Paul Finebaum Believes Struggling SEC Program Can Enter October Undefeated

The Auburn Tigers are one of the most fascinating teams for the 2026 college football season.

The Tigers are considered one of the all-time best programs in the sport's history. However, they've fallen on some tough times. The Tigers have had five straight losing seasons, and six straight of six wins or fewer.

Alex Golesh Hopes to End Skid

That's resulted in the team going through six head coaches, both interim and full-time. Now they hope this next era will be the one that turns the program around. The team hired South Florida Bulls' head coach Alex Golesh. He spent three seasons at South Florida, going 23-15.

While this is his first time being a head coach in the SEC, he does have SEC experience. He spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator and tight end coach under Josh Heupel at Tennessee. So he knows what it looks like to be successful and knows how tough the SEC is.

Auburn Tigers quarterback Byrum Brown (17) hands the ball off to running back Omar Mabson II (29) during Auburn Tigers A-Day. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Paul Finebaum Sees Fast Start

ESPN's Paul Finebaum revealed on "The Paul Finebaum Show" that the key for Golesh is to get off to a fast start. Gain some momentum early in the season, and try to carry that through the year.

"If Auburn can rack up a bunch of wins, and I think they can," Finebaum said. "I think Auburn will beat Baylor, Southern Miss. If they can beat Florida. I think they should beat Vanderbilt at home. I think they have a reasonable chance of being 4-0 heading to Tennessee in early October."

Byrum Brown Gives Hope

Golesh does have the benefit of his star quarterback, Byrum Brown, on the roster at Auburn. He threw for 3,158 yards, 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while rushing for 1,008 yards and 14 scores last season at South Florida.

However, Finebaum acting like Auburn will definitely beat Baylor and should beat teams like Florida and Vanderbilt is absurd. While Golesh did some good things at South Florida, he didn't have a ton of success. His best season was last year when he went 9-3.

Auburn Hype Needs Caution

That's a good season, but some context is missing. Golesh started the year by upsetting the Boise State Broncos and the Florida Gators. This put the Bulls in a prime position to be the Group of Five's team in the College Football Playoff.

However, they choked down the stretch and didn't even make the conference title game. They lost 34-31 to the Memphis Tigers and 41-38 to the Navy Midshipmen. So, once the expectations rose, his team crumbled. That's not a good sign for a coach trying to revitalize an SEC program.

That is why Auburn shouldn't get its hopes up, just yet. Golesh may very well become the coach who finally gets Auburn back on track, but expectations should be measured.

Turning around a program with five straight losing seasons in the SEC is a completely different challenge than winning nine games at South Florida.

Until Auburn proves it can sustain success against elite competition, optimism in the offseason should come with a healthy dose of caution.

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