The Auburn Tigers earned their third victory of the season and first in the SEC by defeating Vanderbilt 21-15 on Saturday. Did the win change the Tigers' place in the ESPN Football Power Index rankings?
Auburn did not move in this week's ESPN FPI rankings and is still on track to reach six wins this season. The rating also gives the Tigers a slight chance at making the College Football Playoff this season with the one loss. That loss to Florida does not look as bad after they defeated Ole Miss 52-28 on Saturday.
Here is where Auburn stands according to ESPN's Football Power Index ahead of Week 5's matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers.
Overall: No. 24
The win over Vanderbilt did not change the Tigers' ranking, and they remain at No. 24. Among SEC teams, Auburn
is ranked No. 11. That is a position they have stayed at for most of the season. Their Football Power Index is currently at 13. That is ahead of South Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas. Georgia moved up two spots to be the new No. 1, and Texas dropped two spots to No. 4.
Chance to win six games
The hope for Auburn to snap their streak of consecutive losing seasons is still possible now at 3-1. Auburn has a 78% chance at winning six games this season, which would get to a bowl game this postseason. The projected win total for Auburn is 6.6 wins and 5.4 losses. According to the ESPN FPI, Auburn is only favored to defeat Arkansas and Samford on their remaining schedule. Auburn will need to upset someone to get that sixth win. They have a small chance of making the College Football Playoff at 5.7%.
Resume
Auburn's resume ranks No. 27 in the ESPN Football Power Index. Their current strength of schedule ranks No. 43 after the first games. For the remainder of the season, the strength of schedule ranks No. 2. Auburn's next four games are against teams that are currently ranked in Tennessee (No. 17), Georgia (No. 2), LSU (No. 11), and Ole Miss (No. 9). Auburn also has games in November against currently ranked Mississippi State and Alabama.
Auburn versus Tennessee prediction
Auburn will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee this weekend for their first matchup with the Volunteers since 2020. The Tigers won that game 30-17, led by quarterback Bo Nix and head coach Gus Malzahn. Auburn leads the all-time series 29-22-3 and has won seven of the last eight meetings. For this installment, the Tigers have just a 29% chance at victory according to the ESPN Matchup Predictor.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Where does Auburn rank in the ESPN FPI after defeating Vanderbilt?
