Auburn faces off against LSU this Saturday at 2:30 on CBS. It’s already spooky enough that this game takes place on Halloween, but within the last few days Vegas odds have swung out of Auburn’s favor and into LSU’s. Here’s what the experts are saying:
College Football News
Pete Fiutak: Auburn 34 LSU 30
Why he thinks Auburn will win:
“It’ll be a tough back-and-forth battle, but Auburn’s defense will come through when needed, and Nix will have a second straight above-average game to get by.”
SB Nation
Shane Shackelford: LSU 42 Auburn 30
CBS Sports
Barrett Sallee: LSU (-3)
What he says:
“I’ll take LSU to win and cover. The offense is good enough to put pressure on coach Gus Malzahn and offensive coordinator Chad Morris to panic and get away from the running game. If and when that happens, it’ll be lights out for Auburn. Some of Nix’s success this year has been thanks to Seth Williams catching desperation heaves. That is simply not sustainable. Nix will make several mistakes in the fourth quarter for LSU to pull away late.”
247Sports
Brad Crawford: Auburn 28 LSU 26
What he says:
“There’s literally nothing that says Auburn, a lucky winner in the final moments vs. Ole Miss last week, should win this game. Bo Nix has struggled with consistency and LSU is coming off its best performance of the season, with a freshman quarterback no less. But I like the idea of Kevin Steele gameplanning for a first-year player under center and believe Auburn is due for a standout defensive outing. Gus Malzahn could use a notable win this fall and he gets it on Saturday.”
Chris Hummer: LSU 31 Auburn 24
What he says:
“LSU remains a difficult team to peg. Myles Brennan’s status is up in the air and the Tigers’ defense ranks 96th out of 101 teams. Regardless, I expect LSU to continue to score as it did against South Carolina last week. As for Auburn … this team just isn’t all that good. Ole Miss should’ve presented an opportunity for the offense to get going. Instead, Bo Nix and that unit stalled once again. I’m sure Auburn will move the ball Saturday. I just can’t see it scoring enough to keep up.”
Athlon
Steven Lassan: Auburn
Mark Ross: LSU
Ben Weinrib: Auburn
Bleacher Report
Joel Reuter: LSU 34 Auburn 24
What he says:
“This looked like a much more significant game when LSU began the season at No. 7 in the AP Poll and Auburn was close behind in the No. 11 spot, but a pair of losses for each team has left this matchup in the unranked section. LSU has some momentum after a 52-24 blowout win over South Carolina last week, while the Auburn defense was shaky once again, allowing 444 yards against Ole Miss.”
Yahoo Sports
Sam Cooper: Auburn (+3)
What he says:
“LSU beat South Carolina 52-24 last week. That’s the same South Carolina team that beat Auburn 30-22. Perhaps that explains this point spread, but I think the wrong team is favored. Auburn, which is 8-2 against the spread as a home underdog under Gus Malzahn, gave the South Carolina game away when it strayed way too far from its running game and was doomed by three Bo Nix interceptions.
The score of LSU’s win over the Gamecocks is misleading as 14 of LSU’s points came via a pick-six and a kick return TD. LSU’s defense didn’t take any major strides. South Carolina’s running backs gained more than nine yards per carry, Collin Hill averaged more than 10 yards per attempt and South Carolina’s kicker missed three field goals.”
The Athletic
Stewart Mandel: Auburn 35 LSU 34
What he says:
“Your guess is as good as mine on this one. This will likely be a swing game in the SEC West. Neither team has been overly impressive to date, but they’re also both capable of going on a run from here. And Auburn is already having one of those seasons where the breaks seem to constantly fall its way.”
Bruce Feldman: Auburn 35 LSU 28
What he says:
“LSU has won the previous three meetings against Gus Malzahn’s program, all close. The hunch here is that Auburn finally gets a win, especially with LSU playing a true freshman QB, T.J. Finley, in his first road game. Auburn also has the kind of skill guys to take advantage of what has been a defense prone to allowing big plays.”
Well, there you have it. Experts are split on their predictions in this game. Despite the line shifting to LSU’s favor it looks like most of them are still going for Auburn. I hope they’re right!