Expectations at Auburn are usually on the higher side, with fans expecting the Tigers to be in competition for SEC championships on the norm. Those expectations haven’t been met in some time, especially over the past five seasons, when Auburn has finished with losing records.
So, what is expected of Alex Golesh in his first season on the Plains? In his post-spring rankings of the SEC, CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford isn’t expecting the Tigers to make a run at a conference title or spot in the College Football Playoffs.
The college football analyst has Auburn at No. 12 in his rankings, below South Carolina and Missouri. His reasoning? It’s hard to totally transform a program in the SEC in just one season.
CBS Sports has Auburn 12th in its post-spring rankings
“This post-spring placement isn't a dismissal of Auburn's talent. It's recognition that the Tigers remain in the early stages of an identity reset in a league that punishes transitional programs. Alex Golesh arrives with an offensive reputation built on tempo, spacing and quarterback efficiency, but Year 1 in the SEC is rarely smooth -- especially at a place where expectations move faster than roster development.”
While Crawford’s statement is true, we have seen magical things happen in an Auburn coach’s first season. You just have to go back to 2013, when Gus Malzahn – another coach who built his reputation on a fast-paced and explosive offense like Golesh – turned the conference and college football on its head by leading the Tigers to the BCS National Championship Game. Malzahn did it with a new quarterback, but he also had an experienced offensive line.
The Tigers being 12th in the rankings might be more about what they have done on the field over the past five years, when Bryan Harsin and Hugh Freeze failed to turn the program around. Now, it’s up to Golesh to get the ball rolling the right way, and if he’s able to put together a winning season in his first year, it would go a long way in building the program back to where it belongs.
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