU, and Tulane). The Jordan-Hare crowd goes bananas after an Alex McPherson game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expires. Jarquez Hunter goes off for 250 all-purpose yards, and his name starts circulating as the best running back in the SEC. Payton Thorne plays well, hushing the proponents of a quarterback change. Prediction: Win
Oct. 28 vs. Mississippi State
TJ: Mississippi State, like Auburn, is heading into the season with a new coach. They are also going away from the Air Raid system that drove opposing coaches wild. It will take some time to adjust, thus allowing Auburn to defeat the Bulldogs by a few scores. Prediction: Win
JM: The Bulldogs also have a new head coach in Zach Arnett, but unlike Freeze, he is completely unproven and they could be in for a rough season. Auburn should have the talent to be able to pick up a win here and stop their losing streak. Prediction: Win
BH: No more cowbell. Auburn takes the momentum from the last game and obliterates MS State 49-10, putting up their best performance of the season. Prediction: Win
Nov. 4 at Vanderbilt
TJ: Did you know that Auburn is the only SEC program that doesn’t own a winning record over Vanderbilt? The series is tied 21-21-1. Auburn snapped a two-game losing streak in 2016 by defeating the Commodores, 23-16. I say that to say this.. Auburn will leave Nashville with a winning record over Vanderbilt. Prediction: Win
JM: The rebuild at Vanderbilt is progressing well but Auburn shouldn’t have any problems winning in Nashville. Prediction: Win
BH: Vandy is the only team in the Southeastern Conference that has a “Week 0” game. That should tell you all you have to know about their program. Auburn wins their third straight 26-14 and gets back into the top 25 for the first time since early September. Prediction: Win
Nov. 11 at Arkansas
TJ: Auburn will enter what I’m sure will be a freezing Razorback Stadium in November. Last season, Hugh Freeze took his Liberty squad into Fayetteville and snuck away with a win. Having someone in your corner who can figure out a way to hold Rocket Sanders to just 60 yards on the ground is important, but can Auburn’s backfield limit what KJ Jefferson does in the air? I think they do just enough to win. Prediction: Win
JM: Arkansas returns the dynamic duo of KJ Jefferson and Raheim Sanders, I’m expecting big things out of them and don’t think Auburn’s defense will be able to contain them. Prediction: Loss
BH: Auburn’s second time in the top 25 is short-lived, as they fall to Arkansas in a snooze fest, 17-3. Their record moves to 6-4. Prediction: Loss
Nov. 18 vs. New Mexico State
TJ: The Aggies will be no match for Auburn in this one. Expect Robby Ashford to have a big day out of the “package” he is supposed to get. Prediction: Win
JM: The Tigers will be able to pick up an easy win here and clinch bowl eligibility in Freeze’s first season. Prediction: Win
BH: Auburn has played New Mexico State three times in their history. In those three games, they’ve averaged 50.6 points while NM State has averaged 13.7. This senior day clash won’t be close. Prediction: Win
Nov. 25 vs. Alabama
TJ: Alabama has QB concerns, and the game is in Jordan-Hare Stadium. That makes me want to choose Auburn with strong confidence. However, I think it will take a year before the Jordan-Hare magic rubs off on Hugh Freeze. Expect a close game, but Bama finds a way to win late. Prediction: Loss
JM: Just like with Georgia, Auburn has plenty of ways to go before they catch Alabama and while it’s in Jordan-Hare and anything is possible, Alabama is the smart pick. Prediction: Loss
BH: If not for an ill-advised Tank Bigsby run, Auburn would be undefeated in the last three Iron Bowls at Jordan-Hare. This game, like the one in 2021, will feature an Alabama team on the cusp of the College Football Playoff and an Auburn team just hoping to finish the season strong and knock out their biggest rival in the process. This year’s Alabama team is flawed (they still don’t have a starting quarterback) and those flaws will come out on a cold night in Auburn, Alabama. Prediction: Win
Final record
TJ: 8-4 (4-4 SEC)
JM: 7-5 (3-5 SEC)
BH: 8-4 (4-4 SEC)
