AUBURN | It’s quite stunning when you think about it.

Auburn is coming off three consecutive losing seasons. It’s SEC record at home during those years was 4-8.

Yet when the Tigers line up to take on Arkansas in the SEC opener Saturday afternoon, it should be in front of an 11th consecutive sellout crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Never have Pat Dye’s words about Auburn fans loving Auburn held more weight.

Auburn and Arkansas have played each other 32 consecutive years but I doubt many in either fanbase would consider the other one of its top rivals.

But this is a very big game for both schools.

After this Saturday, the Razorbacks finish conference play with six of seven games against ranked opponents including No. 1 Texas, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 7 Missouri.

Sam Pittman entered his fifth season at Arkansas on a pretty hot seat and is likely playing for his job this fall after going 4-8 and 1-7 in the SEC last year.

Likewise, Auburn’s finishes against five ranked teams including road games at No. 2 Georgia, No. 4 Alabama and No. 7 Missouri.

The Tigers, which already dropped a home game to California in which it was a double-digit favorite, can’t afford another home loss and expect to have a winning season.

There is so much on the line for both teams Saturday afternoon.

Knowing that, it’s up to Auburn’s coaches and players to come out of the gate fast, which has been quite the opposite the previous two weeks.

It’s time to break the cycle of losing. It’s time to start winning. It’s time to start winning at home.

It’s time to start rewarding the Auburn alumni and fans for their unwavering support by showing up on the field.

Nobody is expecting Auburn to win a national championship this year or even make the 12-team playoff.

Just stop losing, and start playing with passion.

Because if we’re going to mention Coach Dye, you better remember how his teams played their tails off every single Saturday. They played for each other, they played for him and they played for Auburn.

It’s time to see more of that from this group of Tigers.

From the the top down, from the head coach to the last player on the bench, Auburn needs to come out of the gates Saturday afternoon with intensity and passion.

If those fans see that Saturday, if they feel it, they will respond in kind.

Frankly, I haven’t seen enough of that the first three weeks. That needs to change and it needs to change right now.