Auburn University head coach Hugh Freeze used his appearance at SEC Media Days in Atlanta on Tuesday to declare that the Tigers expect to be in contention for the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff this season. Entering his third year in charge, Freeze said the program has “built a roster that can compete” and must now convert high expectations into victories after dropping several close games in 2024. Freeze, who is winless in four meetings with Alabama and Georgia, said playing those rivals at Jordan-Hare Stadium gives Auburn an edge and insisted the team is “good enough to earn” postseason recognition. He praised an offensive line he called his favorite on paper for its experience and size, and said managing touches among a “very talented” wide-receiver group will be a top coaching challenge. The Tigers open their season at Baylor on Aug. 30, a matchup Freeze labeled a “big game,” and visit Oklahoma on Sept. 20. Transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold, the former Sooner, told reporters he holds “no animosity” toward his old team and likened the Iron Bowl rivalry with Alabama to the Red River game he experienced at Oklahoma, noting Auburn’s ban on the color red inside its facilities.