Auburn dropped its first game of the 2026 season last Saturday, but The Athletic is not ready to write off the Tigers yet.
The latest 'SEC Vibes' rankings from Seth Emerson of The Athletic place Auburn at No. 12 in the SEC, one spot below last week's release, following its loss to Florida in Week 3. Emerson is confident Alex Golesh is the right guy to lead Auburn's program and believes Byrum Brown needs a solid performance or two to gain confidence.
"In the New Coach Bowl, the Tigers lost and were thus downgraded from Playoff dark horse watch. But that’s all: The shine isn’t off Alex Golesh quite yet. Maybe quarterback Byrum Brown, but there’s still time there, too," writes Emerson.
Auburn has been in the lower half of Emerson's rankings throughout
the year, and a great way to take a step forward is to win its next game. Next up for Auburn is a date with the Vanderbilt Commodores, who are riding the high of a thrilling, last-second win over NC State last Saturday. The win over the Wolfpack gives the Commodores great vibes at No. 5, with Emerson pointing out that winning a close game, the way it was won, is nothing like Vanderbilt is used to.
Auburn and Vanderbilt battle at 3:15 p.m. CT on Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: There's still hope for the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Vibes rankings
