Auburn’s trip to Oxford is the headliner in Auburn Daily’s Week 9 predictions, and the staff is split on whether Alex Golesh can keep the upset momentum rolling.
The Tigers are trying to shake off last weekend’s embarrassing loss to LSU at Jordan-Hare Stadium and turn the page fast in another tough SEC road spot. Auburn already stunned No.
1 Georgia two weeks ago, and now the question is whether that kind of magic shows up again against No. 12 Ole Miss.
The picks were mixed. Kyle Rush, Darrell Dapprich and Zac Blackerby all went with Ole Miss, while Brad Law and Christian Rauh backed Auburn.
Elsewhere in the SEC slate, the staff was unanimous on Mississippi State vs. No.
11 Texas, with everyone taking Texas. The same clean sweep came in No.
17 Florida vs. No.
3 Georgia, where Kyle Rush, Darrell Dapprich, Zac Blackerby and Christian Rauh picked Georgia, while Brad Law went with Florida.
South Carolina vs. Oklahoma brought a little more variety. Rush, Dapprich, Law and Rauh chose South Carolina, while Blackerby took Oklahoma.
In the other AP Top 25 matchups, No. 1 Miami vs.
North Carolina leaned heavily toward Miami, though Dapprich was the lone pick for North Carolina. No.
5 Notre Dame vs. Navy was unanimous for Notre Dame.
No. 25 Arizona vs.
No. 13 Texas Tech split the group, with Rush, Dapprich and Rauh on Arizona and Blackerby and Law on Texas Tech.
No. 19 SMU vs.
Syracuse was another sweep, with all five staffers taking SMU.
No. 25 Wisconsin vs.
Iowa was one of the more divided games: Rush, Dapprich and Law picked Iowa, while Blackerby and Rauh went with Wisconsin. Minnesota vs.
No. 4 Indiana was a clean Indiana pick across the board.
No. 8 BYU got every vote in Arizona State vs.
No. 8 BYU, and No.
20 Northwestern vs. Oregon tilted toward Oregon, though Dapprich and Rauh picked Northwestern.
No. 6 Utah vs.
Cincinnati went Utah’s way for four of the five staffers, with Law selecting Cincinnati. Virginia vs.
No. 14 Wake Forest was unanimous for Wake Forest, and Nevada vs.
No. 7 UCLA was unanimous for UCLA.
No. 24 Oklahoma State vs.
Iowa State went to Oklahoma State for Rush, Dapprich, Law and Rauh, while Blackerby chose Iowa State. No.
2 Ohio State vs. USC was a clean sweep for Ohio State.
The final game in the set, Texas State vs. No. 20 Boise State, was another unanimous call, with all five staffers picking Boise State.
In Other News...
Auburn's Offense Just Took Another Hit Before Ole Miss Matchup
Auburns receiver room got a little thinner heading into a tricky SEC road test, with Jeremiah Koger ruled out for the matchup against Ole Miss. He now joins Tai Buster and Hunter Herring on the injury report, leaving the Tigers to piece together their offense with another available option off the board as they prepare for one of the leagues more demanding environments.
Ole Miss is dealing with its own roster issues, too, and the availability report has already trimmed the Rebels down by 10 players, including running back Kewan Lacy. Even with both teams shorthanded, the absences matter on a weekend when depth and flexibility can swing the tenor of a conference game, and Auburn will have to find answers without one more name it was hoping to have. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Defense And QB Situation Suddenly Look Far More Fragile
Ole Miss walked out of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with a 45-15 win over Auburn, and the Rebels did it with a quarterback who kept the Tigers off balance in more ways than one. Trinidad Chambliss made his mark through both the air and on the ground, while Ole Miss coach Pete Golding had plenty of praise afterward for Chambliss and offensive coordinator John David Baker, whose plan helped keep Auburn chasing the game from early on.
For Auburn, the bigger concern was how little rhythm the offense found while Byrum Brown was under steady pressure. The Tigers never got much going on the ground, and the combination of a shaky quarterback situation and a defense that bent far too often made the loss feel bigger than the score alone. It left Auburn with more questions than answers at a point in the season when stability is supposed to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn's Second-Half Collapse Just Raised Bigger Questions About This Offense
Auburns trip to Oxford ended with a lopsided 45-15 loss to No. 12 Ole Miss, a result that did more than just deepen the frustration from one rough afternoon. It also marked the Tigers first two-game losing streak under coach Alex Golesh, with the offense again unable to keep pace after showing flashes early enough to keep the game within reach.
Byrum Brown finished with 195 passing yards, but Auburn never found enough consistency to put real pressure on Ole Miss, where Trinidad Chambliss controlled the game with 263 passing yards and three total touchdowns. The bigger concern now is how quickly Auburn can reset before Arkansas comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 7, because the margin for error on that side of the ball has started to shrink. [Read more 🡒]