Auburn’s season is still breathing, and that alone changes the mood around college football in Alabama.
After a wild weekend that shook up the national picture, Auburn remains in the playoff conversation, which is one of the biggest takeaways from all the chaos. Miami is now No. 1, Notre Dame and Georgia both lost, and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin may be sidelined for a while after injuring his shoulder.
Closer to home, the ripple effects are impossible to miss. Auburn has life heading into the fourth week of October, and that is not something anyone around the program has been able to say often. The Tigers’ win over Georgia has pushed this season into territory that feels different, and maybe a little surreal.
There is no time to sit on it, either. Auburn meets Lane Kiffin’s No.
22 LSU on Saturday, while Alabama tries to bounce back at home against struggling Texas A&M. It sets up a heavyweight weekend in college football.
The other major development comes off the field, at least for now: college football leaders have decided to expand the playoff to 24 teams for next season. That move is being framed as a huge step forward, and the argument from supporters is simple - more games, more teams, more chances, more chaos.
The case for expansion gets tied directly to what Auburn just did. The Tigers rebuilt their roster in the offseason, and after some early trouble, they finally appear to be coming together. The losses to Florida and Tennessee no longer look nearly as damaging after the Georgia win, and Auburn is still alive despite having two tough defeats.
That kind of survival is the whole point of the larger playoff argument. The idea is that more teams should stay in the race deeper into the season, and that wins should matter more than losses. Under that logic, a team like Auburn can lose early, regroup, and still have a path.
The same thinking stretches across the SEC. The conference now has a long list of teams still in the mix, with the count sitting at 11 for sure, and possibly three-loss South Carolina and Texas A&M as well. That kind of crowded field is exactly what makes the expanded format appealing to its supporters.
Auburn’s place in the rankings is another wrinkle. The Tigers are not ranked, but the case for them is easy to make from the source material: Auburn scored more points against Tennessee than Alabama did, beat Georgia in Athens, and Alabama lost to Georgia in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The question practically asks itself - should Auburn be ranked ahead of Alabama?
Still, the rankings do not reflect that result, which only adds to the sense that the national picture is too fluid to pin down right now. Guessing playoff teams this early is close to impossible, and the source argues that the uncertainty will only continue under the current system.
Supporters of expansion also see another benefit: more willingness to schedule ambitious nonconference games. The argument is that a 24-team playoff could make teams like Indiana more open to playing stronger out-of-conference opponents, and maybe even lead Alabama to stop canceling its home-and-homes against Power 4 teams.
For now, though, Auburn’s immediate reality is simple. The Tigers are still alive, still relevant, and still part of the playoff race going into a matchup with LSU. However the weekend turns out, one thing is clear: a team called the Tigers will be back in playoff contention.
In Other News...
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Charlotte and Miller agreed to a contract extension before the start of the 2026-27 season, keeping the franchise tied to one of its youngest building blocks for the long haul. The deal also puts him in a unique spot in Alabama basketball lore, giving him the biggest NBA payday ever for a former Tide player and underscoring just how quickly his profile has climbed since leaving Tuscaloosa. [Read more 🡒]
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Tennessee Just Made Alabama's Misery Impossible To Ignore
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The frustration spilled over quickly after the loss, with fans taking to The Paul Finebaum Show to vent about the coaching staff and the teams performance. Callers like Legend and Handsome Joe reflected the mood around the program, turning the radio segment into a loud referendum on decisions, execution and pride, the kind of public backlash that tends to follow a loss when a rivalry has stopped feeling familiar. [Read more 🡒]