Auburn Football Cracks Top 25 In Early ESPN Rankings

Every year, fans of the Auburn Tigers get their hopes up in the offseason, and every year (at least in recent memory), they end up disappointed.

It is, once again, that time of year to get one’s expectations up, but this time, Alex Golesh is at the helm, and he seems to be doing everything he can to make sure the Tigers do not disappoint for the sixth season in a row.

The inciting incident for this increase in hope is simple: on Friday, ESPN released its top 25 preseason rankings, per its FPI, or Football Power Index, and the Tigers ranked 22nd in the country. This is, of course, not a reflection of where the Tigers will be ranked to start the season.

ESPN defines its FPI as “a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.”

The idea of the FPI, in simpler terms, is not to be a ranking of the best teams in the country, but rather the strength of a team against an average opponent. This may beg the question for some Auburn fans: how on Earth are the Tigers ranked so highly after such a terrible 2025 season?

Though I cannot say for sure which exact factors and metrics ESPN weighed from the Tigers’ 2025 season and 2026 preseason, my best guess would be that they analyzed the Tigers’ close 2025 losses, in which their defense was almost always top-tier, while their offense struggled. Couple that with the new and improved offense Alex Golesh brought in this past offseason, and you have a recipe for a much better team than the Freeze teams of the past.

You may see some parallels in this ranking in Florida’s case, as the factors are quite similar. The Gators had a rough 2025 season, punctuated by shaky quarterback play and weak offense, but now, under the leadership of Jon Sumrall, the team has jumped to No. 18 in the FPI rankings.

So, is it time for Tiger fans to get their hopes up? The team’s strength of schedule may have something to say about that, as the Tigers play six teams ranked above them in this index, four of which will be played back-to-back. The SEC is certainly no joke, but if ESPN’s FPI prediction is correct, the Tigers are in for a much better season than years past.

Sign up for our free Auburn Tigers newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news!

Add us as a preferred source on Google