Steven Pearl is learning that an ugly win is not going to impress the pollsters when it comes to Auburn's ranking.
Following the opening week of the college basketball season, which saw the Tigers have to go to overtime to defeat Bethune-Cookman in their opener, Pearl's squad has dropped in both polls. In the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, Auburn barely held on to a spot in the top 25, coming in at No. 25 after dropping three spots.
In the AP Poll, the Tigers dropped from No. 20 to 22.
It wasn't exactly the debut that Pearl wanted after taking over for his father, Bruce, this offseason.