Auburn’s first SEC home win since 2024 gave the Tigers something tangible to hang onto, even if the performance itself wasn’t exactly a highlight reel. The win over Vanderbilt got Auburn back in the league race, but the road ahead is brutal, with six remaining opponents currently sitting in the AP Top 25 and three of them in the top 10.
Right now, Auburn is tied for sixth in the SEC at 1-1, alongside LSU and Ole Miss. Both of those teams are already on Auburn’s schedule later this season. LSU sits at 1-1 after beating Texas A&M and losing to Ole Miss, while Ole Miss is also 1-1 after beating LSU and falling to Florida.
Auburn’s own league start is built the same way: a win over Vanderbilt and a loss to Florida. That defeat looked one way when it happened, but Florida’s recent surge has made it carry a little more weight. The Gators have since climbed to a top-15 spot in the AP Poll, which only adds to the sting for Auburn.
Above the Tigers in the SEC standings are Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi State, all of them 2-0 in conference play. Some of those teams have already crossed paths with Auburn, and others still will. Texas is also ahead of the Tigers at 1-0 after its win over Tennessee last weekend, though Auburn and Texas are not set to meet this season.
Below Auburn are the SEC teams still searching for an in-conference win: 0-2 South Carolina and Texas A&M, plus 0-1 Missouri, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Auburn did hand Vanderbilt one of those losses, and the Tigers still have Tennessee and Arkansas left on the schedule. Tennessee is the more immediate measuring stick.
The Vols have played just one SEC game so far, a 20-17 loss to No. 2 Texas.
That matchup arrives fast enough. Auburn and Tennessee are set for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN, and a win there would give the Tigers a cleaner look inside the SEC race as the schedule starts to tighten.
In Other News...
Former Auburn Captain Rips Shane Beamer Over SEC Discipline Drama
South Carolinas handling of Dylan Stewarts outburst against Alabama has become a bigger talking point than the game itself, and former Auburn captain Chandler Wooten has jumped right into the middle of it. After the EDGE was suspended indefinitely by Shane Beamer, Wooten publicly said the punishment did not go far enough, adding another layer to a situation that already put the Gamecocks under an uncomfortable spotlight.
It was the kind of incident that can linger long after the final whistle, especially when it involves on-field punches, an argument with coaches and a head coach trying to manage the fallout in public. For Auburn fans, Wootens criticism also lands with some weight because he knows the SEC landscape well, and his comments only deepen the sense that South Carolina is dealing with more than a simple discipline issue. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Nix Delivered In Prime Time When Denver Needed Him Most
Bo Nix has already given Denver a signature moment this season, and he did it under the lights when the Broncos needed it most. In Sunday nights 30-26 win over the Rams, the former Auburn quarterback threw two touchdown passes and then finished the job himself with a game-winning sneak in the closing seconds, capping a comeback that had the stadium leaning on every snap.
Nix talked afterward about the comeback and the final drive, the kind of postgame reflection that usually follows a young quarterbacks first true late-game test. Denver gets a short turn of the page now, with the 49ers up next, but this was the sort of prime-time finish that can change how a team and a quarterback carry themselves the rest of the way. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns First Road Test Comes With Real SEC Pressure
Auburns first true road test of the season comes with plenty of familiar SEC weight, and it lands in a place that holds some added meaning for head coach Alex Golesh. The Tigers are set to visit No. 17 Tennessee, a team that is trying to steady itself after a recent loss to Texas, and the trip sends Golesh back to Knoxville, where he previously worked as the Volunteers offensive coordinator.
The matchup also puts Auburn in front of another true freshman quarterback, Tennessees Faizon Brandon, which gives the Tigers a new version of a challenge they have already seen recently. For Auburn, it is the kind of early conference road game that can shape the mood around a season, especially with the noise, speed and pressure that come with playing in the SEC away from home. [Read more 🡒]