Auburn’s expected drop in the polls has finally arrived.
The Tigers took a steep eight-point drop from No. 11 to No. 19 in the AP Poll, but they didn’t suffer quite as much in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Auburn was ranked No. 14 in the last edition, and the team’s loss to Memphis on Saturday saw the team drop four places to No. 18, one above where it sits in the AP Poll.
Auburn’s slide in the coaches poll sees [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s squad now ranked the fourth-highest of the five SEC teams represented, still beating out No. 20 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs remain the only SEC team in the rankings to have not lost yet, with Kentucky dropping two games and Auburn, Tennessee and Alabama dropping one each, but the dynamic in the polls could change once conference play kicks off a little later in the season.
The Tigers will have their chance at redemption when they play the last game of their Holiday Hoopsgiving stint in Atlanta against the Georgia State Panthers on Wednesday.
Here’s a look at the latest USA Today Sports Coaches Poll:
| 1 | Purdue | 10-0 | 1/NR |
| 2 | Virginia | 8-0 | 2/18 |
| 3 | Connecticut | 11-0 | 3/NR |
| 4 | Houston | 9-1 | 1/4 |
| 5 | Alabama | 8-1 | 5/19 |
| 6 | Kansas | 9-1 | 3/9 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 9-1 | 7/21 |
| 8 | Texas | 7-1 | 2/12 |
| 9 | Arizona | 8-1 | 4/13 |
| 10 | Arkansas | 9-1 | 8/11 |
| 11 | Baylor | 7-2 | 6/12 |
| 12 | Duke | 10-2 | 8/16 |
| 13 | Kentucky | 7-2 | 4/18 |
| 14 | UCLA | 8-2 | 7/21 |
| 15 | Gonzaga | 7-3 | 2/18 |
| 16 | Indiana | 8-2 | 8/16 |
| 17 | Maryland | 8-2 | 13/25 |
| 18 | Auburn | 8-1 | 14/19 |
| 19 | Illinois | 7-3 | 14/23 |
| 20 | Mississippi State | 9-0 | 20/NR |
| 21 | Ohio St. | 7-2 | 21/NR |
| 22 | Texas Christian | 8-1 | 16/NR |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 8-2 | 23/NR |
| 23 | Virginia Tech | 10-1 | 23/NR |
| 25 | Miami-Florida | 10-1 | 25/NR |