SEC · Alex Golesh, year 1 (2-1) · Jordan-Hare Stadium · 87,451 · 88,043 avg in 2026
LastL 39–44 vs Florida · Sat Sep 19 · Byrum Brown 271 pass yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Nextvs Vanderbilt · Sat Sep 26 · 4:15 pm ET · Jordan-Hare Stadium · Auburn by 9.5 · series 21-20-1, lost the last 2 · Game preview
Updated Tue Sep 22 · through week 3
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 5 | #71 | #33 | -6.5✗ | Baylor (N) | W 17–16 175 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Sep 12 | #70 | #57 | -32.5✓ | Southern Miss | W 43–8 142 | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 19 | #63 | #21 | +2.5✗ | Florida | L 39–44 142 | 2-1 | 0-1 |
| 4 | Sep 26 | #60 | #42 | -9.5 | Vanderbilt | |||
| 5 | Oct 3 | #58 | #22 | @Tennessee | ||||
| 7 | Oct 17 | @Georgia | ||||||
| 8 | Oct 24 | LSU | ||||||
| 9 | Oct 31 | @Ole Miss | ||||||
| 10 | Nov 7 | Arkansas | ||||||
| 11 | Nov 14 | @Mississippi State | ||||||
| 12 | Nov 21 | Samford | ||||||
| 13 | Nov 28 | @Alabama |
| Date | Opp | Result | Yds | TO | TOP | EPA/play | Success% | Explosive% | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19 | Florida | L 39–44 | 373 | 1 | 20:44 | +0.167 | 43.3% | 145.7% | Most explosive |
| Sep 12 | Southern Miss | W 43–8 | 610 | 1 | 32:49 | +0.293 | 51.8% | 118.7% | Season-high EPA/play |
| Sep 5 | Baylor | W 17–16 | 389 | 3 | 27:28 | +0.028 | 38.7% | 116.0% | Season-low EPA/play |
| Season average (3 games) | 457 | 1.7 | +0.163 | 44.6% | 126.8% | ||||
Auburn is the program that lives in the same state, recruits the same ground, and refuses the role the rivalry tries to assign it — now on its fourth coach in a decade, betting an offense-minded outsider can finally cash the resources in.
Auburn fans know exactly what the ledger says across the state and refuse to wear the role it implies; the chip is that the same recruiting ground and the same league bid go to two programs, and one…
The season in chapters
What fans said
Real posts from the day of the game, chosen by community score · usernames not shown
What it is like to watch them2025 · 5-7 · last season
✓ measured from 12 games · ranks are among SEC teams the same season
Recent form · last 10 games · incl. 2025
Mixed. 4-6 over the last 10, and lost the last one.
We took six times the amount of bets on Michigan moneyline compared with Western Michigan
Next Sep 26
vs Vanderbilt · at home
✓ fact on line · ~ our read on style
Market outlook
Sportsbook consensus · best odds across multiple books · 2026-09-22
the open questionis the portal class enough to move the needle?
Hugh Freeze's top-3 SEC portal class diagnoses Auburn's QB and pass-rush problems with Brown and Womack, but 22% production returning means this is a reset.
our readfront page
Golesh inherits a 5-7 roster and a 22% production return at Auburn, where the program's third head coach in five years must prove the SEC West's scheduling dilemma isn't a recurring crisis.
our readdeveloping
Hugh Freeze inherits a 5-7 losing record at Auburn, where the SEC West cannot schedule around the program, as coordinator changes reshape units and confidence builds slowly.
our readdeveloping
Hugh Freeze inherits a 5-7 losing record at Auburn, where the SEC West cannot schedule around the program, raising questions about his ability to restore consistency in his third season.
our readdeveloping
Perry Thompson is used almost exclusively underneath -- a low share of his targets are downfield shots.
our readbackground
Outcome band · Auburn · 2026
Floor, base and ceiling come from the season-path projection, which plays out conference title games and the CFP — so a ceiling can run past 12 games.
Auburn signed a top-4 transfer-portal class — 39 additions headlined by Byrum Brown (QB) from South Florida and Tristan Ti'a (QB) from Oregon State. It is a top-3 portal class in the SEC this cycle. Portal pickups are proven college players — the split isn't about development, it's about whether they fit the scheme and win their position battles. Coverage is split on whether volume or positional fit is the bigger story.
The off-field storyline driving the noise right now. Not analysis — the soap opera, and that's the point.
The 'portal class fills the gaps' believers -- upgrades at real positions of need.
The 'portal is a gamble' counter -- departure losses and the 'plug-and-play doesn't work' read.
This event was in 244 of 6200 board posts (4%) over the last 60 days — engaged but not consumed. Fan text shown verbatim, attributed to the community not the individual poster.
Board health this week (951 posts): 11% positive · 32% neutral · 57% negative. Team-level weekly mood — not specific to this event. The boards ≠ the fanbase: a self-selected vocal slice.
The optimistic read: momentum, and the 'this is real' takes.
The analytical counter: rankings, results, and 'the hype is ahead of the tape' takes.
This event was in 726 of 6200 board posts (12%) over the last 60 days — a fanbase consumed by it. Fan text shown verbatim, attributed to the community not the individual poster.
Board health this week (951 posts): 11% positive · 32% neutral · 57% negative. Team-level weekly mood — not specific to this event. The boards ≠ the fanbase: a self-selected vocal slice.
Fan mood index · most recent r/cfb data
More in this tab
Auburn is the program the SEC West cannot schedule around.
The program ledger
since 2025Auburn LB out for season
Already burning through 5 NFL exits, Auburn can't afford a linebacker room that starts thinning in August — Golesh inherited a depth problem and the injury just made it a starting-lineup problem.
Auburn projects Week 1 depth chart
Five NFL exits plus a #31 class trying to hold the line — Golesh's Week 1 depth chart tells us if that EDGE pressure hole got patched or just papered over.
Auburn releases depth chart update
Golesh's depth chart drops with EDGE still the loudest question mark — five NFL exits left real starter gaps, and the 247 recruiting grade on that room isn't reassuring yet.
Auburn-Baylor NIL deal announced
Freeze is locking in NIL infrastructure while Alabama flips his own in-state targets — the Baylor partnership is Auburn answering a retention problem, not just a recruiting one.
Auburn provides injury report ahead of fall camp
Camp injury report lands right as Golesh makes his Auburn debut and the EDGE room already has pressure — any depth hit there matters more than usual with five NFL exits still on the books.
Karlos May commits to Big Ten
Five NFL exits plus a four-star DL lost to Ohio State — May heading to the Big Ten is another chip off a class that needed every piece to hold together under real EDGE pressure.
Top 3 commits
Recruiting Footprint · 2026
AL leads the 2026 class with 6 commits. National footprint reaching 7 states.
Where they recruit · 2023-2026
93 signees across 15 states, 2023-2026. AL leads the pull.
That is 8.5% of every high-school FBS signee AL produced over those cycles — second only to Troy, 3 signees back. The full map →
Miles from home · 2026 roster
The median Auburn player grew up 237 miles from campus.
Half this roster came from closer than that; half came from farther.
Straight-line distance from each player's listed hometown to Jordan-Hare Stadium. Hometowns are placed at city-centroid precision, not street address — fine at this scale, but a player's true door-to-door number can differ by a few miles. 108 of 113 listed players have a geocoded hometown. Source: CFBD roster hometowns.
Top community posts · last 12 months · r/cfb
Fan confidence in a typical range for this program right now
53rd percentile among FBS programs
Converting 25% of pass disruptions into takeaways — well above the ~19% league rate.
4 interceptions of 16 disrupted passes (12 deflected, 4 intercepted), 2026 only.
Winning the penalty battle: 22 penalties committed vs. 32 drawn on opponents, a 78-yard edge.
185 penalty yards committed vs. 263 drawn on opponents, 2026 season total.
Outcome band · Auburn · 2026
Recruiting Footprint · 2026