It's a big week for the Auburn Tigers. First-year head coach Alex Golesh has led his team to two victories to kick off the 2026 season, but this weekend's matchup will be a major test for the Tigers.
Auburn football will host the Florida Gators in Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time since 2011, and the Tigers' first performance against another SEC team will be telling for how the rest of the season will go.
Both Auburn and Florida hired a new coach during the offseason and are in year-one rebuilds, but the Gators have been touted as the more talented team. They're coming in hot as the predicted winner for a lot of analysts in the world of college football, many of whom point to their star running back as a gamechanger.
"This should be one of the SEC's most competitive games of the weekend, and the right team is favored here since the Gators have the best player on the field — running back Jadan Baugh," CBS Sports' Chris Hummer said. "The junior is averaging 10.6 yards per carry and has five touchdowns with consecutive 100-yard outings. Give him No. 3 in Week 3."
But the Auburn football defense may have something to say to Baugh this weekend. The Tigers' defense ranks 23rd in the country in rushing defense, hasn't allowed a rush of more than 12 yards and hasn't allowed a single rushing touchdown this season. Opponents have only totaled 153 rushing yards and an average of 2.2 yards per carry.
SEC Now's Dari Nowkhah agreed, commenting that the team with the most effective defense would likely emerge victorious.
“I think it’s intriguing,” he said. “Florida put on a show last week… You see Auburn, Alex Golesh bringing in that same go-go type of offense, Byrum Brown really explosive, Chas Nimrod can blow the top off the defense. Which defense can create the most takeaways, and then which one can contain the other team’s explosiveness, I think, is the keys to victory for each one of those teams.”
While Auburn had somewhat of a real first game against Baylor, Florida has only faced Florida Atlantic and Campbell to generate so much hype, and it's possible the Tigers are able to knock them down a peg or two.
The Tigers and the Gators will kick off in Jordan-Hare Stadium for a primetime 6 p.m. matchup on ESPN.
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