No. 12 Ole Miss and Auburn are set to meet this Saturday for the first time since 2023, and the matchup brings a little extra baggage with it.
Auburn owns the all-time series edge at 35-12, though Ole Miss has taken the last two. The Rebels’ longest winning streak in the series is three games, a run that stretched from 1949 to 1951.
This will also be the third Halloween meeting between the programs, and the first one played in Oxford. The last time they met on this kind of stage came in a game tied to postseason hopes, though the source notes that the Laquon Treadwell broken-leg game actually took place on November 1, not Halloween.
Auburn comes in with a plan that should test one of Ole Miss’ biggest issues: stopping the run. The Tigers want to hammer away behind Jeremiah Cobb and Byrum Brown, and that is exactly the kind of area where Pete Golding’s defense has been vulnerable.
Auburn already showed what it can do in a huge road win at No. 1 Georgia, which is why the 12.5-point spread does not carry much weight here.
There is also a broader playoff angle hanging over the matchup. If the conversation is about multiple three-loss SEC teams getting into the field, Auburn has a real argument to make. Its current losses are to:
If Auburn were to win out, the Tigers would own road wins over No. 1 Georgia, No.
12 Ole Miss, and No. 10 Alabama.
That would put them in possession of one of the strongest three-loss résumés in the country.
For Ole Miss, the mission is straightforward: Trinidad Chambliss and company need to handle business for the third straight game against a team with a tiger mascot. Doing that would officially shut Auburn’s season down and keep Rebel hopes alive.
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Ole Miss Gets A Chance To Exploit Auburn's Biggest Problem
Auburn heads into its Week 9 trip to Ole Miss coming off a loss to LSU, and the Tigers are trying to steady themselves in a spot where their offense has been especially vulnerable. The captain group they announced for the game includes Byrum Brown, Hudson Kaak, Kenneth McManus IV, Elijah Melendez and Cody Digler, a mix that reflects how much Auburn will need its experienced players to keep the operation together on the road.
For Ole Miss, the most obvious opening is the same one Auburn has struggled to close all season: the run game. If the Rebels can make the Tigers one-dimensional, it puts even more pressure on Melendez and the rest of Auburns defensive core to hold up in a difficult setting. Auburn is still trying to find answers after the LSU game, and this matchup gives Ole Miss a clear chance to make that problem matter again. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Faces A Real Depth Test Against Auburn Again
Ole Miss heads into another Auburn matchup carrying a long injury list, and the numbers alone tell the story of how thin the margin has become. The Rebels released a report listing 15 players, with 10 already ruled out, three questionable and two probable, which puts real pressure on the rotation as the SEC grind continues. Kewan Lacy and Edwin Joseph are among the players unavailable, while Terez Davis and Jalyn Crawford remain in the questionable column.
Even so, the Rebels have been leaning into the next-man-up approach that every contender eventually has to trust. Makhi Frazier is among the backups expected to step in, and the offensive line has continued to lean on its chemistry even as injuries have changed the personnel around it. Auburn has a way of exposing any softness in the depth chart, so Ole Miss will need the same kind of plug-and-play response again if it wants to survive the evening intact. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Brings Real Momentum Into An Auburn Test That Matters
The date and the setting give Saturdays matchup a little extra weight, even before kickoff. No. 12 Ole Miss gets Auburn at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, with an 11:45 a.m. CT start on Oct. 31, and the Rebels are carrying real confidence into it thanks to a 15-game home winning streak and a defense that has lately been creating extra possessions.
Trinidad Chambliss adds another layer to the matchup, because the quarterback is closing in on a notable Ole Miss milestone with a passing touchdown in 20 straight games, a mark that already puts him second in program history. Against an Auburn team that can still make things uncomfortable, this is the kind of test that can either reinforce what Ole Miss has built at home or slow the momentum that has made the Rebels one of the more interesting teams in the SEC. [Read more 🡒]