Auburn Overlooked in Coaches Poll, But Danny Kanell Throws Them a Lifeline
Kanell has AU ranked #5
Despite a dominant win on Saturday, Auburn remains in the "receiving votes" section of the Week 2 Coaches Poll. With a 42–3 romp over Ball State, the Tigers clearly showed their hunger—but the poll forgot to respect the effort.
“Despite a decisive 42-3 win over Ball State, the Tigers are still stuck in the ‘receiving votes’ category,” reports Felicity Harper. Auburn pulled in just 57 votes, while SMU, fresh off a double-overtime loss to Baylor, earned 87 votes.
It’s tough to see Auburn behind SMU—especially when SMU lost to the same Baylor team Auburn beat last week on the road, 38-24. Auburn also trails Florida, which lost at home to South Florida. So, the Tigers sit behind two teams with weaker results.
Further muddying the picture: Alabama, after being trounced by Florida State, rebounded with a 73–0 blowout of UL-Monroe—and climbed two spots in the poll. That kind of “style point” boost only fuels frustration for Auburn fans.
Danny Kanell, the former Florida State quarterback and current college football analyst, paints a different picture. His résumé-based Top 12 puts Auburn at No. 5, well above where the Coaches Poll leaves them. “Behind USF, Kanell slots in Ohio State at No. 2, followed by Florida State, Miami, and Auburn to round out his top five,” FanRecap reports.
Kanell champions Auburn’s early impact. While national voters undervalue the Tigers, his ranking rewards what they’ve actually done.
Some of the programs ranking higher than Auburn in the Coaches Poll—despite underwhelming resumes include:
- SMU: Just lost to Baylor in double OT, still earned 87 votes—30 more than Auburn
- Florida: Lost at home to South Florida, yet Auburn still trails them in votes
- Alabama: Routed a weak opponent and vaulted up the poll—even after a Week 1 blowout loss to unranked Florida State
These rankings spotlight a disconnect: Auburn’s clean win over Ball State looks better by comparison—and Kanell gets it.
Auburn may be buried at No. 31 in the Coaches Poll, but Kanell’s top-5 nod shows those paying attention can still see the Tigers’ promise. If Auburn keeps delivering—and pushes a bit harder—they’ll force the respect their record deserves.
Ed. Note: cover pic of the new cutting-edge Musco entertainment upgrades at Jordan-Hare Stadium introduced Saturday.
As reported by WRBL News 3, in a press release sent on Aug. 22, “the upgraded control system integrates a variety of new equipment into the existing Musco TLC for LED® field-of-play lighting infrastructure at both venues to enable a wide variety of custom logo projections, lasers, and other static and custom scenes, effects, and show programming.
“Auburn Athletic officials said the upgrade was fully funded through a private gift to Tigers Unlimited from a generous donor associated with the school.”
Photos credit: Auburn Athletics
