Alex Golesh made it clear after Auburn upset Georgia 27-24 in Athens that the rebuild on the Plains was nowhere close to complete.
“I just want to get this program, and I think we all want to get this program back to where you expect to come in and win these games,” Golesh said postgame. “And that’s why I don’t want to make it bigger or smaller than what it is."
Golesh made sure to note that one win doesn't mean the mission is accomplished.
Before the season kicked off, he talked about how building winning habits means more than individual game results.
Las Vegas oddsmakers understand that concept.
It's why they didn't overreact to the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry upset ahead of Auburn's Week 8 clash with LSU at home.
Oddsmakers still tab Auburn as heavy underdog vs. LSU
Auburn is at least a 5.5-point underdog, with as high as a -7-point underdog, at the spread for a date with LSU at Jordan-Hare Stadium this coming weekend.
*Odds, lines, and point spreads are subject to change and fluctuate without notice based on market conditions, betting volume, or new information.*
Clearly, one win, even over the No. 1 team in the country on the road, hasn't convinced oddsmakers that Auburn is a dominant program.
Because AU isn't. Not yet, anyway.
Lane Kiffin's squad has a much higher talent level among its starters. Of course, LSU has just as many losses, but Ole Miss and Kentucky are shaping up to be among the best teams in the conference this season.
In Auburn's defense, Tennessee may not be far behind them, and Florida also isn't too steep a drop-off from that.
Still, the Bayou Bengals came into the season with CFP expectations and are one loss away from losing that dream in October.
Some might say that pressure gives a footloose, fancy-free, and happy-to-be-4-2 Auburn the advantage.
Others might say that this is where the wheat and the chaff are separated.
At least going into this one, there's no need to overreact to the UGA victory and believe Auburn is on LSU's level.
Besides, it'd take all the fun out of a potential upset on the Plains, anyway.
This is right where Auburn wants the college football world: not believing the hype and writing them off.
We'll see what happens next after a potential paradigm shift on Saturday afternoon in northeast Georgia.
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