The Auburn Tigers aren't being projected to do much during the 2026 season under first-year head coach Alex Golesh. That might be the sweet-spot, especially relative to other first-year head coaches around the SEC.
FOX Sports' RJ Young and Laken Litman believe LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss Rebels head coach Pete Golding are under the most pressure in the country to get off to a hot start this coming fall.
"This is his first head coaching gig, and he's following Lane Kiffin. Golding has already gotten a taste of what things are going to be like after stepping into the job early when he assumed the role during the Rebels' recent CFP run. Kiffin bolted for LSU right after the regular season, leaving Golding to figure things out when the lights were brightest. Ole Miss has a tough 2026 schedule — and hosts Kiffin and LSU in Oxford on Sept. 19. Winning that game will be crucial in keeping fans happy," Litman said of Golding.
"Kiffin left a program he led to its first CFP appearance — and arguably its best modern season — to take a job at a rival that had just fired its head coach and athletic director within three months of each other. LSU then paid Kiffin bonuses for each of Ole Miss’ CFP wins in 2025 while making him the second-highest-paid coach in the sport. Finally, the Tigers opened their checkbook to assemble the most expensive transfer portal class money could buy, highlighted by offensive tackle Jordan Seaton (Colorado) and quarterback Sam Leavitt (Arizona State). Opening with a record short of 4-0 — which would feature wins against Clemson, Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss and Texas A&M — is his only option," Young said of Kiffin.
Ole Miss did a lot more roster retention than expected and reeled in several blue-chips from the transfer portal on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, LSU, as Young mentioned, brought in the top quarterback and blindside tackle on the market and added them to a mix with elite receiving talent.
Those two opponents will be tough, but if they're facing heat for losing a game or two before late October, especially the Bayou Bengals, that internalized pressure could be Auburn's best exploitation possibility.
Alex Golesh is under plenty of pressure in first year in Auburn
It's not as though Golesh is without pressure. Quite the opposite, actually. FOX Sports' Michael Cohen noted as much. It's just that Golesh doesn't have the same expectations to reach the CFP or win titles.
With that said, Golesh does have high internal expectations. For him, offensive coordinator Joel Gordon, quarterback transfer Byrum Brown, and several other USF Bulls skill-position weapons who made their way to the Plains, this is a continuation of the work started in Tampa over the past few years.
AU will have a more finished product than a lot of first-year regimes, and that should help them win games they weren't expected to during the 2026 College Football season. Knowing that, Tiger fans are likely to twist themselves up into thinking Auburn is due to win big.
Many in the family were likely to do that regardless. Hugh Freeze and Bryan Harsin couldn't kill the idea or the spirit of a hopeless romantic Auburn Tiger fan.