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Where does Auburn rank among College Football's top brands?


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Where does Auburn rank among College Football's top brands?

Taylor Jones
6-7 minutes

There is zero doubt that in the college football world, the programs that make up the SEC are the most recognizable among fans and recruits alike.

When it comes to recruiting, branding makes a difference. The popularity and reputation of a program could be the difference maker in where a prized recruit signs.

So, which programs are considered to be the most popular? Official Visit recently polled 1,000 high school football players in an effort to find College Football’s best brands. According to the survey, SEC programs are, by far, the most recognizable.

In the complied rankings of all 66 Power Five programs, 12 of the SEC’s 14 programs are in the 30, with ten of those being in the top 25.

Where does Auburn fall into the mix? The Tigers are ranked No. 21 in the rankings of most powerful brands in the country, and the 8th highest among SEC programs.

247Sports did a break down of the top 25 biggest brands, and says that Auburn’s two national championship appearances keeps their program standards high.

Auburn won a national championship in 2010 and got back to the final game a few years later, but has fallen behind in college football’s toughest division since with only one 10-win campaign since 2013. Regardless, the Tigers’ football job is one of the nation’s best and the brand can withstand a couple disappointing seasons — by heightened program standards — this decade.

The four programs that missed the top 25 cut include Kentucky (No. 26), Missouri (No. 29), Arkansas (No. 35), and Vanderbilt (No. 61).

Here’s a look at the remaining nine SEC programs, and where they rank among College Football’s most powerful brands:

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Boasting one of the nation’s top facilities reaping the financial benefits of being in the SEC, South Carolina cracks the top 25 as a recognizable entity among recruits. The Gamecocks are hoping to stay competitive through NIL with The Garnet Trust and Carolina Rise, banking on the momentum that second-year head coach Shane Beamer has provided at the program.

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

At Mississippi State, head coach Mike Leach has brought a hint of swagger back to the SEC West program as a respected name in coaching. The Bulldogs are hoping to take the next step during his tenure.

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee remains a key figure in SEC football royalty according to prep athletes, despite those players not being old enough to remember the Volunteers’ wonder years.

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Still, to think Ole Miss has a bigger brand in the eyes of recruits who were surveyed here is a problem for the football purists in Ann Arbor. Lane Kiffin has certainly helped the Rebels’ visibility since his arrival.

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Despite a dip in recruiting in recent years, Florida continues to be elite in the branding department. The Gators have let Nike experiment with several alternate and throwback looks and “The Swamp” is a neat venue that’s respected by prospective student-athletes.

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M’s scope has widened since its entry into the SEC ahead of the 2012 season and has carried record revenue numbers since. Replacing Kevin Sumlin with Fisher and his mega 10-year deal increased expectations to annual title contender status and commitments from wealthy boosters have provided a noticeable edge in NIL for the Aggies. Texas A&M signed the highest-rated recruiting class of all-time for the 2022 cycle, according to 247Sports, the caliber of class that has resulted in recent national championships at Alabama and Georgia, respectively. Texas A&M’s brand is strong and prep athletes realize this program’s potential.

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The only program in college football with three national championships under three different coaching staffs since 2000, LSU churns out quality seasons and the Tigers’ recognizable purple and gold branding is one of the SEC’s most storied looks. There’s a reason Brian Kelly left a top-10 job at Notre Dame for Baton Rouge and that’s to win a title with elite athletes in recruiting. If you’ve ever been to Death Valley on a Saturday night, the setting is not comparable to any other in college football. LSU has always had a strong football brand and the depth of that reach should widen under Kelly.

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Could Georgia assume the top spot in these brand strength ranking, say, five years from now? It’s possible if Kirby Smart continues on this upward trend as one of the nation’s top recruiters. Coming off the program’s first national championship since 1980, there’s more where that came from given the Bulldogs’ impressive stockpile of talent as one of the annual preseason favorites to win it all. Georgia has always been a recruiting monster with a rabid fanbase and now, the Bulldogs have the right leader in charge who gets the most out of every avenue of the program. It doesn’t hurt to be in the middle of a state which annually produces dozens of elite-level players, either.

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone’s an Alabama fan, or at least respects the standard of excellence set in Tuscaloosa. Isn’t that what it feels like when taking a trip to the grocery store anywhere in the South? Saban has produced more national championships, five-star signees, first-round picks than any coach in America since 2007 and has shown no signs of slowing down. Alabama is the program others on the fringe of elite status try to be and the impact he’s had on the game can not be understated. The power of the script “A” is immeasurable in college football’s new era and Alabama is the most powerful program — and the top job — in the country.

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It is well overdue for Auburn to rebrand itself, nothing stay's the same, the football uniforms are throwbacks today, we need some more combinations besides the all whites, the blue top white bottom, we can do all blue with blue helmets all orange see Clemson/Florida/UT they need updating really soon. The UA interlock could use some updating as well A can be used, everybody knows who we are, the interlock to me signify based on how much it is used as if no one would know who we are, it is over kill IMOP, the apparel or uniforms with Auburn and the interlock together just screams inferiority.. it is time to change see Vanderbilt new V, come on Auburn step outside of the seventy's and Eighty's and into the 2020s I respect tradition but you can't stay stagnant..

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2 hours ago, eaglenest said:

It is well overdue for Auburn to rebrand itself, nothing stay's the same, the football uniforms are throwbacks today, we need some more combinations besides the all whites, the blue top white bottom, we can do all blue with blue helmets all orange see Clemson/Florida/UT they need updating really soon. The UA interlock could use some updating as well A can be used, everybody knows who we are, the interlock to me signify based on how much it is used as if no one would know who we are, it is over kill IMOP, the apparel or uniforms with Auburn and the interlock together just screams inferiority.. it is time to change see Vanderbilt new V, come on Auburn step outside of the seventy's and Eighty's and into the 2020s I respect tradition but you can't stay stagnant..

I do wonder if we pull something for the Penn State game

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Just speaking to football, bc I think the Auburn basketball brand is certainly in a better state, it is a shame that with having the rep as an offensive dynamo, having the best college QB of all time, two of the best moments in CFB ever, with having such a renowned crowd, and having a social media team that’s done a fantastic job, we don’t seem to be thought of as a particularly cool or “desirable” team, at least compared to the programs we want to be compared to 

Obv the product on the field doesn’t help, but I feel like that also has to do with just our general identity as a university (or at least what it once was). Rustic, traditional, homegrown, that type of image. With the death of regionalism and tradition, I think programs like us are in a really tough spot in terms of our image  

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winning will take care of everything...................

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9 hours ago, woodford said:

“Branding” doesn’t mean anything. Auburn’s brand is its tradition. That’s what it’s known for. Changing the interlocking AU and using Vanderbilt as a reference? Vanderbilt? 🤣 That is just crazy even for an Internet forum and that’s saying something. (Not trying to pick on you, btw)
 

Alabama has numbers on their helmets and have worn the same uniforms for decades. You know why it doesn’t matter? Because they win titles and put guys in the NFL. Winning has been and will always be the best “branding” of all. 
 

Kids like the logos and gear but they like winning and getting exposure much more. There’s a reason why Oregon has 500 uniforms and Alabama does not. 

I could give a rat A$$ what Tuscaloosa is doing, let me make myself clear, I DON"T CARE WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!! that is the problem with some in this fan base, to concern about what they are doing and what they will say about us, sack up, I CARE ABOUT WHAT"S BEST FOR AUBURN. We have won championships, Woodford not trying to be too critical here against your opinion but Vanderbilt changing their V is not about football, it's about the image and look for the university, see above when they ref Tuscaloosa, and by the way, they have changed their A to make the University stand out not the FOOTBALL program, Auburn can use some BOLDNESS... instead of being in the shadows.

Edited by eaglenest
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I could give a rat A$$ what Tuscaloosa is doing, let me make myself clear, I DON"T CARE WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!! that is the problem with some in this fan base, to concern about what they are doing and what they will say about us, sack up, I CARE ABOUT WHAT"S BEST FOR AUBURN. We have won championships, Woodford not trying to be too critical here against your opinion but Vanderbilt changing their V is not about football, it's about the image and look for the university, see above when they ref Tuscaloosa, and by the way, they have changed their A to make the University stand out not the FOOTBALL program, Auburn can use some BOLDNESS... instead of being in the shadows.

Auburn has the best looking uniforms in college football. We don’t need that Oregon #%^* 😂

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I could give a rat A$$ what Tuscaloosa is doing, let me make myself clear, I DON"T CARE WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!! that is the problem with some in this fan base, to concern about what they are doing and what they will say about us, sack up, I CARE ABOUT WHAT"S BEST FOR AUBURN. We have won championships, Woodford not trying to be too critical here against your opinion but Vanderbilt changing their V is not about football, it's about the image and look for the university, see above when they ref Tuscaloosa, and by the way, they have changed their A to make the University stand out not the FOOTBALL program, Auburn can use some BOLDNESS... instead of being in the shadows.

I think you missed the point. Uniforms and logos may pull one or two recruits in a cycle but for the most part it doesn't seem to matter. They tried to change the interlocking AU for athletics a few years ago and it failed miserably. 

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Auburn has the best looking uniforms in college football. We don’t need that Oregon #%^* 😂

So tired of that answer, do you wear the same clothes all of your life, drive the same vehicle all of your life, make no improvement in your life or reno to your home or buy another home, you are just complacent? come on, the colors are what they are orange, blue, white FLA/UGA/LSU/MIZZ/USCJR/UT/UK just to name a few in this league has more than two sets of uniforms, please get Oregon out of your mind because there are a plethora of schools that have multiple sets of uniform's 

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I think you missed the point. Uniforms and logos may pull one or two recruits in a cycle but for the most part it doesn't seem to matter. They tried to change the interlocking AU for athletics a few years ago and it failed miserably. 

Because y'all can't see the forest for the tree, change doesn't mean the end of the world. Are people going to stop buying sprite because it is in a clear bottle now?  

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Because y'all can't see the forest for the tree, change doesn't mean the end of the world. Are people going to stop buying sprite because it is in a clear bottle now instead of a green bottle ?

 

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Because y'all can't see the forest for the tree, change doesn't mean the end of the world. Are people going to stop buying sprite because it is in a clear bottle now?  

Lol they will if the taste is bad. You're kind of helping prove the point here. Logo/branding isn't as important as a product's success. Poor product on a football field= less recognition, such like a bottle of soda......

Edited by CAReeves2010
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Where would we rank if they asked this question 9 years ago? Championships matter. Winning matters. I wouldnt mind a few tweaks to the uniforms though but it needs to be well thought out by someone that understands the majority of the current fan base. 

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Where would we rank if they asked this question 9 years ago? Championships matter. Winning matters. I wouldnt mind a few tweaks to the uniforms though but it needs to be well thought out by someone that understands the majority of the current fan base. 

In my opinion, uniforms should be determined by the team rather than fans.

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In my opinion, uniforms should be determined by the team rather than fans.

I definitely think the team should play the biggest role but the fans need a voice in this as well.

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screaming WHY??????????

Because getting the fans excited about some new looks will only help. Getting more minds together will produce more options/ideas but I ultimately agree that the team should have the final/majority say.

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I definitely think the team should play the biggest role but the fans need a voice in this as well.

The first is a workable solution, the 2nd is not. It is also very likely the two will oppose each other.

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The first is a workable solution, the 2nd is not. It is also very likely the two will oppose each other.

Why not give it a chance with the ultimate decision being the players decision? I like our tradition but I'd also like to see something new. So far, out of all the new uniform ideas I dont think I've seen a single one I've loved. We need somebody with a real talent to propose the right changes. It will take someone that understands both the players and the fan base.

 

Ole Miss for example has done a great job with their traditional color schemes.

Edited by AU80cruiser
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Where would we rank if they asked this question 9 years ago? Championships matter. Winning matters. I wouldnt mind a few tweaks to the uniforms though but it needs to be well thought out by someone that understands the majority of the current fan base. 

Have you seen some of the posts here by some in our fanbase? Rhetorical. Most of our fans are not even comprehensible in the simplest of matters, let alone something you are proposing.

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So tired of that answer, do you wear the same clothes all of your life, drive the same vehicle all of your life, make no improvement in your life or reno to your home or buy another home, you are just complacent? come on, the colors are what they are orange, blue, white FLA/UGA/LSU/MIZZ/USCJR/UT/UK just to name a few in this league has more than two sets of uniforms, please get Oregon out of your mind because there are a plethora of schools that have multiple sets of uniform's 

Please wrap your head around “ain’t broke don’t fix it”! 

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Have you seen some of the posts here by some in our fanbase? Rhetorical. Most of our fans are not even comprehensible in the simplest of matters, let alone something you are proposing.

Do you think it's most or most on this site? I dont use any social media or other forums so I have no idea about those sources. I get all my info from podcasts and here.

I just wish we would do something for the season opener and/or bowl game atleast.

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I like something similar to this to add excitement to the bowl games. Which is far more than I suggested earlier. (E.g. Ole Miss)

images (3).jpeg

images (2).jpeg

Edited by AU80cruiser
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