Did we get it right this time? That's probably the most-asked question among Auburn football fans heading into the 2026 season with the third new head coach since 2021. First it was a coaching problem, and then it was a quarterback problem, and everything has resulted in Auburn football having one of its worst stretches in decades.
There is renewed hope on the Plains this year with Alex Golesh in charge. The former South Florida head coach brought his talented quarterback, Byrum Brown, and the weight of turning around the Auburn football program seems to sit squarely on the shoulders of the pair.
Golesh has said all the right things and is tearing it up on the recruiting trail, but will those things translate to wins on the field? Everyone wants the Tigers to have a winning season and get back to being a highly competitive program, but if they want to compete for championships and really turn things around, Golesh and his team will need to tackle a major hurdle: beating Alabama and Georgia.
Louisiana Sports's Hunt Palmer pointed out that the Tigers have struggled more than anyone really wants to talk about against their two biggest rivals over the last decade. Despite the fact that Nick Saban is out and his replacement has lost eight games in two years and the fact that Georgia is not the super team it was several years ago, Auburn is still struggling.
"The problem is that Auburn has only beaten Georgia once in 13 years and Alabama twice in 12 years," writes Palmer. "Since the madness that was the Prayer in Jordan Hare and the Kick Six in 2013, Alabama and Georgia are a combined 22-3 against Auburn. That has to change for Auburn to achieve anything of significance."
It will be a tough year to turn things around. Golesh and the Tigers will face both Alabama and Georgia on the road this season. The last time Auburn beat Alabama in Bryant-Denny Stadium was with Cam Newton in 2010, and the last time the Tigers beat Georgia on their home turf was in 2005. Not to mention the fact that it's Golesh's first season on the Plains and first season working with a lot of the players and some of his coaching staff.
Alex Golesh has a big challenge in front of him, but from everything we've seen so far, he's ready to take it on. His first chance to set the tone will be against Baylor in Atlanta for the Tigers' opening weekend in September.
Add us as a preferred source on Google