Pickem: Week 3

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AUBURN, Ala. | Each week the AuburnSports.com staff make their predictions on Auburn and top college football games from around the country.

WHAT THEY THINK:

Jay G. Tate: Auburn 21-20. All available information suggests the Auburn Tigers are all but finished. We all saw what happened last weekend and, well, it was a stinker. The Louisville game wasn't exactly awe-inspiring. With that said, I believe a more carefully crafted game plan for Jeremy Johnson can make him much better. I also believe Will Muschamp's defense is taking big steps forward -- even if the statistics don't quite back that claim. Anyway, I this this Auburn team has some surprises in it. Today will be one of those days.

Bryan Matthews: LSU 21-10. Maybe Jeremy Johnson will do a better job of protecting the football this week and keep it out of the hands of LSU's athletic defensive backs. Maybe Auburn will be more productive on first down and generate more explosive plays on offense. Maybe Auburn's defense won't give up 200 yards rushing and Leonard Fournette won't have a big day. Maybe after two weeks of mostly uninspired football, Auburn will start playing up to its potential. That's too many maybes for me, especially when Auburn is facing its toughest opponent at a place it hasn't won in 16 years.

Jeffrey Lee: LSU 31-23. LSU seems too much too early for Auburn. Heck, Jacksonville State nearly was. The Tigers are ailing on both sides of the ball and a trip to Death Valley can't be the necessary prescription -- cowbells will be in stock/stadium next week (see MSU for details). Auburn will leave LSU with its first "L." How could anyone watch Auburn the first two weeks and objectively think otherwise? Hope? Morgan Freeman told me that's a dangerous thing. I'll stick with what I've seen.

Allie Davison: Auburn 24-20. Through two games, there are no good reasons why anyone should pick Auburn to go beat a good LSU team in Death Valley. Except I am. And I really do believe Gus Malzahn's Tigers advance to 3-0 on Saturday. Sean White has yet to even warm up on the sidelines, and that's because Malzahn and Rhett Lashlee trust Jeremy Johnson. When the team has needed Johnson to make plays, he has. And I think you will see him come out of the gate with that attitude. Duke Williams will need to be stellar, that means making catches on less than perfect throws. The biggest "if" on defense is obviously whether Carl Lawson will play. If he can, I think the combination of Tray Matthews, Montravius Adams and Lawson will be lethal. If he can't, you're going to see Will Muschamp look to Byron Cowart to become a man and step up. It will come down to the last five minutes, but the defense makes a key stop and Johnson makes the drive of the game to win.