You remember that feeling in early November 2017? It was weird. Auburn had just gotten walloped by LSU in a game they should’ve won easily, and the fan base was basically ready to pack Gus Malzahn’s bags for him. But then, the Auburn Tigers 2017 schedule did something nobody expected. It turned into a gauntlet that produced arguably the greatest three-week stretch in the history of Jordan-Hare Stadium. It was absolute chaos.
Honestly, looking back at that slate of games, it’s a miracle Jarrett Stidham’s ribs stayed intact.
People forget how bleak things looked after that mid-October collapse in Baton Rouge. Auburn was 5-2. They were written off. The media was already talking about buyout numbers. But the schedule was designed in a way that gave them a path to redemption, provided they could beat two separate number-one ranked teams in the span of fourteen days. Yeah, just a casual Saturday in the SEC.
The Brutal Opening Act and the Clemson Hurdle
The season didn't start with a cupcake. Well, technically it did—a 41-7 win over Georgia Southern—but Week 2 was the real litmus test. Auburn traveled to Death Valley to face Clemson. It was a defensive masterclass and an offensive nightmare.
Stidham was sacked 11 times. Eleven.
It’s actually painful to rewatch that tape. Every time he dropped back, Clelin Ferrell or Austin Bryant was already in his jersey. Auburn lost 14-6. At the time, we didn't realize we were watching two of the best defenses in the country trade blows, but it set a tone of "elite but flawed" that followed the team all year.
After that, they went on a tear. They hung 51 on Missouri and 49 on Mississippi State. The offense finally looked like the blur-pace machine Malzahn had promised. Kerryon Johnson was starting to look like a Heisman contender, despite the nagging injuries that always seemed to haunt his career. Then came the LSU game. Up 20-0, Auburn somehow managed to lose 27-23. It felt like the same old story. But that loss actually set the stage for the most improbable run in recent memory.
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Navigating the Meat of the Auburn Tigers 2017 Schedule
The back half of the Auburn Tigers 2017 schedule is where the legend lives. After handling Arkansas and Texas A&M on the road, the Tigers returned home to face a Georgia team that looked invincible.
Kirby Smart had the Bulldogs humming. They were ranked #1 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Most experts thought Auburn would put up a fight but ultimately succumb to Georgia's run game. Instead, Auburn physically bullied them. I’m not exaggerating. They outgained Georgia 488 to 230. Kerryon Johnson ran for 167 yards, and the defense held Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to basically nothing. The 40-17 scoreline sent shockwaves through the country. Suddenly, the "hot seat" for Malzahn was frozen over.
But the schedule wasn't done.
After a "breather" against Louisiana-Monroe, it was time for the Iron Bowl. Alabama was #1. Again.
It is incredibly rare for a team to have to play two different #1 teams in three weeks. It’s even rarer to beat them both. But on November 25, 2017, the atmosphere in Auburn was electric. You could feel it through the TV screen. Stidham played the game of his life, specifically on those third-down scrambles where he just refused to go down. The 26-14 victory over Nick Saban's Crimson Tide clinching the SEC West was peak Auburn. If you were in the stadium that day, you probably still have a piece of the sod in a jar somewhere.
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A Breakdown of the 2017 Results
- Georgia Southern: W, 41–7. (The warm-up)
- at Clemson: L, 6–14. (The sack-fest)
- Mercer: W, 24–10. (Way closer than it should have been)
- at Missouri: W, 51–14. (The turnaround)
- Mississippi State: W, 49–10. (The statement)
- Ole Miss: W, 44–23. (Dominance)
- at LSU: L, 23–27. (The heartbreak)
- at Arkansas: W, 52–20. (Back on track)
- at Texas A&M: W, 42–27. (The road test)
- Georgia: W, 40–17. (The blowout)
- Louisiana-Monroe: W, 42–14. (The trap game avoided)
- Alabama: W, 26–14. (The masterpiece)
- SEC Championship vs Georgia: L, 7–28. (The fatigue factor)
- Peach Bowl vs UCF: L, 27–34. (The letdown)
Why the Post-Iron Bowl Crash Happened
Success is exhausting. People often criticize the way the 2017 season ended—with a loss to Georgia in the SEC title game and a loss to UCF in the Peach Bowl—but they forget the physical toll that Auburn Tigers 2017 schedule took on the roster.
Kerryon Johnson was playing with a shoulder that was basically held together by tape and prayers by the time the SEC Championship rolled around.
When your offensive identity relies on a bell-cow back and he’s at 60% capacity, the whole system stalls. Georgia adjusted. They didn't let Stidham get comfortable in the rematch. Then there was the UCF game. To be fair, Scott Frost’s UCF team was legit, and they were playing like it was their Super Bowl. Auburn, meanwhile, was suffering from a massive emotional hangover after beating their two biggest rivals back-to-back.
It's easy to look at the 10-4 record and think it was just a "good" season. It wasn't. It was a historic outlier. No team had ever defeated two different teams ranked #1 in the CFP poll in the same season until Auburn did it. That feat alone makes the 2017 campaign one of the most statistically significant years in the modern era of the sport.
The Legacy of the 2017 Roster
The talent on this team was insane. You had Braden Smith on the offensive line, who has gone on to be a pillar for the Indianapolis Colts. On defense, the front four was a nightmare. Jeff Holland (aka "Sensei Muddy") was a pass-rushing specialist who didn't get nearly enough credit nationally. Carlton Davis was locking down half the field in the secondary.
The 2017 schedule forced these guys to grow up fast.
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The nuance of that season lies in the "what if." What if Kerryon doesn't get hurt against Alabama? Does Auburn win the SEC? Do they make the playoff? Honestly, if they were healthy, they could have beaten anybody in the country. They already proved that by beating the two teams that eventually played for the National Championship.
Practical Takeaways for SEC Historians
If you're looking back at the Auburn Tigers 2017 schedule to understand the current state of SEC football, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, the "Amen Corner" (Georgia and Alabama at the end of the year) is the most difficult scheduling quirk in college sports. Most teams get to build toward one big rivalry; Auburn has to peak twice in fourteen days.
Second, the 2017 season proved that Gus Malzahn’s system could work against elite defenses, provided he had a quarterback with a vertical arm. Jarrett Stidham changed the math for that offense.
Finally, don't let the four losses fool you. That was a top-five team that simply ran out of gas at the finish line.
Next Steps for Auburn Fans and Researchers:
- Review the Advanced Metrics: Check out the 2017 SP+ rankings. You’ll find that Auburn’s "strength of schedule" was consistently ranked in the top three nationally, which explains the late-season fatigue.
- Watch the Condensed Replays: If you want to see a masterclass in defensive line play, watch the 2017 Georgia game (the first one). Pay attention to the gap integrity and how they neutralized the Bulldogs' perimeter run game.
- Analyze the Coaching Shift: Note how the 2017 season led to Malzahn’s massive contract extension, a move that would define Auburn’s financial and coaching landscape for the next half-decade.