There’s plenty of buzz around Auburn entering Alex Golesh’s first season, but the schedule is already throwing a hard punch.
Golesh has won over fans by leaning into Auburn’s culture and traditions, and he’s also given the program a boost on the recruiting trail. On top of that, he’s been working to blend a roster that has plenty of new faces. The biggest move, though, may be the one that gives Auburn a real answer at quarterback: Golesh brought Byrum Brown and several other former USF players with him, giving the Tigers continuity on offense while pairing it with what looks like a strong defense.
That combination has fueled optimism that Auburn can finally start climbing back.
Still, Seth Emerson of The Athletic sees one major roadblock standing in the way of a bigger Year 1 leap. He projects Auburn to finish 7-4 in 2026, with losses at Tennessee, at Georgia, at Ole Miss and at Alabama, plus another defeat at home against LSU.
"I’m bullish on Alex Golesh in his first year because he’s bringing his quarterback and much of the offense with him from South Florida and adding it to a ready-made SEC defense," Emerson writes. "The problem is that road schedule."
And it is a brutal one. Auburn will have to play both Georgia and Alabama on the road in the same season, something that happens because of the Tigers’ annual setup with those two rivals.
Georgia is ranked No. 3 in the AP Preseason Top 25 poll, Alabama sits at No. 13, Ole Miss checks in at No. 9 and Tennessee is No.
- That means each of Auburn’s projected road losses would come against a ranked opponent, even if some of those teams still have questions to answer before the season unfolds.
Golesh may have Auburn pointed in the right direction, and the offense should look sharper than it did a year ago. The Tigers should also have a clearer identity. But with that kind of week-to-week grind against ranked opponents, this still feels like a team that may need another year before talk of much more than a bowl game starts to make sense.
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Sean Payton has made it sound like the third-quarterback question is part of a broader roster puzzle, not a make-or-break item for the Broncos right now. For Auburn fans, though, the more interesting part is the shape of that quarterback group itself, especially with Nix expected to be a central figure and Stidham still in the mix after all the offseason chatter that once surrounded Denvers plans. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns 2026 Hype Just Got Real In One Key ESPN List
ESPNs latest top-100 college football players list gave Auburn a useful early glimpse at what first-year coach Alex Golesh is building, and it started with linebacker Xavier Atkins landing at No. 28. Atkins earned the nod after his first season as a starter following his transfer from LSU, a sign that his impact has already moved well beyond projection and into national respect. Quarterback Byrum Brown also made the cut at No. 88, giving Auburn a second presence on the list and a little more substance behind the buzz surrounding the Tigers 2026 outlook.
Browns inclusion matters for more than just name recognition, because ESPN pointed to his dual-threat skill set and his work in an up-tempo offense as reasons he belongs among the nations best. For Auburn, the pairing of Atkins and Brown on the same list hints at the kind of foundation Golesh is trying to establish in his first year, with both players expected to play major roles in the programs next step. The bigger question now is how quickly that potential turns into results once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Fans Just Got Plenty More To Brag About
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Auburn also came close in a pair of other familiar game-day categories, finishing second for best walk-out tradition and fourth for best marching band. For a fan base that already prides itself on atmosphere, pageantry and the full campus experience, the latest results only reinforce why Auburn has become such a tough place to top when the focus turns to college sports culture. [Read more 🡒]