Paul Finebaum’s opinion of Auburn hasn’t changed much since the loss to Penn State, but the ceiling for the Tigers has in his mind.

The SEC Network commentator was a guest on WJOX out of Birmingham, Alabama and the show “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” where he shared his outlook for the Tigers now that they moved past their marquee non-conference game of the season.

“I wasn’t surprised they lost, I thought they put themselves in position to win,” Finebaum said. “Now again, we’ll save our oxygen on the conditions there as well. I still feel pretty good about this team. But I thought it was a chance to win a game, they didn’t get it.”

The Tigers get Georgia State this week before SEC play opens with games at LSU, against Georgia and against Arkansas before the bye week.

“The problem for Auburn now is the most obvious, it’s the schedule,” Finebaum said. “They are just littered with extremely difficult games, and I’m still not convinced this is going to be a great season. It can be a good season, but they really needed that Penn State win, guys, to have something of significance. That typical first-year Auburn coach brilliance that we’ve seen a few times in the past, from (Gus) Malzahn and even Terry Bowden, but didn’t quite see it under Tommy Tuberville and Gene Chizik. I’m no more pessimistic about Auburn, but I don’t come away thinking this is going to be a vintage Auburn season.”

Similarly, Finebaum’s view of Bryan Harsin is about the same.

“I’ve liked him from the beginning,” he said. “I’ve had great respect for him in the past. Cole, you can look at a game like this and pick your spots, but I think overall, he had his team prepared to play in a very difficult place, and I still think he’s capable of good things with a few more players on that roster.”