Auburn football's 41-9 win over Mississippi State in Week 11 was a turning point for the program in several ways.
With the win, Auburn has now won more games than in its previous two seasons and is bowl-eligible for the first time since 2023. Crossing those items off the checklist by blowing out an SEC rival is a positive step for a football program eager to return to the top of the SEC.
While it would be easy for Auburn head coach Alex Golesh to pat himself on the back for reaching those goals in year one of his tenure on the Plains, he understands that six wins and a bowl game is far from what is considered "successful" for Auburn football.
“The standard is that we build a program where we’re competing for championships," Golesh said after Auburn's
win over Mississippi State (via Auburn Undercover). "We’re going to try to get there as fast as we can."
Recruiting talented players from both high school and the transfer portal is a great way to build a program into a College Football Playoff contender. However, it can be difficult for a coach to sell his program to an elite recruit when the program has not posted a winning record in several seasons.
However, Auburn's recruiting class is in a great spot ahead of next month's early signing period. Five of Alabama's top 10 recruits are committed to the Tigers, and its 2027 class ranks No. 11 in 247Sports' latest rankings. Auburn must also work to retain key young players and hit the transfer portal to fill key holes while younger players continue to develop.
"Need a lot of help, but we’re recruiting at a high level. We’re going to continue to recruit at a high level," Golesh said. "We have to retain at a high level, but we’re heading into the right direction for sure.”
Auburn, now 6-4, has a great chance to pick up its seventh win of the season in Week 12 against FCS Samford to reach its highest win total of the decade so far, which would be another great accomplishment Golesh has reached in year one. The program's turnaround would accelerate if Golesh leads the Tigers to a win over Alabama on Nov. 28 in Tuscaloosa.
No matter what happens the rest of the season, many have quickly bought into Golesh's ideas to change Auburn's culture. It will be interesting to see how the view surrounding Auburn changes over the next few years.
Taylor Jones is the lead writer for Auburn Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and BlueSky. Follow Auburn Wire on X and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn is bowl-eligible, but Alex Golesh is focused on a higher standard
