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Auburn football fans dreaming big but reality may hit hard

More than half of Auburn fans are expecting the Tigers to win seven-or-more games in Alex Golesh's first season.
ByBrian Stultz|
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Dec 3, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers head football coach Alex Golesh is introduced during the first half of a basketball game between the Auburn Tigers and NC State Wolfpack at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images
Dec 3, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers head football coach Alex Golesh is introduced during the first half of a basketball game between the Auburn Tigers and NC State Wolfpack at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | John Reed-Imagn Images

A new head coach brings new optimism for a football program, and boy, are Auburn fans optimistic about what Alex Golesh and his staff can do in their first season on the Plains.

In a poll conducted by the great people at Auburn Undercover, 36.9 percent of Auburn fans expect the Tigers to win eight games in 2026, while 26.04 percent predict a seven-win season.

And, if you want to believe it, an eye-popping 16.57 percent think Golesh and the Tigers will reach double digits in wins, with 15.04 percent predicting Auburn to just fall short at nine wins.

That’s a lot of belief for a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2020, when Gus Malzahn was roaming the sidelines in charge of the Tigers. Since then, Auburn has gone 6-7, 5-7, 6-7, 5-7 and 5-7 in what could arguably be the worst stretch in program history. 

Auburn fans are expecting a big season from the Tigers

But, there is reason to think that Golesh can get the Tigers over the hump quickly, especially as he brings in a dynamic offense that has many of the same pieces, including quarterback Byrum Brown, that made South Florida so dangerous last season, with the Bulls finishing third in total offense (488.7 yards per game) and fifth in scoring offense (40.5 points per game). 

Still, that kind of hype definitely surrounded the arrival of Hugh Freeze when he took the job in 2022 after turning around Liberty’s program and making them an offensive force. That experiment failed, and he was fired near the end of last season. And the hype for Bryan Harsin, who followed Malzahn as the Tigers’ head coach? It really never got off the ground.

If anything, the poll results show why Jordan-Hare Stadium continues to sell out for every game: Auburn fans are always positive that the Tigers will turn it around at any time, while also showcasing the impact Golesh has had during his short time on the Plains.

I think getting to a bowl game would be a successful season, and anything beyond that is icing on the cake. But, as we have seen in the past, Auburn is at its best when counted out. 

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