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Since the turn of the 21st century, the LSU Tigers have had an edge in their rivalry with the Auburn Tigers. The Bayou Bengals have won 13 of the 20 matchups that have occurred that have occurred in this new millennium, including the last three in a row, four of the last five, and seven of the last nine. So Auburn will be working against some recent history when they host LSU this weekend for the SEC on CBS Game of the Week.
And frankly, who knows how this game is going to go? Auburn hasn’t looked all that great these last few weeks, yet they stand 3-2. LSU hasn’t looked particularly great themselves, and at 2-2 are at a proverbial crossroads. The defense, typically one of LSU’s significant strengths, has been one of the worst in recent memory for the program. That’s not even a stretch to say, but whatever the case, these two teams will do battle and we’ll come away with some takeaways regardless.
The biggest matchup in this game is, simply, Auburn’s offense vs. LSU’s defense. Bo Nix has had his fair share of struggles, but he did have a confidence-boosting effort against the lowly Ole Miss Rebels last week. Nix also helped lead a late rally, and tossed the game-winning score to the talented Seth Williams. If Williams and Nix can have similar impressive outings against the lackluster LSU defense, then Auburn can snap their losing ways to the Tigers of LSU. Granted, that’s being very simple with the analysis. But to me, that’s the biggest matchup of the game and what will tip the scales here.
Auburn’s defense against LSU’s offense is a bit of a question mark as well. LSU performed well the last time we saw them with TJ Finley under center. He’ll get the nod again with Myles Brennan still on the sidelines, and he’ll be facing an Auburn unit that has been pretty meager at defending the pass. They did give up minimal yards against Ole Miss last time around, and will be facing a player with one career start under his belt. But whether last week’s performance was a sign of things to come is yet to be seen. So, one could argue that you should proceed with caution. What will be intriguing to see is how LSU’s rushing attack fares. Auburn’s unit was very bad last week against the Rebels, who gained over 280 yards on them. LSU’s ground game has been a strength, like always, so we’ll see how they fare.
How to Watch
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT
TV: CBS
Odds
Spread: LSU -2.5
Total: 63.5
Moneyline: LSU -132 | Auburn +108