This season, The Plainsman will make staff picks of Auburn's weekly matchups. Also look for our selections for the national showdowns in the "Plainsman Pick 'Em" section in the print edition of our publication.
Here are our picks for Auburn at Ole Miss (11 a.m. CST, ESPN).
Nathan King, sports editor:
It's do or die for Gus Malzahn.
This might be the sixth-year head coach's last straw. Auburn needs a victory to curb .500 this season and maintain hope for bowl eligibility.
But Ole Miss' offense has caught the Tigers at the just the right time. Safety Jeremiah Dinson will be out the first half after being ejected for targeting last week, and corner Jamel Dean is questionable.
If Ole Miss QB Jordan Ta'amu, who leads the SEC in passing yards, can replicate Jarrett Guarantano's performance from last week, the Rebels should out-gun the Tigers. I don't see Jarrett Stidham and an atrocious Auburn offense scoring much over 20 in this game, which won't be enough to win on the road.
Predition: Ole Miss 27, Auburn 23
Tyler Roush, assistant sports editor:
Quarterback Jordan Ta'amu and Ole Miss are going to fly through the air against Auburn on Saturday.
Against a Gus Malzahn squad holding to life, the Rebels won't struggle to score or prevent the Tigers from the end zone. Barring a one-week transformation, a sigh of relief may not come until the bye week.
It's difficult to forget the performance of Jarrett Guarantano in Tennessee's win inside Jordan-Hare Stadium last week, and it's hard to expect Ta'amu to do any less with The Grove looming.
On the verge of questioning bowl eligibility, expect Malzahn to find some life on the wire.
Prediction: Auburn 24, Ole Miss 21
Sumner Martin, sports writer:
Coming off a 30-24 upset loss at home against Tennessee, the now-unranked Auburn Tigers find themselves sinking with two straight conference losses and a 4-3 overall record.
Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano torched the Auburn secondary last week for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, and this week won’t get any easier. The Tigers will enter Oxford, Mississippi to face a high octane Rebels offense with the fourth best passing offense in the nation led by Jordan Ta’amu.
The Rebels average just over 353 passing yards a game and have one of the best wide receivers in the country at their disposal in A. J. Brown. With Jarrett Stidham and the Auburn offensive line still searching for answers, I expect Ole Miss to out score the Tigers and pull the upset Saturday afternoon.
Prediction: Ole Miss 34, Auburn 24
Jake Wright, sports writer:
Auburn has looked lackluster the last few weeks all around. The Tigers are coming off an abysmal loss to what many people thought was one of the worse teams in the league. Tennessee continually abused Auburn on the outside with an average quarterback.
Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta’amu is prolific and has weapons even though D.K. Metcalf is out for the year. I think that Ole Miss will throw the ball around the yard and on offense Auburn will not be able to keep up. The offense has problems, and if JaTarvious Whitlow does not play then I think Auburn will struggle mightily once again.
Prediction: Ole Miss 31, Auburn 20
Zach Tantillo, sports reporter:
Auburn’s season is in a tailspin.
The Tigers have no traction on the offensive side of the ball and are losing it on defense. The Rebels’ greatest strength is their passing attack and Auburn’s biggest weakness on defense is in the secondary.
Ole Miss has struggled against top-quality SEC opponents this season, but it’s unclear if Auburn is top-quality anymore. If Auburn can limit big plays through the air and get the slightest bit of spark on offense, then they can pull this out.
Prediction: Auburn 28, Ole Miss 24
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