Auburn fans weren't expecting their team to be ranked in the college football AP Top 25 Preseason Poll, and it wasn't (though five of their opponents were). The Tigers went unranked, getting three votes and starting the season technically ranked No. 43 in the country. James Madison also received three votes.
The Dukes were also a CFP team that won the Sun Belt Conference Championship last year. Everyone in Harrisonburg is celebrating James Madison's 2025 season as the best in program history. By every metric, it was.
Even after five years of losing and hopelessness, Auburn is still on that level, at least according to the voters. Not bad.
Of course, there's context that can't be ignored. Mainly, Bob Chesney parlayed that run into being hired as UCLA's head coach. Chesney brought a dozen of his former Dukes with him to Westwood. This isn't the same JMU roster.
Still, even with mass turnover on the Plains from what was a talented roster last season, it's clear that Alex Golesh has inspired hope from the national media in his team ahead of the 2026 season. Much of that hope came from importing much of his offensive talent from USF, but it's also come from the glimpses into fall camp that voters have seen.
Alex Golesh isn't trying to sell his team to voters in fall camp
Golesh isn't trying to sell hope to voters. In fall camp, he's been brutally blunt about his team not coming together as he'd like it to. In particular, he's called out the offensive line, but he even made it clear that the defense isn't up to snuff.
This program wasn't coached hard enough over the last few years. Hugh Freeze didn't keep players accountable in practice and took his shots at players only after his convoluted play-calling cost the team games. That's usually the story when rosters don't live up to the hype. That, or being overcoached.
Golesh isn't forming a Bobby Knight-esque reputation on the sideline. He's not coming off as soft, either, though. There's an appropriate level of coaching going on. It's been a while since AU has seen that.
Auburn can quickly become ranked after Week 3
The way the poll was structured, the Tigers have a chance to be ranked after Week 3. It will take a 3-0 start over Baylor, Southern Miss, and Florida. Luckily, it looks like the Gators will be a ranked opponent at home for Golesh's SEC debut at Jordan-Hare Stadium once a team or two slips from the top 25 after a few weeks. Making that Week 3 matchup even juicier is that Jon Sumrall took the Florida job over Auburn.
The Tigers didn't deserve any more votes than they got. Two straight head coaches failing means voters have every reason to wonder about AU as a serious player in the NIL era. The problem hasn't been spending, though. It's been leadership.
Golesh is the kind of leader who is at least inspiring preseason hype. It isn't the kind of currency that holds much value, but it's the least that could be done for a program buried in misery from an unfathomable five-year stretch since the 2021 season.
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