Auburn Tigers Football Labeled One of the Unluckiest Teams in 2024 Following Close Losses, Injuries, and Missed Opportunities
In the unpredictable world of college football, few teams encapsulated the chaos and cruelty of the 2024 season quite like the Auburn Tigers. A proud program with a rich history and high expectations, Auburn entered the season hoping to turn a corner under head coach Hugh Freeze. Instead, what unfolded was a year marked not by failure in the traditional sense, but by heartbreak, misfortune, and circumstances seemingly beyond their control. The Tigers were competitive in almost every contest, often showing flashes of promise and resilience. But when the dust settled on the 2024 season, Auburn found itself with a losing record and a bowl-less winter—not because they weren’t good enough, but because fate simply didn’t cooperate.
Labeling a team “unlucky” in a sport where every detail matters might sound like an excuse, but the data and context surrounding Auburn’s 2024 campaign support the claim. From one-possession losses against ranked opponents to ill-timed turnovers, questionable officiating decisions, and a rash of injuries that decimated key position groups, Auburn’s season unfolded like a Greek tragedy—inevitable in its collapse, agonizing in its pace.
Take, for example, the Tigers’ September 30 clash against the Georgia Bulldogs in Jordan-Hare Stadium. It was a game where Auburn led deep into the second half and appeared poised to pull off an upset over the eventual SEC champions. The Tigers stifled Georgia’s offense for much of the game, leaned on a tenacious defensive front, and had the home crowd behind them. But then came a fourth-quarter unraveling, sparked by a busted coverage that allowed Georgia quarterback Carson Beck to find Brock Bowers for a long touchdown. Auburn’s offense stalled on its final two drives, and a valiant effort turned into a gut-wrenching 27-20 loss. That game wasn’t an anomaly. It was a recurring nightmare.
Two weeks later, in Baton Rouge, Auburn again had a chance to control its fate against LSU. Instead, the Tigers were overwhelmed early by Jayden Daniels’ playmaking ability, and an injury to a starting cornerback further exposed a secondary already dealing with depth issues. By the time Auburn adjusted, it was too late. They clawed back to make the score respectable, but the game slipped away—another loss, another what-if.
Then came the most crushing defeat of all: the Iron Bowl. The annual grudge match with Alabama is always high-stakes, but this one reached a level of absurdity. With less than a minute to go, Auburn had Alabama facing 4th and 31. A defensive stand would’ve sealed an improbable victory and possibly changed the arc of the season. Instead, Jalen Milroe launched a desperation heave into the end zone, and somehow, Isaiah Bond came down with the football. The 27-24 loss didn’t just hurt—it defined the year. Auburn played well enough to win, had the right scheme, and executed for 59 minutes. But one blown assignment, one perfect throw, and the game was gone. It was the football gods at their most cruel.
In total, Auburn lost five games by one possession or less in 2024. Each of those losses came against teams that finished in the Top 25. According to ESPN’s “Game Control” metric and various expected win-loss models, the Tigers performed like an 8-4 team, not a 6-6 or 5-7 team. But the record book doesn’t care about metrics. It cares about results. And Auburn, despite having a top-30 defense and a rapidly improving offense, was left with empty hands.
Injuries played a massive role in this misfortune. The Tigers lost their starting center for the season in Week 3, destabilizing an offensive line that had finally begun to jell. Sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne was forced to play through a lingering shoulder injury for most of October, which limited his effectiveness. Top wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson missed multiple games with a high ankle sprain, and the running back room was constantly rotating due to minor but nagging injuries. These aren’t excuses; they’re the reality of a team that couldn’t catch a break.
Depth was a concern entering the year, and it became a fatal flaw as the injuries piled up. By the time Auburn traveled to face Arkansas in early November, they were down multiple starters on both sides of the ball. The Tigers won that game, a rare blowout victory, but it felt more like a reprieve than a turning point. The schedule didn’t let up. Neither did the bad luck.
Even off the field, Auburn couldn’t escape misfortune. In early October, a flu bug swept through the team, affecting over 20 players and forcing last-minute changes to the game plan against Ole Miss. The Tigers still fought valiantly but couldn’t generate enough offense to overcome Lane Kiffin’s high-powered attack. Coaches and players alike noted that it was one of the toughest weeks of preparation they had experienced all season.
Recruiting momentum also stalled amid the losses. While Freeze and his staff have done a commendable job building relationships and landing commitments, a bowl berth would have provided tangible proof of progress. Instead, rival programs were able to negatively recruit Auburn as a team “heading in the wrong direction,” even though most insiders recognized the Tigers were a few breaks away from a breakthrough season.
Hugh Freeze deserves credit for keeping the locker room together. Despite the heartbreak, the team didn’t quit. Practices remained competitive. Film study remained intense. The leadership core—seniors like linebacker Eugene Asante and safety Zion Puckett—helped maintain focus and accountability. For a program that’s experienced coaching instability and roster turnover in recent years, that internal cohesion was a win in itself. But in the SEC, where success is measured in wins, close calls mean little.
The question moving forward is whether this unlucky season becomes a stepping stone or a scar. In some ways, it could galvanize the Tigers. Nearly all of their key contributors are expected to return in 2025, including rising stars like defensive lineman Keldric Faulk and running back Jeremiah Cobb. If the team can stay healthy and build on its experience, the ingredients for a successful campaign are there. The transfer portal will again be critical, especially for reinforcing the offensive line and secondary, but Auburn is well-positioned to sell early playing time and a chance to be part of something on the rise.
The hope is that 2024 becomes known not as a season of failure, but as the year when everything that could go wrong did—and yet, the team still competed, still believed, and still laid the foundation for a return to prominence. Unlucky or not, the margin between mediocrity and greatness is razor-thin in college football. Auburn lived on the wrong side of that margin this past fall, but the lessons learned and the resilience developed may eventually pay dividends.
In hindsight, Auburn’s 2024 season will be remembered not for blowouts or embarrassments, but for the moments that slipped away. For the roar of Jordan-Hare just before it was silenced. For the grit shown in defeat. For the team that was better than its record. Luck may not be a stat you can measure on a scoreboard, but anyone who watched the Tigers play knows: this was a team that deserved more than fate allowed.
If football is a game of inches, then the 2024 Auburn Tigers were always one inch short. But in that space—between heartbreak and hope—lies the potential for redemption.
