Auburn was among the handful of five-win programs offered a postseason lifeline, and one of the few that said no. The Tigers stumbled in range for a postseason spot after their APR score pushed them up the replacement list despite finishing 5-7. When programs like Notre Dame, Kansas State, and Iowa State backed out of their own bowl invites, Auburn had a path to slide into the No. 6 APR slot. But instead of jumping at the opening, the Tigers declined the bid. And on Monday, newly hired head coach Alex Golesh finally clarified why Auburn walked away from the opportunity.

“There’s so much staff turnover that it would be hard to put everything together and be competitive to a point where you could go and win a football game,” Golesh said in the press conference. “The other part of it is, our guys, so many of them, that are done with finals and were able to get out, go home to their families for a little while. To be able to get everybody back together and figure out who the heck is going to coach them, how you would actually do that, the timing of it all was just not practical.”

Auburn’s situation mirrored several other five-win programs that walked away from bowl opportunities. Florida State, UCF, Baylor, and Rutgers all reached the same conclusion: with rosters scattered and coaching changes unfolding, preparing for a postseason game became more of a logistical nightmare than a reward. According to reports, at least seven 5-7 teams ultimately turned down invitations for similar reasons. For Auburn specifically, the timing was brutal.

Golesh had been on the job for barely a week after being hired on Nov. 30, stepping into a building where the previous staff had already dispersed, and roster movement was only beginning. By Golesh’s own estimate, roughly three-quarters of the players weren’t even on campus when the question of accepting a bowl spot was raised. Had all of this happened earlier, before players scattered and the previous staff disassembled, Golesh admitted the answer might have been different.

The decision also reflects a broader postseason shake-up. Kansas State opted out after a coaching retirement; Iowa State did the same following its own staff change. Even 10-2 Notre Dame declined a bowl after missing the playoff. Auburn simply landed in the same pocket of transition as those programs, but with far less stability on hand to construct a workable bowl plan.

For Alex Golesh, the extra time provides a valuable opportunity to settle into his new role and begin planning for next season. Expectations will be high, given the turnaround he engineered at USF. The Bulls finished the season 9-3 and narrowly missed the AAC Championship Game.

USF also delivered elite production, ranking second nationally in points per game (43.0), tenth in rushing yards (225.4), and nineteenth in passing yards (275.2). Naturally, Auburn fans hope Golesh can bring that level of offensive consistency and explosiveness to a program that ended the season with a 5-7 finish and a thirteenth-place standing in the SEC.

On the other side, Alex Golesh’s replacement at USF, former Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, will look to build on the success Golesh established within the program.

Brian Hartline revealed as the new USF head coach

When losing Alex Golesh to Auburn became apparent, USF took a step that most didn’t see coming: getting Brian Hartline into the role. The offensive coordinator has been at OSU for the past three seasons, winning one national championship. He helped head coach Ryan Day make Ohio State into one of the deadliest offenses in the country. So, he became the first choice for USF CEO of Athletics, Rob Higgins, to build upon the 9-3 season.

“Brian Hartline was our clear-cut first choice to lead our football program into the most exciting era in program history, and I am so fired up to have him leading the Bulls,” Rob Higgins said in a statement Wednesday. “A relentless recruiter, outstanding developer of talent, and a gritty competitor, he comes from a championship background and is obsessed with instilling championship excellence in his players and teams.

“He is ready to lead our program to the next level. He knows the state of Florida, having spent six seasons of his professional playing career in Miami, and has successfully recruited the state and the Bay Area for a long time. We are so excited to welcome Brian, his wife Kara, and their children Brayden, Kameron, and Brooklyn to the Bulls family.”

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While his move is official, Ryan Day confirmed that Brian Hartline will continue to be the offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes during the upcoming playoff games.