Golesh Explains Why Auburn Declined Bowl Game Invite: ‘Just Not Realistic’

December 9, 2025 Michael Brauner Auburn, Auburn, Featured News
NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 30: Two Auburn Tigers flags cross in the end zone after a touchdown during the TransPerfect Music City Bowl between the Auburn Tigers and Maryland Terrapins, December 30, 2023 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire)

The Auburn Tigers are in the midst of beginning a new era on The Plains led by a new head coach in South Florida’s Alex Golesh, who is seen across college football as one of the brightest young offensive minds in the sport.

With the arrival of Golesh, there is a ton of optimism that what has been one of the darkest eras in the program’s history is about to come to an end and Auburn is going to work their way back to competing for SEC and national titles.

That start is not coming this bowl season though.

As teams opt out from postseason games entirely, bowl games have to scramble to find participants, and when they run out of eligible 6-6 teams they turn to teams who won just five games. The Tigers were among the group of 5-7 squads and offered a chance to compete in the Birmingham Bowl, however they turned it down.

Golesh explained to media that it simply was not in the cards.

“If it all had happened a week ago and our guys were all here and the staff that was previously here was still here and intact for the most part, I think that would have been realistic,” Golesh said Monday when explaining the reason for his decision to decline citing staff and player turnover as the main reason. “It would be hard to put it all together and be competitive to where you have a chance to go win a football game, because if you’re gonna play a game you’re gonna go win the game.

“The timing of it all was just not practical, it wasn’t realistic. Would you love to go play a game? Absolutely. Would you love to go compete and win a game? Absolutely. But the timing of it all, just not realistic.”

Auburn fans will instead have to wait until next season to see the start of the Golesh era, which is probably for the best given that a non-competitive showing could have led to a sour taste in people’s mouths and potentially more transfer portal issues.

Golesh and his staff are going to try to build this the right way, and it simply takes time. The Auburn Family will hope their patience pays off starting in August of 2026 when their Tigers take the field again.