For Bryan Harsin, his goal at Auburn is simple. Win championships.

“But it's really simple: We want to win championships. And we want to do it a certain way,” Harsin said in his introductory press conference Thursday. “We want to do it with class, we want to do with integrity and we want to do with academic excellence. Because these guys are student-athletes, and through this football program, we will win. But we will do it the right way and we will have guys here that truly enjoy the journey while they're with us and I believe that's extremely important. And I feel like that's a part of their experience that they have here at Auburn University with us.”

Expectations have always been high for Auburn’s football program. The Tigers are expected to consistently compete for SEC titles and contend nationally.

Gus Malzahn was unable to consistently do that, and it ultimately led to his exit.

Harsin is well aware of those lofty expectations for the program.

“I understand, back to Auburn, I understand the expectations. I understand that, to win championships and to play consistently, what it will take to do that,” Harsin said. “And the areas that we need to be better. Alright, we'll discover those as we go. Because we'll have the right people in here to make sure we do that. But we want to play for championships, and we want to play consistently. And again, the challenge in that, that's why I'm here.”

While some may back down from the challenge, Harsin looks forward to it.

“I've heard that it's gonna be challenging, It's going to be tough,” Harsin said. “Isn't that what you want as a competitor? Aren't those the things that you tell your players every single day when you go out there and play against that opponent to win your one on one battle to win in this situation here to win in these moments? It's going to be challenging, it's going to be hard. You say it all the time. That's what competitors want.”

“And so I've heard that. And I understand that. And that's part of why this job and this opportunity at Auburn was so attractive, because of exactly those things. It's exactly the reason why you want to play for Auburn University and exactly why you want to come to a place like this, because it's going to be challenging, it’s going to be hard.”

Championships are nothing new for Harsin.

As Boise State’s head coach and a member of the staff before becoming head coach, the Broncos won 11 conference championships.

Harsin believes Auburn can get back into championship contention.

“Auburn's won a national championship, played for another, not too distant years,” Harsin said. “So I think that there's a formula that we can use here. And we can certainly embrace the past. And I've said this before, we will attack the future moving forward and we will focus on what we have to be successful in each one of those games.”

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