With the SEC West being such a tough division, this Saturday’s Auburn-LSU matchup is crucial for both teams.

SEC Network host Paul Finebaum took it a step further on Wednesday. He said that whichever team loses is “done” and won’t have a great chance to come back in the SEC West after this.

“It’s really important because if you lose the game on either side, you’re done,” Finebaum said on ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday. “Because you still have to play Alabama in your league. You still have to play Mississippi State, which is good. They went on the road and beat Kansas State, which isn’t a bad win. You don’t survive this and have much of a chance, unless you start knocking people off.”

It’s only Week 3, but Finebaum certainly has a point.

Auburn is ranked No. 7 and LSU is ranked No. 12 entering the matchup, but both schools have challenging schedules that include No. 1 Alabama and No. 16 Mississippi State as SEC West matchups. Both Auburn and LSU also play No. 3 Georgia from the SEC East.

While this matchup is crucial, both Auburn and LSU would have chances to bounce back with all the top teams still remaining on its schedule. However, as Finebaum pointed out, it certainly may be difficult.