Way-too-early game-by-game predictions for Auburn football in 2024
AUBURN — Auburn football spring practice is underway.
The Tigers opened the period Tuesday, and it was the first time coaches saw the offseason additions in a practice setting. From five-star receiver Cam Coleman to transfer cornerback Antonio Kite to former junior college safety Laquan Robinson, coach Hugh Freeze and his staff have brought in 29 new scholarship pieces.
Four of those newcomers — freshmen WRs Perry Thompson and Malcolm Simmons, offensive lineman DeAndre Carter and cornerback A'Mon Lane-Ganus — aren't yet on campus and going through spring practice, but they'll arrive in the summer ahead of fall camp.
Drawing grand conclusions off of spring practice and trying to guess the future is a fool's errand. But just for some fun, here's a way-too-early, game-by-game prediction for the Tigers in 2024.
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Auburn football vs. Alabama A&M (Aug. 31)
An FCS program that went 5-6 last season, Alabama A&M has played against a Power Five program four times over the last two decades, including two bouts with Auburn. The Tigers won those games by a combined score of 106-7. A similar result should occur in 2024.
Record: 1-0
vs. Cal (Sept. 7)
Cal gave Auburn a scare in Week 2 last season, as the Tigers narrowly escaped the West Coast with a 14-10 win. More experience under Freeze and the fact that this game is being played in Jordan-Hare Stadium should give Auburn a decided advantage.
Record: 2-0
vs. New Mexico (Sept. 14)
Good news, Tigers fans: Auburn is playing the New Mexico Lobos this season, not the New Mexico State Aggies. The Lobos haven't had a winning season since 2016, and new coach Bronco Mendenhall will still be getting used to things by the time he takes his team to the Plains.
Record: 3-0
vs. Arkansas (Sept. 21)
Auburn trampled Arkansas in Fayetteville in 2023. The offense scored on its first drive, the defense got a stop and Keionte Scott returned a punt all the way back for a touchdown. It may not be a repeat beatdown, but Auburn is now the home team and boasts a more talented roster.
Record: 4-0
vs. Oklahoma (Sept. 28)
The first big test of the campaign for the Tigers is a home matchup with SEC newcomer Oklahoma. Winning this one would be a flag-in-the-ground moment for Auburn, but the Sooners are coming off a 10-win season and have restocked with plenty of talent.
Record: 4-1
at Georgia (Oct. 5)
Georgia hasn't lost to Auburn in Athens since 2005, with the Bulldogs winning eight straight games over the Tigers in Sanford Stadium. Georgia looks as talented as ever, and there's no reason to think Auburn will be able to pull off the upset away from home.
Record: 4-2
at Missouri (Oct. 19)
Coming off one of its best seasons in program history in which it won 11 games and topped Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, Missouri enters 2024 expected to be one of the SEC's better teams. Auburn won the last meeting between the two programs, but this is a different Missouri team.
Record: 4-3
at Kentucky (Oct. 26)
The last of a three-game road trip, Auburn heads to Lexington to play the Wildcats on their home turf for the first time since 2015. The Tigers, dropping the three games prior to this one in this scenario, are desperately in need of a win to get the season back on track. They get it done.
Record: 5-3
vs. Vanderbilt (Nov. 2)
The Tigers have never lost at home to Vanderbilt, and that will likely stay the case next season. The Commodores had their best shot against a weak Auburn team in 2023, but couldn't figure out a way to win in Nashville.
Record: 6-3
vs. Louisiana-Monroe (Nov. 16)
Auburn lost its late-season matchup with a nonconference foe in 2023. Predicting that to happen twice in a row would be foolish, especially against a Louisiana-Monroe team that's being led by a first-year head coach and hasn't won more than four games in eight of the past 10 seasons.
Record: 7-3
vs. Texas A&M (Nov. 23)
Riding a three-game winning streak into a home battle with Texas A&M, the Tigers have a chance to reach eight wins by beating another first-year coach: Mike Elko. This seems to be the season's biggest coin-flip game, and a prediction either way could be argued.
Record: 7-4
at Alabama (Nov. 30)
Cam Newton isn't walking through that door, and that's what it would seem to take for Auburn to leave Bryant-Denny Stadium with a victory in 2024. Nick Saban is no longer in charge at Alabama, but that roster is still overflowing with talent. A 7-5 mark, and perhaps a bowl win, in Freeze's second season isn't the end of the world. But results will need to come in Year 3.
Record: 7-5
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Way-too-early predictions for Tigers in 2024
