Auburn plummets in USA TODAY re-rank following loss to Florida

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Auburn football's stock in the latest USA TODAY 1-138 re-rank has fallen following its Week 3 loss to Florida.

The Tigers lost to the visiting Gators by just five points, but slow starts in the 1st and 3rd quarters and poor defensive execution throughout the game ultimately led to Auburn's first loss under first-year head coach Alex Golesh. Auburn's loss in its first SEC game has caused its spot in Paul Myerberg's weekly update to drop. This week, Auburn is No. 44 in Myerberg's ranking, down eight spots from their No. 36 ranking ahead of Week 3.

Despite its ranking drop, Auburn has made significant progress this season in the USA TODAY re-rank. Alex Golesh's Tigers began the season ranked No. 63 and jumped to No. 39 after defeating Baylor in Week 1. Auburn then moved to No. 36 after its Week 2 win over Southern Miss before taking a step back this week.

Auburn's Week 4 opponent, Vanderbilt, checks in at No. 34 after defeating NC State as time expired in the 4th quarter last Saturday. Vanderbilt holds a two-game winning streak over the Auburn Tigers, and Auburn would love nothing more than to take down the Commodores and to even the overall series record to 23-23-1. An Auburn win would more than likely push the Tigers back into the top 30 of Myerberg's weekly ranking.

Auburn and Vanderbilt meet on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. CT on SEC Network from Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn plummets in USA TODAY re-rank following loss to Florida

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