Auburn gets early AP preseason notice with three votes, adding to preseason Coaches Poll recognition

Auburn football is on the early-season radar in the Associated Press preseason voting for 2026, collecting three votes in the AP Top 25. While that total does not place the Tigers in the ranked group itself, it still reflects that a portion of the national media panel believed Auburn deserved consideration as the season gets underway.

The voting comes shortly after Auburn received preseason attention in the US LBM Coaches Poll earlier in August. According to the reporting, Auburn garnered 29 votes in that preseason Coaches Poll release, a broader sign that the program is generating interest beyond just one poll cycle.

The AP preseason process matters because it often becomes a starting reference point for how fans, analysts, and opponents frame the upcoming season. For Auburn, the difference between 29 votes in the Coaches Poll and three votes in the AP highlights how differently the two elector groups assessed the Tigers coming off the offseason.

In the preseason, an “under-the-radar” vote total can still be meaningful. It suggests Auburn is not being treated as a total afterthought by voters, but it also indicates the Tigers are not universally viewed as an immediate title or top-tier contender. In conference terms, that kind of placement can influence how opponents talk about matchups and how early-season results are interpreted.

The AP preseason tally also fits into a wider SEC pattern, with Auburn noted as one of 12 SEC teams to receive some form of preseason recognition in the AP’s debut Top 25 voting. That context places Auburn among a majority of conference peers that are at least drawing attention from the national panel, even if most of them will be clustered closer to the ranked positions.

It remains to be seen how the early vote totals translate once Auburn plays games that separate preseason belief from actual performance. The first set of results typically drives the largest swings in subsequent AP weekly rankings, especially for programs hovering in the voting margin rather than locked into the Top 25.

For Auburn fans, the practical question is what kind of season the three- and 29-vote indicates are pointing to. Preseason poll recognition, even when limited, can be a useful indicator of expectations, but it is ultimately the Tigers’ execution in early nonconference and the opening stretch of SEC play that will determine whether Auburn can move from “receiving votes” into sustained national ranking territory.