Alex Golesh knows that bowl eligibility is just the beginning for Auburn football.
Following the Tigers' resounding 41-9 win over Mississippi State, Golesh proved that he hears the Auburn family loud and clear.
"That's not the standard at Auburn," Golesh said of becoming bowl-eligible postgame. "We were hired here to go raise the standard in every imaginable way. I want to bring Auburn back to where Auburn people want it."
With the win, the Tigers have all but guaranteed seven wins, something the program hasn't achieved yet in the 2020s. It'd take a gargantuan upset loss to Samford next weekend at Jordan-Hare Stadium to undo the goodwill from this win in Starkville and the five wins that preceded it.
Don't look now, but 8-4 and CFP bubble conversations are now in the crosshairs, assuming Alabama has already clinched a CFP spot with nine wins heading into the Iron Bowl. The Tigers may be more fired up to win in Week 13 than the Crimson Tide, if making the CFP and avoiding the SEC Championship Game is on the table for Kalen DeBoer's program.
Gus Malzahn's nine-win campaign in 2019 was the last time Auburn was in such a position in the standings. Respect is back on a national level for this team after running a win-streak to two after dispatching of Arkansas last week.
Of course, a baseline level of respect isn't the goal here. The Tigers are not even two decades removed from a national championship. More could be achieved here.
That has to start somewhere, though. Golesh rebuilt the culture with many of the pieces who were working well at USF.
Now he just needs to get some tough decisions right in the coming months to keep the momentum going.
Auburn football must get personnel decisions right to continue rolling
Auburn is at a crossroads now. As great as this season has been, star quarterback Byrum Brown will be out of eligibility. This offense will need to find a new identity. The defense might too.
Does Golesh run it back with Joel Gordon and DJ Durkin? The Durkin decision may be above his pay grade, but there have been rumblings that Mike Norvell has recently been at practices on the Plains. Does Golesh upgrade from his friend Gordon to bring on a major name like Norvell?
Durkin is paid handsomely, but it's unclear if any other school would offer enough to poach him as defensive coordinator. You have to wonder if there'd be head coaching interest around the country at all.
These kinds of questions will define the offseason and the way forward. For now, Golesh and Co. could sit back and bask in the job well done, though not for too long.
There's one more major mission that must be accomplished before we crown the 2026 season a success.
It cannot be stressed enough that beating Alabama would make Golesh a hero in Lee County, Alabama, at the final whistle. A rival sweep in year one would be an unbelievable achievement.
How far this program has come after five nightmarish years is inspiring. So much is within reach after getting the job done against the easiest part of the conference slate in early November.
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