Mike Gittens: Auburn Has 50% Chance Winning Iron Bowl This Year

Summary

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Podcast Summary: That SEC Football Podcast – "Mike Gittens: Auburn Has 50% Chance Winning Iron Bowl This Year"

Host: Michael Bratton (SEC Mike)
Guest: Mike Gittens (The War Report)
Date: August 6, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Michael Bratton (SEC Mike), Cousin Shane, and guest Mike Gittens dive deep into the state of Auburn football coming out of SEC Media Days. The conversation focuses on Auburn’s coaching transition, roster talent, play calling philosophy, key games on the 2026 schedule, and the bold prediction that Auburn has a 50% chance to beat Alabama in this year’s Iron Bowl. Other pivotal topics include staff and player retention, quarterback expectations, the importance of recruiting, and setting program standards.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. State of the SEC and Coaching Candidness at Media Days

• The hosts note that this year's SEC Media Days have been refreshingly candid, yielding genuine insights about teams and parity in the conference.
  • "I think this has been the most interesting media days I've covered... I think this might be the most parody we've seen in the SEC in quite some sometime." (Mike, 00:40)

2. Auburn's Recent Difficulties & Coaching Transition

• Examination of Hugh Freeze's tenure and the mixed feelings about his performance and exit.

• Discussion of Auburn's many close losses, implying the team was always on the cusp.

  • "If he knew how to pick a quarterback, he'd still be the coach here... and honestly should have beat Georgia." (Mike, 02:04)

• Mike Gittens asserts the importance of quality play-calling and how Derrick Nix performed well when given command.

  • “He should have turned play calling over [to] Derrick Nicks completely... happy he got to show the world what he could do as a play caller over those last three games.” (Mike, 02:10)

3. Offensive Identity and Alex Golesh's Hire

• Gittens and the crew express optimism about Golesh as head coach, highlighting his recruiting energy and offensive mindset.

  • “Golis gets it... when they got there, he said, ‘we’re going to work our butts off in recruiting to make sure that every Auburn fan is so damn proud at the end of the season to be an Auburn Tiger.’” (Mike, 05:25)

• Emphasis on the need for top-tier recruiting to take down giants like Georgia.

  • "You're not going to out develop Kirby Smart. You need to start where he starts in recruiting and then out develop and then out coach him somehow." (Mike, 05:25)

4. Maintaining High Expectations for Auburn

• Gittens refuses to lower expectations for Auburn due to previous underachievement.
  • "Do not ask me to lower my expectations, not doing it... My expectations are where the roster is and where the coach should be and that's at 8–4." (Mike, 07:07)

5. Key Takeaway from SEC Media Days Appearances

• Golesh carefully manages expectations publicly but maintains inward confidence.
  • “He tried to cut off questions about... what does a good year one look like... I don't think we really learned much... but... he’s a lot more confident that they can exceed expectations in year one than he wants to say out loud.” (Mike, 08:30–09:53)

6. Staff Stability: DJ Durkin's Impact

• The surprising retention of defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, who declined other high-profile gigs to stay at Auburn.
  • “The players, that is their guy... he made promises to those guys to see certain things through... he decided to stay and honor the commitment to his kids.” (Mike, 10:30)

7. Quarterback Spotlight: Byron Brown

• Discussion of Brown’s potential as a 3,000-pass/1,000-rush yard dual-threat, citing historical SEC precedents.

  • "He's one of only 12 players in college football history to throw for 3,000 and run for 1,000 in the same season." (Mike, 12:12)
  • "If Byron Brown is a thousand yard rusher, Auburn's going to win nine games." (Mike, 12:48)

• Debate over whether Auburn can maximize both Brown and RB Jeremiah Cobb’s abilities, given carries and play style.

  • “I have questions about whether there's enough ball to go around that backfield for both of those guys...” (Mike, 13:49)

8. Schedule Breakdown: Pivotal Games

• Florida at home is the clear priority for an early-season statement win.

  • "Florida hands down. Man. Come on dude... That guy had your job... Cohen will never admit this because he tried to convince us that Hugh Freeze was the target the whole time..." (Mike, 14:48–15:15)

• Hosts stress that winning at Jordan-Hare must become the standard again.

  • “Every media days, Georgia players tell us Jordan Hare is a tough place... But a lot of people have gotten out of there with a win the last few years. If you're Alex Golesh, that has to stop—and it has to start with Florida.” (Mike, 15:55)

• September must be spotless, as October is a brutal stretch.

  • "Going 4–0 in September is paramount. I do, I think they got to win every single game because when October gets here, 0–4 in October is not off the table." (Mike, 17:16)

9. Iron Bowl: Realistic Chance vs. Alabama

• Mike Gittens gives Auburn a “50–50” shot to knock off Alabama this year, citing Alabama’s uncertainty at QB and transition from the Saban era.
  • "I think it's 50–50. Look at Bama... they've got more to talk about than they've ever had to talk about." (Mike, 19:16)
  • “It's not Saban's Tuscaloosa anymore; it's DeBoer's Tuscaloosa. I don't think that's a scary place to go play anymore. I just don't.” (Mike, 20:36)

10. Other Big Matchups: Most Winnable in the 2026 Gauntlet

• Tennessee is circled as the most likely road victory, especially early in the season before they settle on a quarterback.
  • "It's got to be Tennessee, right?...by week five, maybe they have quarterback worked out...none of them [Auburn’s first 5 opponents] are as experienced as Byron Brown is." (Mike, 21:10–22:05)

11. Boldest Take & Season Outlook

• Gittens doubles down for the “Tennessee Legend” segment:
  • “Byron Brown runs for a thousand, throws for 3,000...and Jeremiah Cobb also runs for a thousand...I think they got a chance to do something special.” (Mike, 23:16–23:29)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You're not going to out develop Kirby Smart. You need to start where he starts in recruiting...” (Mike, 05:25)
• “Do not ask me to lower my expectations...My expectations are where the roster is and where the coach should be and that's at 8–4.” (Mike, 07:07)
• “If Byron Brown is a thousand yard rusher, Auburn's going to win nine games.” (Mike, 12:48)
• “Florida hands down...That guy had your job...You got your guy. They don’t have their guy.” (Mike, 14:48)
• “I think it's 50–50...it's not Saban's Tuscaloosa anymore.” (Mike, 19:16, 20:36)
• “Byron Brown runs for a thousand, throws for 3,000. That's my bold take.” (Mike, 23:16)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:40: Intro reflections on SEC Media Days and coach candor
• 02:04: Assessment of Hugh Freeze’s tenure and QB selection
• 05:25: Recruiting, program expectations, and Golesh's mindset
• 10:30: Importance of retaining DC DJ Durkin
• 12:12–12:48: Byron Brown’s dual-threat potential
• 14:48: Florida named as the pivotal early-season game
• 17:16: Importance of a strong September
• 19:16: Auburn’s “50–50” shot to beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl
• 21:10: Most winnable of Auburn’s marquee road games
• 23:16: Mike’s bold prediction for Auburn’s backfield production

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Overall Tone

The episode is characterized by conversational, passionate, and sometimes humorous banter. The hosts and guest share informed opinions rooted in experience covering SEC football, and don’t shy away from bold predictions. There’s an undercurrent of hope for Auburn’s new direction, but also an insistence on holding the program to a high standard, regardless of recent struggles.

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For New Listeners

This episode is a must-hear if you’re looking for insight into Auburn football’s trajectory, the importance of program culture, and realistic expectations amid SEC turbulence. The takeaways apply broadly for anyone following the conference and tells you exactly why fans are buzzing about Auburn’s potential in 2026.

Transcript

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[Mike]

Foreign.

[Shane]

From the war Report at the SEC Media days what's up?

[Mike]

It's been a long week. I think this has been the most interesting media days I've covered since we started doing this. Yeah, I think the coaches were extremely candid. I think we learned a lot about each team and what they have and you know, I think this might be the most parody we've seen in the SEC in quite some sometime.

[Unidentified Co-host]

Does it feel good to have a real football coach now?

[Mike]

Yeah. Look, I know Mike is no Hugh Freeze fan for sure. I warned Auburn folks when he got hired and for the record, I got a pretty good relationship with, with you. But he's a professional so he'll get the criticisms of what happened. I didn't, it didn't go well. If it did, he'd still be the coach. So he had his opportunities. You know, he said you every time all week we've been taking a look back at that schedule and that four game losing streak that started at Oklahoma. The worst loss of the year was 2010 against Georgia, which is crazy to think they weren't getting run off the field. I mean you lost in overtime to Vanderbilt, you lost 10, three to Kentucky, you lost by seven points to Bama. I mean, I think I want to say Georgia was the only loss you had on your schedule that wasn't a one score loss.

[Unidentified Co-host]

Yeah, it's crazy.

[Mike]

Crazy. Yeah. Yeah. If he had, if he knew how to pick a quarterback, he'd still be

[Unidentified Co-host]

the coach here and honestly should have beat Georgia.

[Mike]

Yeah, I mean the bit. One of the biggest takeaways I had was and hopefully they solved this with Alex Gollish is he should have turned play calling over Derrick Nicks completely and fully from the start of the season. I got a chance to talk to Derek Nicks and he said he's a professional so he, he's not going to ever say anything bad about you. But he did say that he was happy he got to show the world what he could do as a play caller over those last three games. So you know, good for him. But hopefully, you know, Auburn's got a good play caller now and Alex Goler. So we'll see.

[Shane]

Hey, I gotta hand it to you, Mike. I've been doing this a couple times here at Media Days. I think you were the first person. You always have the best setup, best gear, but you're the first person that I've ever seen bring a chair. And made Shane so jealous he didn't know we could bring chairs. We're bringing chairs next year.

[Unidentified Co-host]

Yeah, I told us, at least bring a donut or something. I said, on Mike.

[Mike]

Well, I've shared my health struggles with. With Mike, but I got diagnosed with lupus a couple of years ago. And my wife knew how hard it was for me to sit in one spot for more than 30 minutes. So she went and she bought this chair from Sharp. It's made by Sharper Image, and she got it from Staples. $400 chair. And I'm like, you're the best wife ever. I love you so much. Well, the chair broke, and there's a little bar underneath that broke. And I was like, oh, man. I said, babe, the chair broke. She said, don't worry about it. I bought the no questions asked warranty. So we show up to Staples with this chair and they're like, no questions asked. Keep the chair and get another one off the shelf. So we get home and. And you can still sit in it even though this bar is broken. And I said, you know, the box says there's a five year manufacturer's warranty on it. So I emailed Sharper Image and they email, they sent me the broken part, and now we have two chairs. So I said, I'm taking these down to SEC media days so that, I mean, we're all good. And it was the. It was a hit of media days, I'm telling you. People were just coming by to interview, and I was like, yeah. They were like, can we talk Arkansas? And I'm like, no, no, no. We talk Auburn over here. They just wanted to sit there in the chair. But it was fun.

[Shane]

All right, I promise you, Shane, we're in Nashville next year. It'll be easy to get me. Get you a nice chair?

[Unidentified Co-host]

Yeah, yeah, Please, just one. One nice thing. That would be nice, Mike. But no, I do. I was. I was in the Auburn camp last year. You knew that I was supporting. I felt there was a lot of us that were. I won't say making excuses, but making excuses, you know, like, you should have won that Oklahoma game. You got cheated by a stupid play, right? Yeah. You got the refs in the Georgia game. And it just felt like I Just kept doing this, doing this and then it kept getting hurt. So one of the things when that, when that opened up and we were looking at the short list of coaches, I will say I have always been a huge fan, fan of Golis ever since he left Knoxville. And, and I said, dude, if he had that team and that offense, Auburn realistically could have been on the playoffs, in my opinion, at least as an oc. So do you feel a little better about the offensive, you know, situation moving forward in Auburn?

[Mike]

Yes, yes. I had questions, fellas, about whether this staff got the level of talent that they're going to need to compete for the sec. I think they got there. I think that they figured out, you know, Hugh Freeze may have done a lot of things wrong, but the one thing he did get right was you got to go out and you got to go recruit dogs, man. You need five, four and five star talent. You're not going to out develop Kirby Smart. You need to start where he starts in recruiting and then out develop and then out coach him somehow. But you know, if you want to beat Georgia, if you want to take them down, you need to win in those three facets. So goal is gets it. You know, there's a, there's a member of his staff that you know is in recruiting and he told me when they got there, he said, we're going to work our butts off in recruiting to make sure that every Auburn fan is so damn proud at the end of the season to be an Auburn Tiger. And I said, look, man, I think that that would be a change from what we just recently saw because, you know, from what I was told by former players, there were a lot meetings that Freeze wasn't in that, you know, then these guys are going to be in those meetings and they're going to do all those small things that that's. You don't, you can't quantify it in stats, but it shows up on Saturday when you don't put in the work, it shows up on Saturday when you don't prepare, it shows up on Saturday and nobody sees that meeting that got half assed or that meeting that got missed. But I promise you, when it's 4th and 2 and you need to make a play, that missed thing is going to come up. Goal is just trying to make sure that those small things don't catch up with Auburn on Saturdays. And so, you know, he looks a lot like I've seen the last couple Auburn coaches in their first off season before they've coached the game. He Looks exhausted because he knows he's got to recruit his butt off. He knows he has to catch up quickly and he knows if he goes out, even though it's year one and he loses enough games, nobody's going to care that it's year one. That's what I'm saying. I'm like, you told us a lot this week. If Byron Brown's really one of the best quarterbacks in the country and your system is that good, go get me eight. That's it. I'm not saying go make the playoffs or win the sec. And you got a lot Auburn fans who are pushing back on me because of what Freeze did I say, I don't care what Freeze did. Those teams were capable of more than what they did. He had to under coach them if they are no longer under coached. Do not ask me to lower my expectations, not doing it because of what happened two, three years ago or even last year. My expectations are where the roster is and where the coach should be and that's at 8 and 4.

[Shane]

What was the biggest takeaway you had from Auburn's appearance here, whether from goalless or any of the players? Did you learn anything new?

[Mike]

Yeah, I don't. Golich got on the podium and he said he tried to cut off questions about what does a good year one look like for you? And then some dumb dumb stands up and says, coach, what does a good year one look like for you? And I'm like, what did he just say?

[Shane]

Right?

[Mike]

Like I think, I don't think we really learned much about anything he hasn't said a million times. He did a lot of media this off season. I mean, every time I turn on my YouTube and after we got our one on one, I was like, yes, we got our one on one. And then he went and did like 50 other one on ones. I, I, I think that he understands the mission, right? The expectations at Auburn is championships because it's been done there before and in our lifetime. So Auburn needs to be in the conversation at least. They need to be in that group of SEC teams that's a threat to make the playoffs every November at least. And if you can get there by year two, I think he will have done a great job. Auburn, when Gus was here, Auburn was the only team to average top 10 recruiting classes and not make the College Football Playoff. And then after he left, a lot of stuff fell off. But you know, that was a long time, 2014 to 2020, essentially, to not make a playoff with the level of talent that they were bringing in it means they were missing somewhere. Right. So while those classes were highly rated, those you might have gotten the only bus in the top 100. Either or you weren't developing them. Something wasn't clicking. So, you know, for Goalish, he just needs to make sure he hits more than he misses. Again, he's. He talked a lot. So I don't know that we learned much this week, but I do think that. Well, I. He didn't say this, but what I drew from what he said is he's a lot more confident that they can exceed expectations in year one than he wants to say out loud.

[Unidentified Co-host]

Well, I. One thing he did mention in there was retaining dj which honestly I, I didn't see happening. I mean, we're talking about a coach candidate didn't get the job and sticks around for the new guy. So how. How big was that in retaining, you know, especially some of these defensive players.

[Shane]

Players.

[Mike]

Those guys are really loyal. DJ Durkin, I'm telling you, I don't care what happened in this past. The players, that is their guy. And so if your goal is, that was a coup. And I think it says a lot about dj Like, I do believe in redemption. I think when you do bad things, if you realize you did a bad thing and you say, I'm not going to do that anymore and I'm going to do better, I think we should all move on. Right. Sometimes it depends on what the bad thing is too. Right. Like, but in his case, I think he's tried to move on from it. And part of the reason why he stayed was because he made promises to those guys to see certain things through. The Ohio State came after him. There were other people offering him a bag to leave Auburn and go be defensive coordinator somewhere else. He didn't get the job. I think it says something about where. How he has grown that he decided to stay and honor the commitment to his kids in spite of not getting that job. Depending on who you asked, he felt like he had the job in the bag. And then for them to come out and announce goal is it was a kick in the stomach. So to stay after that, I think it says something about who he is and the type of players he could produce here this year.

[Shane]

Do you believe Byron Brown has the arm talent to be at the end of the year a top three quarterback in this conference? Yes, because I know a lot was made about the spring game and that's ridiculous. But that is a. I think it is a legitimate question around him. He's an elite athlete. He looks Like a million bucks. And I'm not saying he can't throw it because that's asinine. But to be top three you got to be really, really accurate. Particularly downfield.

[Mike]

Yeah. I mean he's one of only 12 players in college football history to throw for 3,001 run 4,000 in the same season. If he can do that at Auburn, he's going to be, they're going to have a real good season. So when you look at the list of thousand yard rushers in the SEC since 2010, Cam did it in 2010. They won a national title, he won the Heisman. Johnny Manziel did it in 2012. They he won a Heisman. Nick Marshall did it in 2013. They went all the way to national title game. Weirdly Nick's Nick Fitzgerald did it in 2016 and 2018.

[Shane]

That Mullica coach, man.

[Mike]

Yeah, yeah, right. Yeah but, but he was at Mississippi State so you know it is what it is. John rice Plumlee In 2019 I put an asterisk by this because he was kind of like a gimmicky kind of he was taking as a quarterback but they used him like a running back. And then jaden Daniels in 2023 won the Heisman. If Byron Brown is a thousand yard rusher, Auburn's going to win nine games. If he's a thousand yard rusher, if he's an 800 yard rusher, I think they still have a chance to win nine games. But that, but he's going to have to throw for something close to 3,000 yards. You know, I think and if he can throw the ball that, that well, defenses are not just going to be able to stack the box and, and to stop the run because it's not just him they have to worry about back there. Jeremiah Cobb was the top six running back in the SEC last year. He was averaging over five and a half yards per carry and he only got 175 carries last year because they wouldn't run the ball well if they all go with Said we're going to run the piss out of the football. So if he keeps his promise then plus 200 carries for Jeremiah and maybe plus 200 carries for Byram. I don't know man. I don't know how. I have questions about whether there's enough ball to go around that backfield for both of those guys to carry the ball as much as they are going to want to because I know Jeremiah feels like he was underutilized. But Byron Brown, a lot of his Carries go just told us this are off schedule. So when he starts running around or if there's an option and he decides to keep it instead of trusting his thousand yard back, you know that'll be interesting to watch. So you know how much do you call it? How much does the run game work and is it an inevitable type run game or does it work until it doesn't and then he's got to throw the ball suddenly and we find out he can't throw the ball in the sec.

[Unidentified Co-host]

See more important game Baylor neutral site in Atlanta or first home game SEC team Florida.

[Mike]

Florida hands down. Man. Come on dude. You told everybody said that Summerall was the co. I mean they were ready to crown him and I I listening to these two guys this offseason I I think Auburn, I think both programs got the right guy for their programs if that makes sense. I'm not saying Summerall is a bad coach. I think he's a better coach at Florida and I think Golis is a better fit for Auburn needs now go beat him.

[Shopify Advertiser]

Sit.

[Mike]

That guy had your job. He did. He had to walk away from it for you to get it. I don't think that's a hot take. Right. They didn't. I mean they all were. Cohen will never admit this because he tried to convince us that Hugh Freeze was the target the whole time in the last cutting search. But you wanted some roll. I had a really good source that told me that Summer all the deal was done and Summer all started freaking himself out about boosters being in his locker room and people telling him who to start a quarterback and said I don't know if I want to go coach there. And he ended up in Florida.

[Shane]

He's not the first to say that.

[Mike]

Right?

[Shane]

He's not has been on the record.

[Mike]

Yeah yeah. He, he said and I quote I don't know who I'd be working for down there. Right. So now who he heard it from who knows. Right. But you're right about that with those those narratives when more than one person says it it's hard to not believe that there's not at least some smoke there. But if your outlets goal ish you just got to go beat him, man. You have to that that game's in your house. Every media days we come here and Georgia players and other players tell us Jordan Hare is just a tough place to go play. Well you know what, while it might be tough, a lot of people have gotten out of there with a win the last few years. So if you're Alex Golis, that has to stop. And it has to start with Florida. No way you'll let a Gator get into landlocked Alabama and get out with a win period. There's no water around there. Lake Martin's miles away. Right? Stop those guys and send them home with an L in year one. That's it. You got your guy. They don't have their guy. You have Byron Brown. At least that's what you told us. He's got Philo or whoever's with Philo. It's not his guy.

[Shane]

Right?

[Mike]

So by week three, I don't know how much they're gonna have figured out. They play Campbell in Florida Atlantic before they see Auburn. You play Baylor, which is like Campbell light, I guess.

[Shane]

I don't know.

[Mike]

I, I, I, I, I, I think, I think Oranda's gonna be fired by mid season. I don't want faith in Baylor, but it's at least a Power 4 team right on a neutral site and they had one of the best passers in the country last year and Sawyer Robertson and you rent. They couldn't stop you from doing anything you wanted to do. I assume they're going to learn their lesson about playing too high safeties the whole game. But at the end of the day, Auburn should be a little bit more battle tested than Florida by week three. It's in your house. Win the game by. I don't care how they win it. I don't, I don't care if the offense clicks. I don't care. Byron Brown is if, if he has to run the ball 30 times in that game for you to win. Just get out of there with a win. Auburn, if they want it, exceed expectations in 2026. I think going 40 in September is paramount. I do, I think they got to win every single game because when October gets here, 0 and 4 in October is not off the table. It's just not, dude. I mean you could lose every single one of those games. I think 1 and 3 is a likely result, but anything beyond that, 2 and 2, 3 and 140 is not happening either. But like 3 and 1 would be insane. They're gonna be playoff contenders heading into September. If they could go to November, if they can go three one in October, I just, I don't think again, two and two would be the best case. Overachieving scenario. But if you can pair that with a 40 September, then every goal is still in front of you come November. And I think that's where goal is, wants to be come November.

[Shane]

Hey, you talked about handing out L's. Who does Golish hand an L2 first, Georgia or Bama?

[Mike]

Oh, Bama.

[Shane]

That's how Auburn fans or coaches are judged.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Shane]

I don't win those games.

[Mike]

Bama.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Yeah. You hand it to four loss to Bull. Yeah. Before you hand it to Kirby. I'm sorry, I just have to pick b Bama there. I, I everybody I know this year. Yes.

[Shane]

What are the chances?

[Mike]

Yeah, I think it's 50.

[Shopify Advertiser]

50.

[Mike]

I think it's 50. 50. Look at Bam. Everybody I know who covers Bama for a living. They've got more to talk about than they've ever had to talk about. Right. Every off season has been like, well, somehow we're going to win it again because Saban's our coach.

[Shane]

Right.

[Mike]

Like that's the storylines that Bama is like, don't worry, we'll get it done. Looks like now they got real questions. They charted territory. They're like, man, who's the quarterback going to be? I think I said this to you, Mike, before when we've done a segment. Saban went on one of the greatest runs at quarterback of any coach ever, starting with Jalen Hurts, followed by Tua. And then they hit Mac Jones and then Bryce Young and then Jaylen Milro. Wow. Five in a row and you don't miss on any of those dudes. That's crazy. Everybody's looking for their trigger man because I think that college football has become a quarterback's game. So every year you got that guy at quarterback, you always have a shot. Bryce Young put this Bama team on his back for two years straight. The offensive lines were two of the worst that Saban has had in his time at Alabama and somehow he carried them.

[Shane]

Now you know where that offensive line coach is at now? Lsu.

[Unidentified Co-host]

Come on.

[Shane]

I'm just saying.

[Mike]

Hey, listen, I, I guys, I'm telling you, I think that Goelish could flip the script in Tuscaloosa this year. I don't care that it's in Tuscaloosa. It's not Saban's Tuscaloosa anymore. It's DeBoer's Tuscaloosa. I don't think that's a scary place to go play anymore. I just don't

[Shane]

got a last question, Shane.

[Unidentified Co-host]

Yeah, I'm looking at that gauntlet. If you had to pick one the four games that you're referencing earlier on the road, Tennessee on the road to Georgia. On the road, Ole Miss, of course, LSU at homes is in there. Which one is most likely A victory for those.

[Mike]

It's got to be Tennessee, right? Oh, it's got to be Tennessee. And. And only.

[Shane]

Well, it's gonna be his last time on the show.

[Mike]

Come on, man. If am I picking him to be.

[Unidentified Co-host]

Can I reel him over there?

[Mike]

Gunner Stockton in his house or Trent at Chambliss in his house? No way. It's got to be Tennessee. I think, you know, by week five, maybe they have quarterback worked out. Right. But you know, they could be starting a true freshman at quarterback and versus Byron Brown. I'm not sure if it's a much better chance, but if I had to pick one because of where it is in the season. Have you flipped Ole Miss in Tennessee and you put Tennessee at the end of October? I would not pick the Tennessee game because I think Hypo will have his team worked out by that point.

[Shane]

And the way that that game is probably going to play out is probably going to be high scoring. It's going to be, you know, a shootout.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Byron Brown the advantage Auburn right there.

[Mike]

Yeah, I, I think that the first five game 5 and O is not off the table for Auburn if the ball bounces the right way. And it's because you have Byron Brown and your first five opponents have quarterbacks that might not be as good as Byron Brown. And I say might because there's a chance one of them dudes is much better than we think right now. But as it stands right now, none of them are as experienced as Byron Brown is. That's a fact. Right. Like, and so, you know, all that experience has account for something at the end of the day, you know, experience is king in college football. If you are extremely talented, it's rare that these kids even play four years now we got five for five. I just think this will be Byron Brown's last year of college football and he's going to want to go out a winner because he's going to want to play NFL football. Right. And there's no better place to prove it than in the SEC versus this schedule.

[Shane]

All right, Mike. All our coverage this week is brought to you by Tennessee legend. They make the best Tennessee whiskey you can buy.

[Unidentified Co-host]

Hell yeah.

[Shane]

So we're asking everybody for their Tennessee legend boldest take in the sec. Could be Auburn. Could be anything. SEC related. You got a bold take for us entering the season.

[Mike]

Yeah. Byron Brown runs for a TH000, throws for 3,000.

[Shopify Advertiser]

Whoa.

[Mike]

That's my bold take.

[Shane]

He's all in.

[Mike]

And. And Jeremiah Cobb also runs for a

[Shane]

TH000 15015 and 0.

[Mike]

How fast is that's my bold take. I think. I think they got a chance to do something special.

[Shane]

Oh, we like it. Mike, before you go, tell our audience how to follow you, how to find the show.

[Mike]

Follow me on Twitter at but follow us at the Wharport, every single social media platform. You can find us on YouTube, Auburn Express TV, powered by the Whirlpool.

[Shane]

All right, perfect.

[Unidentified Co-host]

Thank you so much.

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