Auburn might not have much left to play for this season. But that certainly doesn’t take away from the consequences should the Tigers leave Starkville on Saturday without a win.

Auburn heads to Mississippi State for their final game of the regular season in dire need of a rebound after consecutive losses to Alabama and Texas A&M. A win keeps the Tigers above .500 for their 8th straight year. A loss gives them their 5th of the season for the 2nd time in 3 years and continues the cycle of conversation regarding head coach Gus Malzahn’s job security.

“I’ve got a job that, as I’ve said before, expects to win championships, and I do, too,” Malzahn said on Tuesday. “The years that you’re not in the mix, that’s just part of it. But I’m blessed to be here and excited about not only this game (at Mississippi State), but I’m excited about next year.”

The last time out for Auburn, the Tigers held a 20-14 4th-quarter lead over No. 5 Texas A&M before the Aggies rattled off 17 straight points on the back of 313 total rushing yards from Isaiah Spiller and Co. A&M outgained Auburn 168-21 in what was arguably the most important quarter of the Tigers’ season.

Mississippi State had the weekend off and haven’t played since losing in the Egg Bowl on Nov. 28. Though both were losses — giving the Bulldogs 6 this season — the past 2 games have been the best Mike Leach’s Air Raid has looked since Week 1, when K.J. Costello and Mississippi State set the world on fire with their debut against LSU. A lot has changed since that September showdown; for instance, LSU’s secondary can’t stop a nose bleed, and other defenses have solved the Bulldogs offense. But after a dark 4-game losing streak and a purging of malcontents, Leach seems to have his pirate ship pointed in the right direction.

Freshman quarterback Will Rogers has since taken the reins from Costello and has completed more than 70 percent of his passes in each of the past 3 games. He carved up the Georgia secondary 2 games ago like only Alabama’s Mac Jones and Florida’s Kyle Trask have, and against Ole Miss, he completed 45 of 61 passes for 440 yards and 3 touchdowns.

While Auburn’s secondary will be tested, it should be a light load for the defensive line in terms of run defense. Aside from an “outburst” of 87 rushing yards against Arkansas, Mississippi State has failed to rush for even 40 yards in any of their other 6 games. Twice, the Bulldogs have been held to negative rushing totals, including -22 yards against Vanderbilt, of all teams.

It has now been 3 weeks since I proclaimed that Auburn’s offense had finally turned the corner. It turns out that playing Ole Miss and LSU goes a long way toward elevating a team’s quarterback play, as Leach can certainly vouch for.

It should be back to another good day for Bo Nix, as Mississippi State’s pass defense is better than only the 2 aforementioned teams and Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs do, however, have a pretty decent line that can get to the quarterback and that stacks up pretty well against the run.

Auburn’s normal starting tackles Alec Jackson and Brodarious Hamm are both less than 100 percent, as are running backs Tank Bigsby and D.J. Williams. Malzahn has already confirmed that Jackson will miss his 2nd straight game. A weakened run game could mean every Auburn fan’s worst nightmare coming to fruition: the Tigers relying almost solely on Nix’s performance to score enough points.

The Auburn defense will still be without K.J. Britt, and cornerback Christian Tutt is questionable. The Bulldogs have a pair of solid receivers in Jaden Walley and Osirus Mitchell, so the Auburn secondary may be a little stretched.

Both of these teams’ seasons haven’t gone anywhere near to plan. Both expected to be dark-horse competitors in the SEC West, but after wins in Week 1, both have flamed out down the stretch.

Auburn will have a superior roster when the teams take the field Saturday, but a lot of the game may come down to fight. Auburn is at the lowest point of their season, while the players who are still left at Mississippi State see the light at the end of the tunnel and better days ahead in 2021.

Ultimately, I think talent wins out. Rogers could be in for another solid day, but the Auburn defense reverts back to its bend-but-don’t-break style. Nix stays under 275 passing yards but plays safe, turnover-free football, and the Tigers end the season on a high note and Malzahn is back for 2021.

Let’s make it 3 straight losses by the same score for Mississippi State.

FEARLESS PREDICTION: Auburn 31, Mississippi State 24