Auburn’s season took a hit with the 38-17 loss to LSU on Saturday, but the Tigers are still in position to make Alex Golesh’s first year look plenty respectable.
The headline win over No. 1 Georgia on the road changed the temperature around this team in a hurry, and the LSU result cooled it right back off.
Still, with five games left, Auburn is not staring at a lost season. At 4-3, the Tigers still have a path to 7-5, and that’s the most realistic landing spot from here.
What remains on the schedule gives Auburn a chance to get there without needing another stunner. Ole Miss and Alabama are the games where the Tigers would be underdogs, but Arkansas, Mississippi State and Samford all offer real openings to add wins.
Arkansas comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium, and that one looks very much like a game Auburn can handle. Samford is the kind of matchup Auburn should win.
Mississippi State may end up being the most interesting of the three. Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor has been dealing with a turf toe injury, and if he can’t go when Auburn heads to Starkville, the Tigers’ chances improve quickly. Mississippi State has had offensive issues without him, which could give Auburn another SEC win if the situation stays that way.
None of that means the rest of the stretch is simple. Auburn has had trouble at home this season, and these games still have to be played. But the Georgia upset showed the Tigers can beat SEC competition, and it also bought them some breathing room.
That win matters because it gave Auburn some margin for error. The loss to LSU was frustrating, but it doesn’t erase what the Tigers have already done this season, or the fact that they’ve shown they can recover after setbacks. Auburn can still surprise Ole Miss or Alabama, but those are not the games that should define the rest of the year.
If the Tigers take care of Arkansas, Mississippi State and Samford, they finish the regular season 7-5. That would leave Golesh with a shot at eight wins if Auburn can add a bowl victory. It would also mean extra practice time for younger players like Tristan Tia and Tai Buster as the program looks ahead to 2027.
For Auburn, the formula is straightforward now. The Tigers don’t need another headline-grabbing upset. They just need to win the games they still have a real chance to win.
In Other News...
Pete Golding Just Framed Auburns Biggest Opening Against Ole Miss
Pete Golding spent the lead-up to Week 9 zeroing in on the problem Auburn has become for opposing defenses, and it starts with Byrum Brown. The Ole Miss head coach pointed to the Tigers veer-and-shoot look as a real test of spacing, stressing how Browns ability to threaten defenses as both a passer and a runner forces snap-by-snap answers from a defense trying to stay sound.
For Auburn, the interesting part is how much the matchup may hinge on whether Ole Miss can live in man coverage and still commit enough bodies to the box without getting burned elsewhere. Golding also framed the game as a major one for the Rebels College Football Playoff chase, which only adds to the tension in a conference where every edge matters and Auburns offense has a chance to make the entire discussion uncomfortable. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Faces A Major Test Against Ole Miss' Red-Hot Quarterback
Ole Miss comes into the matchup with a quarterback Auburn has plenty of reason to circle on the scouting report. Trinidad Chambliss has been one of the SECs most productive passers this season, leading the league in passing yards per game and total touchdowns while giving the Rebels a steady offensive pulse that has forced defenses to stay on their heels.
Auburn coach Alex Golesh singled out Chambliss footwork and composure in the pocket ahead of the game, a telling acknowledgment of how polished the challenge looks. For Auburns defense, the task is less about chasing raw numbers and more about finding a way to disrupt a quarterback who has been operating with confidence and control at the highest level of the conference. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Has A New Reason To Watch Tahaad Pettiford Closely
Auburn has another clear reason to keep a close eye on Tahaad Pettiford this fall, with the guard earning a spot on the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year preseason watch list. After emerging as one of the Tigers most productive backcourt pieces last season, Pettiford enters the new year with the kind of recognition that usually comes with bigger expectations.
He already has more than 1,000 career points and 258 assists through two seasons, and Auburn will lean on that experience as it tries to get back to the NCAA Tournament. Pettifords playmaking and scoring touch were central to Auburns NIT Championship run, and the Tigers are counting on him to be even more important if they want this next step to feel like a return rather than a rebuild. [Read more 🡒]