GDW Analysis:
AUBURN: New Auburn football coach Alex Golesh understands the process of reviving the Tigers is going to take time.
Golesh was hired by the university Sunday after Auburn went through a painful 2025 schedule with 1 win in 8 SEC games and 5 & 7 for the season.
Through the now completed season, Auburn played hard. Victory was in the grasp multiple times in SEC games with battles vs. Missouri and Vanderbilt getting extended into overtime.
Very painful for the Tiger Nation to swallow was their 10 to 3 setback November 1 at Jordan Hare Stadium vs. a lowly Kentucky team.
Huge Freeze was fired the following day. CJ Durkin took over as the interim coach.
He stood strong in trying to direct the Tigers in SEC play. But Vanderbilt and Alabama added misery to the season.
A 27 to 20 loss against Alabama Saturday night was the case of not being able to get over the hump against a team that showed it very much more when the game went down to the wire.
Auburn's 2026 schedule for the Golesh era:
Three non conference games will start the Golesh era.
Auburn will play Baylor University September 5 inside Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Southern Mississippi visits the plains on September 12.
After a bye week, the Tigers face a state foe in Jacksonville State at Auburn September 26.
The SEC has approved a 9 game conference schedule.
Auburn will have Arkansas, Florida, LSU and Vanderbilt at home.
Road trips will be to Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Alabama.
As of right now, Auburn would be an underdog in 4 of the 5 road games in conference play.
The Tigers will face Arkansas, Florida and LSU with new head coaches in 2026.
Vanderbilt will be getting a lot of attention after a 10 & 2 regular season and possible college football playoff berth.
In the last 10 years, Auburn has endured one year of winning at least 10 games. That was in 2017 at 10 & 4, 7 & 1 in the SEC and Gene Chizik.
Since 2020, the Tigers have been a victor 33 times and lost 40 games.
Their season average in this span has been less than 6 and losing more than 6 games per season.
Golesh got South Florida to 9 & 3 in 2025 and a 6 & 2 record in the American Athletic Conference, 4th behind North Texas, Tulane and Navy.
Rome was not built in one day and it will take time for Golesh to sell his system to those who want to play for him at Auburn and the support of fans and boosters too.
Photo of Auburn RB Jeremiah Cobb scoring a TD in the 4th quarter of the Tigers' game November 29 vs. Alabama.
Photo courtesy of Auburn football.
