Auburn Football: Will the Tigers Make a Bowl in Alex Golesh's First Season?
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
The 2026 college football season marks a new era at Auburn with Alex Golesh taking over as head coach. Golesh arrives on the Plains after a successful three-year run at South Florida. Under his guidance, the Bulls went 23-15 from 2023-25, including a nine-win campaign in his final season. Golesh is no stranger to life in the SEC thanks to a two-year stint as an assistant at Tennessee from 2021-22.
Golesh thrived at building high-powered offenses and turned around South Florida in a short period of time. However, the going is even more challenging in the SEC. Auburn has posted five losing seasons in a row and won just three SEC games over the last two years. Golesh’s background on offense should bring instant improvement to a struggling Tigers’ attack, which will pair well with defensive coordinator DJ Durkin’s ability to build a standout group.
The ‘26 schedule is the first season for a nine-game SEC conference slate, which certainly complicates Golesh’s hopes of a quick turnaround. Also, the Tigers get Baylor in Atlanta for a neutral site affair to start the year on Sept. 5.
Will Auburn snap a streak of five seasons with a losing record and return to the postseason for the first time since ‘23? Athlon Sports debates:
Way-Too-Early 2026 Rankings: Top 25 | ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC
Auburn Football: Will the Tigers Make a Bowl in Alex Golesh’s First Season?
Steven Lassan
Yes. I’m buying stock in Auburn this offseason. I’m not expecting the Tigers to contend for the SEC title, but I do think this team reaches a bowl game in Golesh’s first year.
The new staff should immediately fix the program’s biggest issue over the last couple of seasons: A lackluster offense. Familiar faces will help Golesh fast-track improvement and ensure a smooth transition between schemes. Quarterback Byrum Brown arrives on the Plains after a dynamic career at USF under Golesh, with a couple of key receivers – Jeremiah Koger, Keshaun Singleton, Chas Nimrod, and Christian Neptune – also making the jump to the SEC. A revamped offensive line is my biggest concern for this group, but Brown’s transfer to Auburn already gives this unit one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC.
The defense returns only two starters, but coordinator DJ Durkin assembled one of the SEC’s top units last season. Confidence should be high on the Plains that he will find the right answers once again in ‘26.
The schedule features three winnable games – Baylor (Atlanta), Southern Miss, and Samford in non-conference play. Auburn needs to win three SEC contests to go bowling, which could come in the form of home games against Florida, Vanderbilt, Arkansas or a road trip to Mississippi State. There’s not a ton of wiggle room on this schedule. But I’ll take at least six wins and a bowl trip for Golesh in his Auburn debut.
Kyle Wood
I’ll take the Tigers to end their two-year bowl drought, but it’s going to be close. Auburn projects to be favored in roughly half of its games, so there’s very little margin for error in Golesh’s debut as an SEC head coach.
September is arguably the most pivotal stretch on the path to bowl eligibility. Between the opener against Baylor and visits from Southern Miss, Florida and Vanderbilt, the Tigers have a chance to start out 3-1 — maybe even 4-0. Things get a lot harder from October on, though. Auburn only has three home games the rest of the way. Its best chance at finding three more wins is in November with games against Arkansas, at Mississippi State and back home against FCS Samford. Golesh does not want to be 5-6 heading into the Iron Bowl at Alabama.
The Tigers’ offensive woes should be alleviated with the arrival of a large portion of one of the most efficient groups in college football. USF ranked No. 5 in points per game (40.5) and No. 3 in total offense (488.7) in 2025. And Brown seemingly singlehandedly upset the Gators a season ago in the Swamp. That side of the ball — assuming a rebuilt offensive line comes together quickly — looks ready for the rigors of the SEC. There’s much more turnover on defense, particularly up front. All-SEC linebacker Xavier Atkins is a good foundational piece for Durkin’s defense, but he’ll be surrounded by nine new starters. And unlike on offense, they didn’t all follow Golesh over from USF.
Positive regression in one-score games should do Auburn well, too. The Tigers went 0-6 in one-score games last season, including two overtime losses to top-25 teams. Even marginally better outcomes in those tossup games should be enough put this team over the top.
Related: SEC Football: Way-Too-Early 2026 QB Rankings
Related: SEC Football: Spring 2026 Power Rankings
Related: 6 Must-See College Football Revenge Games in 2026
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos