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Southern Miss vs Auburn matchup

Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.

The gist

Auburn (1-0) hosts Southern Miss (1-0) Saturday at 6:45 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
It's Auburn's 2026 home opener and the teams' first meeting since 2018.

Background

Both teams enter 1-0: Auburn beat Baylor 17-16 in the Aflac Kickoff Game in Atlanta, while Southern Miss routed Alcorn State 49-3. Saturday's game is the 24th meeting between the programs and the first since 2018, when Auburn won 24-13. It is also Auburn's 2026 home opener at Jordan-Hare Stadium and the first game of the Alex Golesh era there.

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 5, 2026Auburn beat Baylor 17-16 in the Aflac Kickoff Game in Atlanta, with Eric Winters making a game-saving tackle on Baylor's two-point try in the final seconds; quarterback Byrum Brown threw three interceptions.
  2. Sep 5, 2026Southern Miss routed Alcorn State 49-3 in its season opener, rushing for 317 yards and passing for 180, with Steven Robinson running for three touchdowns and 123 yards and the defense forcing five turnovers.
  3. Sep 10, 2026Auburn's Jeff Shearer previews the game; Auburn (1-0) hosts Southern Miss (1-0) Saturday at 6:45 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.
  4. Sep 10, 2026FanDuel Research lists Southern Miss as a 32.5-point underdog; spread Auburn -32.5 (-115), Southern Miss +32.5 (-105); total 56.5; moneyline Auburn -10000, Southern Miss +2400.
  5. Sep 11, 2026Montgomery Advertiser publishes score predictions: Adam Cole picks Auburn 32, Southern Miss 17; Davis Wilson picks Auburn 45, Southern Miss 20.
  6. Sep 12, 2026Auburn hosts Southern Miss at 6:45 p.m. CT at Jordan-Hare Stadium on SEC Network, in front of a sellout crowd of 88,043 fans; Auburn seeks its 10th straight home-opening win.

Who’s saying what

Official
Auburn head coach Alex Golesh said he is 'beyond geeked' for the first Jordan-Hare game of his tenure and that his team was challenged to 'flip the page' after the Baylor win and 'fight like crazy to go 1-0 this week.'
Analysts
Hattiesburg American's Davis Wilson wrote that Southern Miss will be 'out-matched' in talent and physicality, but that if the Golden Eagles can make Byrum Brown uncomfortable and force mistakes, 'maybe there is a path to an unlikely upset.'
Bears
FanDuel Research lists Southern Miss as a 32.5-point underdog, with Auburn a -10000 moneyline favorite and Southern Miss +2400.

Sources

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