Ole Miss Hosts Auburn In Playoff Eliminator
Can Nick Marshall and Auburn keep their championship hopes alive in Mississippi on Saturday?
College Football Playoff hopefuls meet Saturday night as No. 4 Mississippi hosts No. 3 Auburn in a make-or-break showdown in the Southeastern Conference.
Kickoff at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Both the Tigers and Rebels were named in the all-important top four when the inaugural College Football Playoff Rankings were unveiled on Tuesday. After Saturday’s clash, one team won’t figure to be in the playoff conversation any longer.
The Story So Far
Mississippi (7-1, 4-1 SEC) saw its undefeated streak come to an end last weekend in Baton Rouge, as Louisiana State earned a hard fought 10-7 victory. The result now puts the Rebels’ championship chances in jeopardy.
Hugh Freeze’s side surprised many by building a 7-0 record to open the campaign, a record that included a 23-17 win over conference favorite Alabama. The general consensus is that a one-loss SEC team could just about scrape into the College Football Playoff, but no two-loss team is going to the Rose Bowl or Sugar Bowl.
While the Rebels may have been ousted by the Bayou Tigers last weekend, the selection committee remains impressed by the team – yet to allow more than 20 points in a game – and assigned the side a No. 4 ranking this past week. Can the Rebels continue to stay in the hunt this weekend?
Auburn (6-1, 3-1 SEC) enters Saturday’s game one-spot higher in the rankings than Mississippi, a fact that was sure to have turned some heads.
After earning a berth in the National Championship Game a season ago, the Tigers have had a solid season so far, most notably going into the Little Apple and knocking off a very good Kansas State side.
Within the conference, Gus Malzahn’s side crushed Louisiana State at home but fell 38-23 on the road to the SEC-leading Mississippi State on October 11. The team bounced back a week ago with a win over the disappointing South Carolina, although some might suggest that the Tigers should have made easier work of the Gamecocks.
Like Mississippi, Auburn knows that anything less than a win on Saturday will bring an end to the school’s hopes of another national championship.
Head-to-Head
Auburn leads the all-time head-to-head series 28-10.
The Tigers are 12-3 when playing the Rebels in Oxford, but have lost two of their last three trips to The Oak.
In the series, Auburn has won four of the last five, nine of the last 11, and 12 of the last 15.
Auburn defeated Mississippi 30-22 a season ago.
Mississippi defeated Auburn 41-20 in 2012, the last time the two sides played at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Injury Report
Auburn will be without defensive end Carl Lawson, out indefinitely with a knee injury.
Mississippi lost linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche last weekend to a broken ankle. The junior will miss the rest of the season.
Check out the full injury list
Will Bo Wallace and Ole Miss bounce back from last week’s loss at LSU?
Betting Report
Below you’ll find Betting Sports’ breakdown of odds and betting trends.
Auburn Tigers vs. Mississippi Rebels odds for 11/01/2014
Moneyline: Mississippi (-130) opened as a narrow favorite over Auburn (+110) on the moneyline but the gap between the two sides has shrunk ahead of kickoff.
Auburn will look to continue its historic dominance over Ole Miss, while the Rebels will be looking to earn a third win in four games against the Tigers in Oxford.
Spread: The spread opened at 3 and has steadily fallen as the game has grown closer.
Mississippi (7-1-0 ATS) has crushed the spread this season, and is 4-0-0 ATS when playing at home. Auburn (3-4-0 ATS) meanwhile has struggled to match expectations, and has failed to cover in four of the last five contests. Things could be different when the two sides take to the field on Saturday.
Auburn has covered the spread in six of the last 10 head-to-head meetings, and in six of its nine road games against Ole Miss.
Total: The total opened at 48.5 and had subsequently risen to 51 at the time of writing.
Both Auburn (3-4-0 O/U) and Mississippi (1-7-0 O/U) have favored the under this season. The only game in which the Rebels saw the total go over came against a non-power conference opponent in Louisiana-Lafayette.
History once more suggests that the norm may not pay out this weekend though. The over has paid out in four of the last five head-to-head meetings, and six of the last seven games in which the Rebels have hosted the Tigers.
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