Tonight, Auburn opens up SEC play with, in many ways, a must-win matchup against Florida at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Urban Meyer had a very good explanation for why a Week 3 game is so critical for two first-year SEC head coaches, Alex Golesh and Jon Sumrall.
As Meyer explained on FOX's Big Noon Kickoff show, the honeymoon ends with a loss for either of these teams.
The Tigers are 2-0 with wins over Baylor and Southern Miss, but Auburn fans aren't sold on Golesh's program just yet. The offensive line play has been a major sore spot, as it's been for years. This year, the issues are mainly in the interior.
On the flip side, the Gators haven't played a tough opponent yet, owning wins over Florida Atlantic and Campbell. Meyer admitted as much on the broadcast before predictably picking Florida to win on the road.
Alex Golesh can make believers out of Auburn by beating Florida
Barely beating the Bears in Atlanta Week 1 did very little for Tiger fans. Safety Eric Winters saved Auburn on the failed Baylor two-point conversion in the closing seconds, but Golesh's tenure nearly started with historic disappointment.
Tiger fans don't have high hopes for the rest of the season right now. Many are forgoing the road trips and selling tickets to combat the crippling economy.
A win over UF would have AU acting irrationally, though. Sumrall has a talented Gators roster that is favored going into this one.
A Tigers win changes the entire mood of the season with Vanderbilt coming to town next week, potentially putting all of its hopes on a true freshman quarterback.
The idea of marching to Rocky Top at 4-0 with a chance to be highly-ranked heading into the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry game two weeks after that is tantalizing.
Auburn is still in better hands if the Tigers lose to Florida
Regardless of the outcome, the 2026 season is the first step. Golesh has had to put together a new roster out of thin air. All five offensive linemen are new, while only two of them, center Cole Best and right guard Cole Skinner, played with Byrum Brown under Golesh and Joel Gordon at USF.
DJ Durkin maintained the defensive identity of the past two seasons, but that didn't get the job done alone then.
If there's proof that this program is closer to six wins than eight wins after playing Florida, Auburn fans shouldn't take the black pill. Golesh is still an upgrade over what the program has had for at least five years.
Plenty of you gave Freeze grace after two full losing seasons, which saw regression in 2024 despite roster improvement.
Golesh is owed more than just three games of hope before one loss undoes it.
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