AUBURN — Auburn football will finish the season with some space between it and the upper echelon of the SEC, at least according to Friday’s preseason media poll.
The Tigers were picked to finish No. 10 in the conference, sandwiched between Texas A&M at No. 9 and Kentucky at No. 11. Predicted to be atop the SEC standings at season’s end is Georgia, which tallied 3,330 points. The Bulldogs are followed by Texas (3,041) and Alabama (2,891). Auburn finished with 1,382 points.
Seven different teams received at least one vote to win the SEC Championship Game, including Vanderbilt (2) and South Carolina (1). The Tigers were not one of the seven teams.
Auburn has some representation on the All-SEC teams, with running back Jarquez Hunter on the first team, linebacker Eugene Asante on the third team and defensive back Keionte Scott on the third team as a returner. Alex McPherson is on the first team as a kickoff specialist and on the third team as a kicker. McPherson has been dealing with a gastrointestinal issue this offseason. Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said the kicker is still “going through a battery of test,” but Freeze hopes McPherson can be available for the season.
A surprising omission off of any of the All-conference teams was tight end Rivaldo Fairweather, who racked up 394 yards and six touchdowns in his first season with the Tigers. Ole Miss TE Caden Prieskorn, who was named to the first team, is the only returning TE in the SEC with more yards in 2023.
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Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football preseason media poll: Here’s where Tigers are picked
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