Auburn’s 2026 schedule is a gauntlet, and the SEC slate looks especially brutal on paper. Still, there are a few spots where the Tigers are projected to have the upper hand, even after a 2025 season that brought only one conference win.
The most manageable of those games may come against Vanderbilt. The Commodores’ recent surge is expected to stall in 2026, especially after their Heisman runner-up quarterback left for the NFL.
In his place is a true freshman, and while the upside is there, the adjustment to SEC football is expected to take time. Auburn, meanwhile, found its best offensive outing of last season against Vanderbilt despite fielding one of its worst offenses in recent memory.
With Alex Golesh now in charge of the offense, the Tigers are expected to cause problems for a Vanderbilt defense that could be vulnerable while the Commodores try to settle in behind a young quarterback.
Arkansas also looks like a favorable matchup for Auburn. The Tigers beat the Razorbacks last year even while limping into that game and changing quarterbacks midway through.
Since then, Arkansas has moved on from Sam Pittman and hired Ryan Silverfield, another first-year SEC head coach. The Razorbacks are widely viewed as one of the weakest rosters in the conference, and Auburn’s offense should be better than it was a year ago.
Even if the Tigers end up scraping by again, this is the kind of game that could easily be their lone SEC win if things go sideways.
The third game on that list comes against Mississippi State. If Auburn gets past Arkansas the week before, it would carry momentum into a matchup with a Bulldogs team that has not posted a winning season since 2022.
Mississippi State has looked like Auburn’s mirror image in recent seasons: a stronger offense, but a weaker defense. Auburn is expected to have one of the SEC’s best defenses in 2026, and if the Tigers can slow the Bulldogs’ offense or get enough from their own attack, they should be in solid position.
The wrinkle is that the game will be played in Starkville, which adds another layer to a matchup between two scrappy SEC teams.
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For Auburn, the appeal goes beyond one standout recruit. Johnson-Cook is part of a backfield class that is shaping up to be loaded, giving the Tigers a chance to stockpile talent at a position that can change the direction of an offense fast. If the early rankings are any indication, Auburn may not just be adding depth in 2027, but building a group that could make the backfield one of the programs most intriguing strengths. [Read more 🡒]