Auburn’s upset of Georgia didn’t just shake up Week 7 - it flipped the season outlook in a big way.
ESPN’s Football Power Index now gives the Tigers a 96% chance to reach six wins, with Auburn projected at 7.2 victories and 4.8 losses. That’s a major shift from where the Tigers stood before knocking off the previously top-ranked Bulldogs, when the FPI had them trending toward a 5-7 finish.
The path ahead still isn’t simple. Auburn has LSU coming to Jordan-Hare this Saturday, then heads to Ole Miss on Halloween to close out October against a pair of difficult opponents. After that, the Tigers’ remaining slate includes Arkansas, Mississippi State, Samford and the annual Iron Bowl against Alabama.
The FPI breakdown shows why Auburn’s outlook changed so much after the Georgia win. Arkansas is projected as Auburn’s likeliest remaining victory at 84.4%, followed by Samford at 99% and Mississippi State at 57.2%. The Tigers are listed at 28.7% against LSU, 28.2% at Ole Miss and 17.2% at Alabama.
Before beating Georgia in Week 7, Auburn needed an upset somewhere down the line just to avoid a sixth straight losing season. Now, after taking down the Bulldogs, a winning season is back on the table.
ESPN’s season-by-season outlook has Auburn opening with a 17-16 win over Baylor, then topping Southern Miss 43-8 before falling to Florida 44-39. The Tigers followed that with a 21-15 win over Vanderbilt, then lost 24-14 at Tennessee before beating Georgia 27-24.
In Other News...
Auburns Georgia Stunner Carried An Emotional Twist Tigers Fans Will Love
Auburns win over No. 1 Georgia in Athens already stood out as one of the seasons biggest shocks, but the finish made it feel even more memorable. The Tigers snapped a long drought with their first victory in Athens since 2005 and their first over Georgia since 2017, and they did it with a last-minute 34-yard field goal that sent the visiting sideline into celebration.
Alex McPherson has been through far more than a pressure kick at the end of a rivalry game. The Auburn kicker battled inflammatory bowel disease and underwent surgery before returning to the field, and head coach Alex Golesh made sure he got the game ball afterward, praising his leadership and perseverance as much as the winning kick itself. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Still Has One Big Xavier Atkins Problem Heading Forward
Xavier Atkins was nowhere to be found when Auburn knocked off No. 1 Georgia on Saturday, and his absence was one of the quieter storylines inside an upset that will be remembered for a long time. The All-SEC linebacker has been central to what Auburn wants to do defensively, so losing him for a game of that magnitude only adds to the uncertainty around a unit that managed to come through anyway.
By Monday afternoon, there still was no update on Atkins status, leaving Auburn to carry the win while also waiting on one of its most important defenders. For a team that just took a major step forward, the lingering question is whether it can keep building on that momentum without knowing when one of its top playmakers will be back in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Is Already Answering Auburn's Biggest Rivalry Win
Auburns rivalry win over Georgia on the field may have landed with extra force, but the recruiting battle is already swinging back the other way. Christian Mays, the top-ranked JUCO defensive lineman in the 2027 cycle, officially decommitted from Tennessee and announced his commitment to Georgia on his personal social media account, giving the Bulldogs another highly regarded addition to their front.
Mays currently plays at Northeast Mississippi Community College and brings the kind of profile that can shift an early recruiting board fast. For Auburn, it is another reminder that one big moment in the rivalry does not end the bigger chess match, especially when Georgia is already making its move for one of the cycles most sought-after defensive linemen. [Read more 🡒]