Auburn heads to Oxford on Saturday trying to stop the slide before it starts.
After a rough 38-17 loss at home to LSU, the Tigers are looking to bounce back against Ole Miss, and ESPN’s Matchup Predictor doesn’t exactly like their chances. Auburn is given a 25.1% shot to win on the road.
That number fits the challenge in front of the Tigers. Auburn has not dropped consecutive games this season, and avoiding back-to-back losses will be the mission in Mississippi.
But Ole Miss is coming off its own disappointment, a 34-27 defeat to Texas after nearly clawing all the way back from a 24-3 halftime hole. Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss could not find the end zone as time expired, and at 5-2, Ole Miss cannot afford another loss if it wants to stay in the College Football Playoff picture.
Saturday’s game also brings these teams together for the first time since 2023, when Ole Miss beat Auburn in the first season of the Hugh Freeze era. The programs used to meet annually as SEC West rivals, and while Auburn still owns the overall series lead at 35-12, Ole Miss has taken the last two matchups.
Auburn’s path to an upset could start on the ground. Ole Miss sits at the bottom of the SEC against the run, allowing 161.1 rushing yards per game, which gives Byrum Brown and the Auburn running backs a chance to make noise. That ground game may be Auburn’s best shot at flipping the script.
There’s also a broader reason Auburn would love to leave Oxford with a win. The Tigers are trying to end five straight losing seasons, and with four wins already in the bank, they should have a chance to add three more in the stretch run with Arkansas, Mississippi State and Samford still ahead.
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Auburn Heads To Ole Miss With One Big Chance To Respond
Auburn heads to Ole Miss still trying to settle things down after the LSU loss, and the trip gives the Tigers a quick chance to show the last outing was more of a stumble than a trend. The matchup also puts a few key players in the spotlight, with Byrum Brown, Jeremiah Cobb, Elijah Melendez, Andre Jordan Jr. and Cole Best all expected to have a hand in helping Auburn clean up the issues that showed up last week.
The challenge in Oxford is simple enough to understand and harder to execute: the Tigers need sharper play on both sides of the ball, especially in areas where LSU exposed some cracks. Ole Miss offers a different set of problems and a fresh test of whether Auburn can make better use of the opportunities in front of it, and the response from that group of players could go a long way toward shaping how this stretch of the season is remembered. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Basketball Now Has A Front Office Problem Before The Season
Auburn basketball is dealing with an unexpected front-office shakeup before the season even gets going, with the program parting ways with general manager Brian Kloman after an issue tied to international transfer Mantas Rubtaviius college coursework in Europe. The fallout was significant enough that Rubtaviius dismissed his lawsuit against the NCAA, and his path to playing for Auburn this season closed with that ineligibility ruling.
For Steven Pearls staff, the timing only adds to an already tricky stretch of roster management and administrative work. Pearl said the duties Kloman had been handling will now be spread around by committee, with the staff keeping its current structure intact as it absorbs the extra load and tries to move on from a situation that has already altered Auburns plans. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Still Has A Clear Path To Salvaging Alex Goleshs First Year
Auburns loss to LSU dropped the Tigers to 4-3, but the bigger picture under first-year coach Alex Golesh is still very much in play. The schedule ahead offers a clear chance to steady the season, with Ole Miss, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Samford and Alabama still on the slate.
If Auburn handles Arkansas, Mississippi State and Samford, a 7-5 finish and bowl eligibility remain within reach, which would go a long way toward softening the sting of a rough midseason stretch. Beating Ole Miss or Alabama would be a different level of statement altogether, the kind of upset that could quickly reshape how Goleshs first year is remembered. [Read more 🡒]