Hope was on Auburn’s side. Proving the college football world wrong was a goal. With both of those dreams vanquished, where do the Tigers go now?

Auburn has lost two games in soul-crushing fashion. The Tigers were thoroughly dominated in a 20-3 loss to Texas A&M two weeks ago. That was bad, but the worst was yet to come. Auburn was dominating Mississippi State on Saturday, leading 28-3. But MSU roared back and the Tigers fell to the Bulldogs 43-34. It was the biggest comeback victory in Mississippi State football history and the Bulldogs made it look easy.

So what does Auburn play for now?

The Tigers had better play their best for their program, their coaches and themselves. Otherwise, there’s not much left and they could become the SEC West version of the Florida Gators.

Auburn was the talk of the region just two weeks ago. The Tigers controlled their destiny and could have conceivably played for an SEC Championship and possibly more. Before the loss to MSU, Auburn still had a chance to make the SEC title game if the Aggies slipped up in November. With another loss, Auburn will need more help than The Plains has flat land to get back in any sort of championship hunt.

Auburn coach Bryan Harsin might prove to be the perfect coach to lead the Tigers back from this to close the season strong. He showed some signs of that on Saturday even in defeat. Harsin’s team looked calm and prepared against the Bulldogs early in the game. Then, the gut punch ensued. Auburn had complete control of Mississippi State before the Tigers decided to call it a game just before halftime.

Harsin’s leadership shouldn’t be a concern. His response to in-game challenges are another matter entirely. On Saturday, Auburn was too conservative in the beginning of the third quarter. Instead of his offense being aggressive and trying to post the decisive score in the second half, Harsin seemed unaware that Auburn has lost momentum. That could lead to an even bigger problem. It’s fair for Auburn fans to wonder if Harsin is frozen in the headlights when things go bad instead of just his usual stoic self.

Harsin either didn’t trust his offense enough to continue being aggressive, or the players simply couldn’t achieve what he wanted. Perhaps he wanted to establish the ground game to keep the ball away from Mississippi State’s surging offense. That’s understandable, but not practical.

Sure, Auburn is a running team but quarterback Bo Nix was playing well before he got banged up late in the third quarter. Auburn should have continued to lean on Nix, especially against a coach like Mike Leach, who everyone knew was going to continue to be aggressive. Did Harsin think 28 points would be enough to top Leach?

Harsin was then slow to pull Nix for T.J. Finley, who played meaningful snaps in a comeback win against Georgia State earlier this season. Nix led the Tigers to a meaningless touchdown on a gimpy leg, but Harsin should have inserted Finley sooner. That could have changed Auburn’s approach offensively as it did against Georgia State, which struggled to handle Finley. Moving forward, quarterback could be an issue if Nix isn’t healthy and Harsin isn’t confident in Finley. Perhaps Finley still isn’t ready to take over for the Tigers after the highly-regarded recruit transferred from LSU? That wouldn’t exactly speak to Harsin’s ability to develop quarterbacks, which should be a forte of the first-year Auburn coach.

Harsin gets a break this week in the schedule, at least he hopes so. South Carolina isn’t good but the Gamecocks are playing much better than they did early this season. The Gamecocks began the season as if winning was secondary to the region’s mustard barbecue sauce. Since then, South Carolina beat Florida 40-17 and fought hard in a 31-28 loss at Missouri on Saturday.

We all know what comes after a trip to South Carolina. The Iron Bowl was set to be a matchup in which Auburn could shock the world. That’s not uncommon in that series. Now, it’s hard to imagine Auburn even staying close to the Crimson Tide in that game.

Harsin has given Auburn fans plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future. He’s steady, has a unique offense and his players play hard for him.

It will be challenging for Auburn fans to be content with what they’re about to get. The Tigers are headed full steam towards a 7-5 season and a chilly bowl destination unless some deals can be made. Auburn is known to gobble up a big ticket allotment for bowls. Thus Auburn often gets better bowl treatment than most, so a Florida bowl isn’t out of the question with a 7-5 record. But is that enough after all the Tigers had to play for just two weeks ago?

With an injured starting quarterback and nothing memorable to play for, Auburn could lose to South Carolina, especially on the road. A sunny bowl destination and 7-5 record would be something that should leave Auburn fans somewhat optimistic about the future. However, if Harsin and the Tigers stumble this week against the Gamecocks, Auburn will likely be 6-6 and the offseason won’t feel nearly as good on The Planes, where all that Auburn has left to play for is on campus.