Goodman: Auburn will make the next College Football Playoff before Alabama

This is an opinion column.

____________________

Former five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold left Oklahoma in favor of Auburn.

It looks like Hugh Freeze has learned his lesson. And maybe Arnold did too.

Last season, Auburn's coach had the opportunity to upgrade at quarterback, but opted to stick with incumbent Payton Thorne. It wasn't out of loyalty. Freeze apparently didn't want to spend the money on a quarterback knowing his team wouldn't be a contender for the SEC Championship or the College Football Playoff.

The transfer portal has been open for a week this Monday and Auburn is making serious moves. But a good quarterback can only do so much.

Just ask Bo Nix.

GOODMAN: Was Belichick hired to bring UNC into the SEC?

GOODMAN: Alabama lacked toughness, DeBoer's fault

Anyone who knows ball understands that it also requires a quality offensive line. Arnold didn't have that at Oklahoma, so he waved to Norman and coach Brent Venables for so long. However, Arnold didn't do it without personal insurance. In addition to Arnold, Auburn's Freeze also entered the portal and nabbed a veteran offensive lineman.

Xavier Chaplin is a 6-7, 323-pound offensive tackle from South Carolina. He played three years at Virginia Tech, but now he will protect Arnold full-time at Auburn.

Reconstruction in Auburn is almost complete. It took a few years, but the Freeze plan is becoming clearer.

Auburn has had two Top 10 recruiting classes, and Freeze believes his Tigers need three in a row to be on the same level as rivals Georgia and Alabama. However, Auburn has an advantage in 2025, and we all know what that is. The Tigers get Alabama and Georgia at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Here's my bold prediction for 2025. Auburn will make the next College Football Playoff before Alabama.

I'm not saying Kalen DeBoer is on the hot seat yet, but things aren't going to get any easier for Alabama's new coach next season. The Crimson Tide missed the playoffs last week despite home wins this season against Georgia and Auburn. Next season, the Tide will have both teams on the road.

DeBoers Alabama went 2-3 this season with losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma. The loss at Oklahoma on November 23 resulted in three things. First, it kept Alabama out of the College Football Playoff. Second, it made Arnold a lot of money. And third, it delayed the inevitable for OU coach Brent Venables.

If there's one SEC coach whose seat is hotter than the rest in 2025, it's Venables at Oklahoma. The Sooners went 6-6 overall in 2024 and 2-6 in the SEC. OU's wins came against the SEC's Alabama contingent, but then the Sooners' starting quarterback left for Auburn. That hurts.

Remember when Venables said he chose to coach at Oklahoma over Auburn? It looks like Auburn might win in the end.

College football teams today need at least one billionaire to remain elite. Oregon has Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. Auburn has Jimmy Rane, the founder of Yellawood. Freeze will be successful in Auburn as long as the money keeps coming in.

Freeze's record is 11-14 in his first two seasons at Auburn, but he has done well to rebuild the Tigers after former coach Bryan Harsin cut the program.

Harsin will go down as the worst coach in the history of the Southeastern Conference. He was a terrible recruiter, but it wasn't just that. Harsin got gifted quarterback Bo Nix and then he chased Nix away.

Many people questioned Auburn's decision to hire Freeze me, but he deserves credit for pulling off major recruiting victories on the Plains after Apocalypse Harsin. Freeze isn't done yet, but the Tigers are back. Best of all, they do it with homegrown talent.

When it comes to recruiting, Freeze now owns the state of Alabama. He recruited former Alabama coach Nick Saban and Georgia coach Kirby Smart for key players in 2024. It wasn't a fluke, but a preview. With the class of 2025, Auburn brought in 11 recruits from Alabama and DeBoer only graduated two.

No one should doubt Freeze's ability to sell Auburn anymore. The fans are behind him and so is the money. The questions within the state are now shifting west. Can the Tides keep pace with DeBoer?

BE HEARD

Do you have a question for Joep? Do you want to get something off your mind? Send Joe an email about what's on your mind. Make your voice heard. Ask him anything.

Joseph Goodman is the main sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban's Ultimate Team.