If Alex Golesh was waiting for a wake-up call that he’s now a head coach in the SEC, the new Auburn head coach might have received one on Thursday night when the Tigers’ 2026 schedule was released.
As with every SEC schedule, it is quite a gauntlet for Golesh, his coaching staff and players to survive, but that is life in this conference.
Here’s a breakdown of Auburn’s 2026 football schedule.
Opening season in Atlanta
I’ve written about it before, and I still disagree with Auburn’s decision to move the home-opener against Baylor to Atlanta, no matter the $5 million that the athletic department will receive in NIL. Sure, it will still be a home game for the Tigers, but neutral-site games are right at the top of my list of things ruining college football.
Of course, had the Baylor game stayed in Auburn, fans would be staring at four straight home games to start the season. Following the matchup against the Bears, the Tigers host Southern Miss before a tricky two-week stretch that includes Florida and Vanderbilt coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium.
It’s an early-season matchup between Golesh and Jon Sumrall, who was also in the running for the head coaching job at Auburn before taking the Florida position. And while Vanderbilt won’t have do-it-all Diego Pavia anymore, the Commodores have been building toward being a yearly contender under Clark Lea.
No home game for almost a month, with two tough matchups on the road
Golesh is probably thanking the schedulers that there is at least a bye week between the Tigers' trips to Knoxville and Athens for back-to-back games. Win one of these two games, and Auburn will have an extremely successful season. Beat Georgia for the first time since 2017, and Golesh will win mega fan support.
Welcome back, Bayou Bengals and Lane Kiffin!
Wasn’t it strange not seeing Auburn play LSU the past two years? That is fixed this season, and it comes after a doozy of a year for the Bayou Bengals, which is way too much to recap here. Anyway, Kiffin will come to Jordan-Hare Stadium with possibly a new dog and the same attitude and flair that make him both successful and despised.
Halloween at Ole Miss
If the Grove isn’t crazy enough, now imagine a home game for the Rebels against Auburn on Halloween.
Easier stretch heading into Iron Bowl
Arkansas will have no life under a new head coach, playing at Mississippi State is never easy, and Samford will come in looking for an in-state upset, but after the early-season grind, these three weeks look manageable as Golesh prepares for his first Iron Bowl.
Here is the complete schedule:
Sept. 5 – vs. Baylor (Atlanta)
Sept. 12 – SOUTHERN MISS
Sept. 19 – FLORIDA*
Sept. 26 – VANDERBILT*
Oct. 3 – at Tennessee*
Oct. 17 – at Georgia*
Oct. 24 – LSU*
Oct. 31 – at Ole Miss*
Nov. 7 – ARKANSAS*
Nov. 14 – at Mississippi State*
Nov. 21 – SAMFORD
Nov. 28 – at Alabama*
Home games in BOLD
*SEC games