The Auburn Tigers have opened the 2026 college football season with a 2-0 record, with wins over Baylor and Southern Miss.
The Tigers won convincingly on Saturday night, 43-8 over Southern Mississippi behind 610 total yards and 343 of those in the run game. Quarterback Byrum Brown had a much better game, gaining 316 total yards and scoring three touchdowns. Most importantly, he did not commit any turnovers after having three in the win over Baylor. The defense had a solid showing, giving up just 221 yards and forcing two turnovers.
Last week, the Tigers fell out of the top 25 of the ESPN FPI rankings despite beating Baylor. Did their ranking change after beating Southern Mississippi?
Week two ranking
The Tigers did move up four spots in the ESPN FPI Rankings from
No. 27 to No. 23 with their defeat of the Golden Eagles. Their FPI is now at 14.2 with the victory. Auburn is No. 11 among SEC teams, with the Texas Longhorns leading the way for the conference. Auburn's upcoming opponent, the Florida Gators, are ranked No. 15 and moved up two spots in the current ESPN FPI rankings. Along with the Gators, there are six of the Tigers' future opponents ranked ahead of them, including Georgia, Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, and Ole Miss.
Chance to win six games: 83.9%
Auburn's chance to reach six wins this season made a big jump in the latest ESPN FPI rankings. Last week, the Tigers had a chance at bowl eligibility of 68.6%. Auburn's win-loss projection has also made a big jump. After the narrow win over Baylor, they were projected at 6.4 wins and 5.6 losses. Now the Tigers are looking at 7.2 wins and 4.9 losses.
Auburn vs Florida prediction
The prediction for Auburn versus Florida has changed over the weeks with the ESPN Matchup Predictor. Before the season, the Tigers were a slight favorite over the Gators, but after week one, Auburn dropped to a 42.1% chance at victory. Now, Auburn is a narrow favorite once again at 50.2%. The matchup between the two teams is a pivotal game for both. The winner of the game could be propelled into a big season, while the other might be looking at battling for bowl eligibility in November. The Gators have an 83% chance of winning six games and have a current projected win total of 7.3.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Where Auburn ranks in the ESPN FPI after Week 2 win over Southern Miss
