Auburn football dropped its SEC opener last Saturday to Oklahoma and is preparing to put the defeat behind it as it faces another tough team in the No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
Auburn tied the Sooners at 10-10 heading into halftime, and held a lead with just under five minutes remaining in the game before Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer scrambled nine yards to the end zone to put the Sooners up, 22-17. A safety with 1:06 to go in the 4th quarter put a stamp on the game.
Auburn had more success passing last Saturday as Jackson Arnold threw for 220 yards and a touchdown. Rushing, which has been Auburn’s strong suit to this point, took a hit as a combined five ball carriers rushed for 67 yards. Pass protection was also an issue, as the Sooners’ defense made 14 tackles for loss with 10 sacks.
On the opposite side, Auburn’s defense allowed 303 yards of total offense, with 271 being through the air. Auburn will look to clean things up for this week’s game at Texas A&M.
How much did Auburn’s loss affect its place within the Football Power Index? Here’s where the Tigers rank in every major category measured by the ESPN FPI.
Overall ranking: No. 23
Auburn resides just inside the top 25 of the ESPN FPI following its week four loss at Oklahoma. The Tigers are one spot above Washington and one spot below Florida State heading into a new week, and are one of 12 SEC teams to earn a top 25 ranking.
College Football Playoff chances: 11.2%
Auburn’s chances of earning a trip to its first-ever College Football Playoff are just above 10%, which ranks No. 27 in the country. As it stands, Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon, Ole Miss, Miami, and Indiana are the only programs with 50% or better chance at earning a playoff bid.
Strength of schedule: No. 26
It is no secret that Auburn faces one of the toughest schedules in the country. Along with ranking No. 26 in strength of schedule, Auburn ranks No. 25 in strength of record and No. 9 in remaining strength of schedule.
Overall efficiency: No. 19
Auburn is one of 19 teams in the nation with an efficiency score of 83 or higher, entering the week with an 83.6. Both offense and defense rank No. 22 in their respective efficiencies this week.
Texas A&M outlook
Here is a look at where Texas A&M ranks in major categories measured by the ESPN Football Power Index.
- Overall: No. 16 (SEC rank: No. 8)
- Overall efficiency: No. 24 (82.1)
- Offensive efficiency: No. 10 (84.2)
- Defensive efficiency: No. 49 (66.5)
- Strength of schedule: No. 17
- Strength of record: No. 1
- Remaining strength of schedule: No. 22
- College Football Playoff chance: 44.5 (No. 10 nationally)
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn football’s ESPN FPI ranking after loss to Oklahoma