Auburn comes into Saturday with the kind of buzz you don’t manufacture. One week after shocking No.
1 Georgia, the Tigers get another swing at a ranked opponent, this time against No. 18 LSU at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The question is whether Auburn can turn one giant upset into a streak, because the hill gets steep in a hurry.
The Georgia win gave Auburn something real to build around after a loss to Tennessee before the open date, but keeping that momentum alive is a different challenge. Alex Golesh will need Byrum Brown to carry a heavy load again if Auburn is going to threaten another SEC giant.
Brown was everywhere against the Bulldogs, finishing with 265 total yards and two touchdowns, and he handled the ball often enough that the game tilted his way. The issue now is sustainability.
If Auburn leans on him the same way, the hits will keep piling up. That makes the traditional run game even more important, because taking some of that burden off Brown could be the difference between hanging around and wearing down.
LSU, meanwhile, arrives with plenty to prove away from home. The Tigers have lost both of their road games this season, and their road struggles have been a bigger story than usual.
LSU has dropped eight straight road games, which is the third-longest streak in school history. Through stops at Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU, Kiffin is 14-16 on the road in SEC coaching career games, so this isn’t exactly a group that has made life easy for itself outside Baton Rouge.
Even after shutting out a shorthanded Mississippi State team in Death Valley, LSU still has to show it can handle a hostile setting.
A big reason Auburn still has hope is Jordan-Hare Stadium itself, but the numbers don’t exactly scream home-field magic against ranked teams. Auburn has won only one of its last 10 home games against top-25 opponents, and the program hasn’t stacked ranked wins in back-to-back weeks since 2013, when it beat Georgia, Alabama and Missouri in succession. That’s the bar Auburn is trying to clear here: back-to-back shocks, against one of the sport’s toughest schedules and a much sturdier LSU team.
The matchup also turns on whether LSU can keep Sam Leavitt steady. He just posted the first clean game of his LSU tenure, and repeating that kind of performance in Auburn would go a long way toward quieting the crowd.
LSU’s defense is athletic enough to deal with Brown, and the offense has enough firepower to create separation if it gets rolling. Auburn may make this messy for stretches, but LSU still has the pieces to control the game and separate late.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 24 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium -- Auburn, Alabama
TV: ABC | Live stream: Fubo (try free)
Auburn’s win over Georgia was incredible, but it also came with some warning signs. Georgia out-gained Auburn by 74 yards, and Auburn still needed a plus-3 turnover margin to survive.
That kind of formula is hard to live on twice in a row. LSU is good enough to make Auburn pay if the turnovers don’t break the same way, and the Tigers from Baton Rouge have the defense and offense to win by more than one score.
Pick: LSU -9.5
In Other News...
Auburn Suddenly Has A Staff Question Fans Can't Ignore
Marylands decision to fire Mike Locksley has a ripple effect that Auburn fans cannot really ignore, even if the move happened far from the Plains. The two programs are connected in a way that matters for recruiting, and Auburns staff already has a Maryland link in defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, who previously coached there. When a coaching search opens up, especially at a place tied to current Auburn personnel, the conversation around who stays, who leaves and who follows a coach can start immediately.
Durkin could draw interest for Marylands head coaching job, and that possibility alone creates uncertainty for Auburn as it tries to hold together its recruiting board. The situation also cuts the other way, since Locksleys background includes Alabama ties and real recruiting experience, which could make him a candidate for Auburns coaching staff. For Auburn, the timing is awkward, because any movement at Maryland could affect commitments and relationships the Tigers are trying to protect. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Fans Will Want To See Why Alex Golesh Is In Focus
College GameDay is heading to the University of Utah this Saturday, and ESPN is rolling out a familiar mix of marquee voices for the broadcast ahead of the Utes game against Houston. Rece Davis will anchor the show alongside Kirk Herbstreit and Nick Saban, while Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid is set to serve as the guest picker as the pregame show settles in for another full morning of college football coverage.
The broadcast will also include live appearances from Utah and Miami head coaches, plus special reports on a range of college football topics, which gives the show plenty of ways to keep attention moving before kickoff. For Auburn fans, the reason to keep an eye on this one is how often GameDay can put coaches and programs under the spotlight in ways that linger beyond one Saturday, and Alex Golesh has found himself in that kind of conversation before. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Suddenly Has A Real Shot At A Five-Star Pass Rusher
Marylands decision to move on from Mike Locksley has quickly put one of the nations top defensive prospects back on the radar, and Auburn is a school worth watching. Zion Elee, the five-star edge rusher currently at Maryland, was recruited heavily by the Tigers and has existing ties to the program through his former high school, giving Auburn a familiar lane if he decides to explore a transfer.
For Auburn, the appeal is obvious. Adding a player with Elees pass-rushing upside would be a major boost for a defense that can always use more disruption off the edge, and the timing could work in the Tigers favor ahead of the 2027 season. Nothing is official yet, but the coaching change at Maryland has opened the door for speculation, and Auburn now looks like a real destination to monitor closely. [Read more 🡒]