BetMGM bonus code: Auburn SEC Championship odds, win total, and best bets for 2023 college football
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Following consecutive losing seasons, hope has returned for Auburn Tigers football thanks to the hiring of veteran head coach Hugh Freeze.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same is true for Auburn, but there are still Tigers betting futures worth noting as the 2023 college football season draws near. We’ve highlighted three Auburn best bets, and you can find each market via our BetMGM bonus codeALBONUS, which scores new users up to $1,000 in first-bet bonuses.
Bryan Harsin’s tenure at Auburn lasted less than two seasons, and the former Boise State head coach had a 9-12 record with the Tigers. The 2022 campaign was particularly atrocious, as Harsin led Auburn to a 3-5 record before his mid-season firing.
In steps Freeze, who has a history of success in the SEC from his days at Ole Miss. From 2012 to 2016, the 53-year-old had a 39-25 record. He was also successful at Arkansas State in 2011 and coached Liberty to a 34-15 record from 2019 to 2022.
But his departure from the Rebels isn’t as fondly remembered as his time on the sidelines. Freeze resigned from Ole Miss ahead of the 2017 season after it was revealed the coach made inappropriate calls to an escort service using his school-issued phone.
Further investigation unveiled more NCAA violations, such as unauthorized cash payments, impermissible use of cars, unapproved lodging, and unauthorized meals totaling roughly $37,000. Freeze and the Rebels were hit with 15 NCAA Level 1 violations, resulting in a two-year postseason ban.
Freeze stepped away from coaching for two seasons before putting on the headset again at Liberty, and time has helped clean his reputation slightly. NIL and the transfer portal make Hugh and Auburn a serious threat to regain supremacy in college football, but it won’t happen in year one.
The Tigers’ last SEC Championship victory came in 2013 when Nick Marshall and Tre Mason led Auburn to a convincing 59-42 win over Missouri.
The new coaching staff brings widespread excitement to the Plains, but predicting the Tigers will win the division is a major stretch. The team simply isn’t on the same level as Georgia, Alabama, or LSU.
However, an improvement from the Harsin regime is imminent, and much of that is thanks to former Michigan State QB Payton Thorne joining Auburn via the transfer portal. Thorne was a two-year starter for the Spartans, throwing for 5,911 yards and 46 touchdowns.
QB play was a weakness for the Tigers last year, but developing passers is Freeze’s strength. At Ole Miss, he coached Chad Kelly and Bo Wallace to spectacular seasons, along with Malik Willis at Liberty.
Betting on Auburn to surpass 6.5 wins comes with -135 odds.
The Tigers have an easy start to the 2023 season, opening against UMass and Samford at Jordan-Hare Stadium and traveling west to face Cal. Notching three early wins will be crucial for Auburn backers.
Things get grim quickly as Auburn faces its most-difficult stretch of the year, with showdowns against Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State. Squeaking out a single victory against those teams would be impressive.
Assuming it happens, that puts Auburn at for victories with the schedule closing out against Vanderbilt, Arkansas, New Mexico State, and Alabama. Count on the Tigers to defeat the Commodores and Aggies, putting Auburn’s record at 6-6.
Another reason the Tigers were drawn to Freeze is his proven ability to beat Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. The Oxford, Mississippi native beat Alabama twice in five seasons with Ole Miss.
Alabama has blown out Auburn in recent matchups in Tuscaloosa, including a 49-27 stomping last season. But the Tigers have fared well in Iron Bowls at Jordan-Hare.
Here’s a look at the last five games in the Plains:
- 2021: Two-point Alabama victory
- 2019: Three-point Auburn victory
- 2017: 12-point Auburn victory
- 2015: 16-point Alabama victory
- 2013: Six-point Auburn victory
In only one of the last five Iron Bowls hosted by Auburn would the Tigers have failed to cover a two-touchdown spread. Freeze and Co. may not win the game but expect a tightly contested matchup.
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