The 2026 football season is right around the corner, and as the SEC transitions to a schedule with nine conference games, the Auburn Tigers are set to face conference foes they haven't played in several years.
It's set to be a slightly unpredictable season for the Tigers as they undergo their first year under new head coach Alex Golesh and adjust to new schemes and staff. Still, with the amount of overlap from Golesh's South Florida games combined with the talent on the roster and the high ceiling of Byrum Brown, a good season is not out of the question for Auburn football.
On Halloween, the Tigers are set to travel to Oxford, Mississippi, for the first time since 2022, and according to Brad Crawford of CBS Sports, things could get scary for the Rebs.
"Assuming the Rebels are back in the CFP hunt under Pete Golding around Week 8 next season, a home bout with Auburn and new Tigers coach Alex Golesh comes at a strange time on the schedule," Crawford wrote. "Sandwiched between campaign-defining matchups with Texas and Georgia, a slip-up in Oxford is possible.
"The Rebels have only beaten Auburn twice in the last decade -- during the 2022 and 2023 seasons with Lane Kiffin calling the shots -- and the Tigers could pose potential problems defensively with dynamic South Florida signal caller Byrum Brown taking over as QB1. He's a top-five quarterback in the conference this fall, and there won't be any additional time to prepare for what Auburn brings to the table, following a visit with Arch Manning the previous weekend and Kirby Smart thereafter. An upset loss to Auburn in this spot for Ole Miss would damage the program's CFP outlook and could derail the second half of the campaign."
Auburn football is set to begin spring practices next week.