AUBURN | Each week the AuburnSports.com staff and friends make their predictions on Auburn, the SEC and top college football games from around the country.
WHAT THEY THINK
Hunter Adams (66-22), your momma’s favorite football coach.
Auburn 24-23
Jeffrey Lee (66-22), three-time defending champ. Supper Club legend.
Auburn 27-20
Who cares at this point? Not many. Auburn by a touchdown.
Dan Peck (61-27), the other guy from The Drive and film noir aficionado.
Auburn 37-34
Gus ends year 8 the way he started year 1: with a game against Mike Leach he’d better win. A motivated Auburn team should beat MSU, but it’s fair to wonder what kind of motivation we’ll see this weekend with nothing but pride on the line. Like a bowl game, Gus gains very little with a victory, but his critics will remember this game for a long time if he loses.
Jay G. Tate (60-28), the calves of an olympic bodybuilder with frosty tips on top.
Auburn 31-17
What a weird week. Well, I guess it's not that weird considering things get awkward every other year around here. I've said all along that Auburn is a pretty good football team. I think MSU is a couple steps down from the Tigers in terms of the league's pecking order, so it's a pretty straightforward pick to me. Oddly, I think the passing game is going to be the star this time around. Chad Morris and Gus Malzahn know they're under fire. This is the time Malzahn typically finds a way to get his team looking good. Win or lose, though, I still don't know what to expect Sunday morning. That thing about 6-4 being a "solid" season sure left a bad taste in a whole lot of mouths.
WHAT THEY THINK (continued)
Bill Cameron (59-29), Auburn radio institution and still groovin’ to the 70’s.
Auburn 27-24
Who knows? I was picking State yesterday, but I really have no idea what to expect from the Tigers. They are more talented, but you have to wonder about their mental state. I just don't think it's likely that they would lose three straight, so a shaky nod here.
Bryan Matthews (59-29), neighborhood walker, coffee drinker and Liverpool obsessed.
Auburn 23-21
I could definitely see Mississippi State winning. I thought long and hard about predicting an upset. I just wonder about the state of Auburn's program at the moment. I do think how Auburn plays in this game, without much on the line, will be a good indication of how much the players are behind Gus Malzahn. I'm mainly taking AU because it's the most talented team.
Christian Clemente (59-29), Montana native who just discovered nana puddin.
Auburn 24-21
This game certainly isn’t a gimme with Mississippi State coming in playing some of its best football of the season. Part of me also questions how motivated the team will be to even play this game. I desperately want to pick the Bulldogs, but I feel like Auburn’s talent overrules the upset and the Tigers get it done, barely. With a banged-up running back room and a stout Mississippi State run defense, Bo Nix is going to be forced to step up and get the job done for Auburn. I think he’ll be able to do just enough to get that done. Even after a horrendous showing last week, I think the Auburn defense bends but doesn’t break to the Air Raid.
Mr. Quarter (50-38), likes to drive trucks and hate Auburn.
Mississippi State 38-0
Auburn is done. They laid down in the fourth quarter with the game on the line against Texas A&M. The Mississippi State defense is going to destroy AU’s weak offensive line and demoralize Bo Nix and his running backs. This one is going to be ugly.
