Auburn’s 2026 schedule already looks crowded with ranked teams, and that picture didn’t change much after Week 1. All five opponents the Tigers were set to meet that were listed in the preseason AP Poll stayed inside the top 25 in the Week 2 rankings: Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU and Alabama.
Georgia made the biggest move among that group. After rolling Tennessee State 63-3, the Bulldogs climbed from No. 3 to No. 2, jumping Oregon, which slipped to No.
- Georgia is set to host Western Kentucky next weekend.
LSU also surged after its huge win over Clemson and Lane Kiffin’s debut in Baton Rouge. The Tigers rose three spots from No. 11 to No. 8, moving ahead of Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. LSU’s next game is against Louisiana Tech.
Ole Miss stayed put at No. 9 despite a tight one on neutral ground against Louisville. The Rebels edged Louisville 41-38 and now turn to Charlotte in Week 2.
Alabama moved up one spot to No. 12 after beating East Carolina 48-10 in Tuscaloosa, a game played in one of the hottest conditions on record. The Tide passed Texas Tech in the process and head on the road to Kentucky next.
Tennessee rounded out Auburn’s ranked opponents in the poll, rising two places to No. 18 after a 56-9 win over Furman. The Volunteers jumped Washington and will face Georgia Tech this weekend.
As for Auburn, the Tigers’ 17-16 win over Baylor earned them only two votes in the Week 2 AP Poll. Arizona State and Vanderbilt also received two votes. Boise State was the first team left out with 86 votes, followed by Florida with 83.
In Other News...
Auburn Just Lost A Former Blue-Chip Safety Before The 2026 Season
Auburns secondary took another hit ahead of the 2026 season with the departure of safety Jacoby Mathews, a former Texas A&M standout and five-star recruit whose college career never quite settled in at his new stop. Mathews had transferred to Auburn with plenty of pedigree, but he struggled to carve out meaningful playing time in a deep defensive backfield and appeared in only one game last season.
For Auburn, the loss is less about one players production and more about the depth chart it leaves behind. The Tigers had enough talent in the secondary to make snaps hard to come by, but every exit tightens the margin for error as the program heads into a new season and tries to sort out who will be ready to step into bigger roles. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Fans Should Watch This SEC Fight Very Closely
The SECs schedule may already be getting rattled before the conference season really settles in, and Auburn fans have a reason to keep an eye on the LSU-Ole Miss game set for September 19. A conference stakeholder told Yahoo Sports that the matchup could be canceled or shifted into a non-conference game, a sign of how much uncertainty is swirling around LSU and the leagues next move.
For Auburn, the intrigue is less about that one date than what comes after it. A vote by SEC presidents and chancellors would help determine whether the Tigers longtime league rival stays in the conference picture at all, while LSU has also reportedly passed on adding two former NFL players to its roster. Until the decision is made, the whole situation hangs over the SEC like a very real test case for how far the league is willing to go. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Cain Just Gave Auburn A New Weapon To Watch
Bryce Cain did a little bit of everything in Auburns season-opening 17-16 win over Baylor, and that was exactly the point. The receiver-turned-all-purpose contributor showed up on special teams and offense, making a key punt coverage tackle before breaking free on a 25-yard reverse that helped set up a touchdown. It was the kind of opener that can quickly turn a role player into someone worth tracking every week.
Auburn coach Alex Golesh has already noticed the versatility, with Cain also spending time working at defensive back and flashing the sort of playmaking presence that can travel in different spots. For a team that needed every edge it could find in a one-point game, Cains early imprint stood out, and the bigger question now is how much more Auburn can ask him to handle as the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]