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Auburn Football 2026 Schedule Outlook and Analysis
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- Auburn Football 2026 Schedule Outlook and Analysis
Anyone who thinks schedules aren't everything didn't pay attention to Auburn
last season.
The Tigers only won one SEC game, and there was an unforgivable loss to Kentucky
, but the other six losses were to the strongest teams, including four College Football Playoff teams.
It's a little bit easier this year for new head coach Alex Golesh to deal with in his first season. Here's our 2026 Auburn schedule breakdown.
The Good, the Bad, and Who Auburn Misses in 2026
Auburn Tigers football head coach Alex Golesh speaks during a press conference at Woltosz Performance Center in Auburn, Ala. on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025.© Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Good
The opener against Baylor is in Atlanta - that will be like a home game - and the next three games are in Jordan-Hare.
There aren't two home games in a row the rest of the way, but the team only leaves Alabama
once in November.
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The Bad
The five true road games aren't easy. Going to Mississippi State
isn't going to be a breeze in mid-November - the Bulldog offense should be humming by then - and the other four are a bear.
At Tennessee
is the easiest of the four, with Georgia, Ole Miss
, and Alabama still to go.
What SEC Teams Auburn Will Miss
Kentucky, Missouri
, Oklahoma
, South Carolina
, Texas
, Texas A&M
.
The Tigers miss two of the SEC's College Football Playoff teams from last season - Oklahoma and Texas A&M - and not playing Texas this season is massive.
Kentucky and South Carolina will be better, and Missouri will be dangerous. It would've been nice to miss a few more big teams, but not playing those three isn't bad.
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Auburn's Best and Worst Case Scenarios in 2026
Best Case: The Tigers win September
The last time Auburn started the season 4-0 was ... 2019. Before that, it was 2014.
This season, the Alex Golesh era gets rolling with a win over Baylor. Southern Miss
isn't a problem, beating Florida
in the SEC opener is great, and keeping it all going against Vanderbilt is strong.
Realistically, it'll be tough to roll through the next four games, but there are two wins of the four - more on that next - and then comes a big run in November, including the first win over Alabama since 2019.
Worst Case: October is a disaster
Losing to Florida in September is bad, but, realistically, Auburn will at least split the dates with the Gators
and Vanderbilt. And then ...
At Tennessee, at Georgia, LSU
, at Ole Miss - the Tigers go 0-for-October.
Mississippi State comes up with a big performance at home in a mid-November win, and once again, Auburn goes 5-7 with a loss to Alabama.
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Auburn Football 2026 Schedule
Sept 5 Baylor (in Atlanta)
Sept 12 Southern Miss
Sept 19 Florida
Sept 26 Vanderbilt
Oct 3 at Tennessee
Oct 10 OPEN DATE
Oct 17 at Georgia
Oct 24 LSU
Oct 31 at Ole Miss
Nov 7 Arkansas
Nov 14 at Mississippi State
Nov 21 Samford
Nov 28 at Alabama
Games That Will Decide Auburn's Season
1. LSU, Oct. 24
Of course there are a few bigger games, but this is the home oasis from the end of September to November 7th vs Arkansas. That, and beating Lane Kiffin, would do wonders for the morale.
2. at Alabama, Nov. 28
If you have to ask why ...
The Tigers haven't won in Tuscaloosa since their 2010 national championship season.
3. Florida, Sept. 19
No one's expecting anything massive right away, but winning the SEC opener for the first time since 2022 would be a big lift-off moment. It might be a must to go bowling.
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Related: Florida Football 2026 Schedule: Full Breakdown and Season Outlook
This story was originally published by College Football News on Feb 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
