As Auburn football gears up for a challenging end to their 2024 season, one more concern has emerged from the Georgia-Ole Miss matchup: the rapid growth of the Ole Miss program under Lane Kiffin and its potential impact on Auburn’s standings in the SEC. With Auburn already facing hurdles in rebuilding their roster and fine-tuning their strategy, the rise of Georgia and Ole Miss as powerhouses this season has become an additional obstacle. For Auburn, whose program is still in a transitional phase, the competitive landscape in the SEC is tougher than ever.
Lane Kiffin’s tenure at Ole Miss has been nothing short of transformative. His recruitment strategy, offensive creativity, and knack for developing talent have reshaped the Rebels into legitimate SEC contenders. Their dominant performance against Georgia further highlighted how dangerous they have become in the conference. Under Kiffin, Ole Miss is demonstrating the kind of rapid progress that Auburn is still striving to achieve.
Auburn’s challenge in competing with Ole Miss is compounded by the pressure to rebuild quickly. While Auburn fans were optimistic about the team’s trajectory under head coach Hugh Freeze, Kiffin’s success has set a high bar that Freeze now must contend with. The progress seen at Ole Miss also brings attention to Auburn’s slower journey, further igniting concerns about Auburn’s ability to keep up.
One aspect that became glaringly obvious during the Georgia-Ole Miss matchup is the offensive firepower that both programs possess. Georgia’s depth and Ole Miss’s creativity put their opponents on their heels, a reminder that Auburn’s defense will need to adapt to contain such attacks. Auburn has shown potential defensively this season, but their unit has struggled against high-octane offenses. Watching Ole Miss nearly overtake Georgia on Saturday showcased just how potent their offense can be, forcing Auburn to reassess how they’ll address these kinds of challenges in the future.
Auburn’s defense, while promising, lacks the consistency seen in top-tier programs like Georgia. Freeze and his coaching staff now have to figure out how to fortify Auburn’s defensive line and secondary against these elite offenses. The performance of both teams over the weekend raised concerns about whether Auburn’s defense will be capable of containing Kiffin’s fast-paced play-calling and Georgia’s well-balanced attack.
The explosive offenses and impressive recruiting classes at both Georgia and Ole Miss underscore another pressing issue for Auburn: recruitment. Auburn’s recruiting efforts are promising, but when compared to the star-studded rosters at Georgia and the talent-laden classes at Ole Miss, it’s clear they have ground to make up. Ole Miss’s ability to attract top recruits to Oxford, combined with Georgia’s recruiting prowess under Kirby Smart, has intensified competition within the conference.
Auburn’s recruiting class has had moments of promise, yet they need to consistently land top-tier prospects to keep pace with their SEC counterparts. The developments seen at Ole Miss and Georgia serve as reminders of the recruiting demands Freeze faces if Auburn wants to build a competitive program. For Auburn fans, the primary concern isn’t necessarily just Georgia or Ole Miss, but the overarching fact that the SEC’s recruiting battles are heating up, and Auburn has no choice but to step up.
As Hugh Freeze continues his first season at Auburn, the recent game between Georgia and Ole Miss has likely added to the pressure he faces. Freeze, known for his offensive-minded approach, has made steady progress at Auburn but is still in the foundational phase of his work with the Tigers. Watching the high-level play from Georgia and Ole Miss, Freeze is now tasked with elevating Auburn’s overall performance and creating a winning culture that can compete with such programs.
Auburn fans had hoped Freeze would be the catalyst for change, especially given his past success at Ole Miss. However, with his former team now thriving under Kiffin, Freeze finds himself tasked with bringing a renewed energy to Auburn’s offense and building an infrastructure that can contend within the SEC’s upper echelon.
If Auburn hopes to contend with Ole Miss and Georgia in the coming seasons, Freeze and his staff will need to focus on building depth and adapting their game strategy to the evolving dynamics within the SEC. The Georgia-Ole Miss game highlighted the importance of versatility, discipline, and explosive talent on both sides of the ball. Auburn will need to develop these attributes to succeed in the conference.
For Auburn, the key moving forward will be to establish an identity that leverages the team’s strengths and compensates for its current weaknesses. Whether that means prioritizing a stronger defensive line, targeting offensive weapons in the transfer portal, or adjusting in-game strategies to counteract the speed of teams like Ole Miss, Auburn has crucial decisions to make in the coming months.
The Georgia-Ole Miss game served as a reminder that the SEC is becoming more competitive by the day, adding yet another challenge for Auburn as they look to rise in the ranks. For Auburn fans and Freeze’s coaching staff, the game underscored the need for improvement in every area—from recruiting to defense to strategic planning.
As Auburn continues its journey under Freeze, the team will need to meet the evolving standards set by programs like Georgia and Ole Miss. While the Tigers’ season is not yet over, their aspirations of contending for the SEC title now face another hurdle: the rise of an Ole Miss team that is here to stay. Auburn’s challenge lies not only in keeping up but in creating a path that will lead them back to the top.