AUBURN — Auburn football has its work cut out for it in 2024.
The Tigers open the upcoming campaign with five straight home games. That’s a good opportunity to get some momentum before the calendar flips to October, but the three matchups directly after that — Georgia, Missouri and Kentucky — all come on the road.
Auburn won six games in 2023. That won’t cut it in coach Hugh Freeze’s second season, and he seems to know that. Some games, such as that matchup against Georgia in Athens, are expected losses in the sense that no reasonable fan is waiting for the Tigers to steal a road victory over the Bulldogs, despite Auburn pushing them to the brink in Jordan-Hare Stadium last season.
But other games are more of the coin flip variety. These contests will decide what kind of season the Tigers have.
Here are five of those games on Auburn’s 2024 schedule, listed in chronological order:
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Probably the least flashy team on this list, Cal made Auburn sweat a bit last season when the Tigers traveled out to California in Week 2 and earned a 14-10 victory. It took a late interception in the end zone from cornerback DJ James to seal the deal, as the offense sputtered throughout and Auburn trailed for nearly the entire second half. The Tigers are more talented this time, at least on paper, and have the advantage of playing this one at home. Auburn should be favored in this game, but that doesn’t mean it can take the Golden Bears lightly.
The bad news for Auburn is Oklahoma won 10 games in 2023, a feat the Tigers haven’t accomplished since before the COVID-19 Pandemic. The good news for Freeze’s team, though? This matchup will be the first SEC road game for the Sooners in their inaugural season in the conference, and it comes a week after they welcome Tennessee to Norman for their conference opener. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold is talented, but he’s going to have to show some composure in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Missouri was the conference’s biggest surprise last season, earning double-digit wins for the first time since 2014 and beating Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Coach Eli Drinkwitz returns his QB (Brady Cook) and All-SEC receiver (Luther Burden III) to headline a unit that ranked No. 5 in the SEC in terms of total offensive yards per game (434.3). Can Auburn keep up? The answer to that question in 2023 would’ve been a resounding no, but perhaps the additions at receiver and shakeup at offensive coordinator have put Auburn in a better place.
History favors Auburn in this one. The Tigers are 13-4 all time in road games at Kentucky, with their last loss in Lexington occurring in 1966, though Auburn has played there three times since 1995. With divisions evaporating, the Tigers will see the Wildcats more often. Kentucky is always solid under coach Mark Stoops, and it has a former highly-rated recruit under center in quarterback Brock Vandagriff. Road games are hard, but Auburn needs this one.
Perhaps the Tigers can catch Texas A&M looking ahead? Both of these teams have important games in the week immediately following this one — Auburn has the Iron Bowl and the Aggies play Texas — but A&M’s matchup with the Longhorns may have some more attention attached to it, as it’s the first time the programs are meeting since 2011. If the Aggies are too focused on Texas, it may open an opportunity for Auburn to add a win late in the season.
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.
