Auburn vs. Ole Miss 2017: Game time, TV schedule, how to watch online, odds and preview

Game time: Noon ET/11 a.m. CT

TV: SEC Network

Radio: Auburn Sports Network

How to watch online: http://www.secsports.com/watch

Odds: Auburn (-22.5), 57 (O/U)

No. 12 Auburn welcomes Ole Miss to The Plains for an early kickoff. The Tigers are coming off back-to-back beatdowns of SEC opponents, while the Rebels (Landsharks?!) are still recovering from that 66-3 beatdown they took last weekend in Tuscaloosa.

Auburn seems to be clicking on all cylinders, but they have to be careful not to overlook a talented Ole Miss team.

Auburn offense vs. Ole Miss defense

Ole Miss has been atrocious on defense, which is not what we were used to seeing under Hugh Freeze. They are allowing 35.8 points per game, 229 rushing yards per game and 201 passing yards per game. And they look as bad as they sound. Yikes.

Unfortunately for Ole Miss, Auburn is starting to find its annual mid-season rhythm on offense. The Tigers are averaging 208 yards on the ground and 223 yards in the air. Jarrett Stidham is completing 72 percent of his passes and has thrown just two picks all season. Auburn will likely take the field with neither Kam Pettway or Kerryon Johnson being 100 percent healthy, but they’ve gotten it done that way all year. Maybe most importantly, it looks like the offensive line is starting to settle in.

Auburn defense vs. Ole Miss offense

One of the bright spots this season for Ole Miss has been quarterback Shea Patterson. Patterson leads the SEC in both passing yards (1,446) and touchdowns (11). He has, however, turned the ball over six times. Ole Miss will need Patterson to protect the football if they are to have a chance to beat Auburn. He has a trio of receivers that he targets often: A.J. Brown, DaMarkus Lodge and D.K. Metcalf. The three of them combined account for 1,043 yards of offense and 10 touchdowns.

That’s a tall order for any defense, but Auburn has one of the top defenses in the country. They are the only FBS team that hasn’t allowed more than 14 points in a single game this season. They give up just 259 yards of total offense per game. Their opponents are only converting only 31 percent of the time on third down. In other words, they’re really good.

Prediction

Auburn fans don’t like early games because, historically, Auburn has played poorly in early games. However, this team has seemed locked in ever since the ugly win against Mercer.

I think Shea Patterson and company will have some success, but not enough to win the game.

Auburn 44, Ole Miss 13