Auburn had its roughest game of the season in a loss at Florida on Saturday, and Paul Finebaum didn’t waste anytime outlining how it might reverberate for coach Gus Malzahn and the Tigers’ season.

The SEC Network host called Saturday’s game a tell-all game of the season.

“It was as simple as we made it out to be in the last week,” Finebaum said during his weekly Monday morning appearance on Birmingham-based WJOX 94.5 FM radio program “The Roundtable.” “A win there and you figure out a way to navigate the brutal three-game stretch that will define your season. Without the cushion of the Florida win, Auburn’s season is completely up in the air.

He added that it was a “body blow” for this season.

Finebaum was asked if Malzahn should have played backup QB Joey Gatewood, but he said it was difficult to see any Malzahn decision in The Swamp being a good one. Auburn came off a big win against Mississippi State, but also has a win over Oregon which should have been a loss in Finebaum’s mind.

“It was hard to believe they would look like that, but let’s remember the scene, one of the most dangerous in the country, and Dan Mullen is one of the most dangerous coaches, and Gus Malzahn got exposed Saturday afternoon,” Finebaum said.

Looking ahead to the second half of the season, Finebaum agreed with the general consensus of Auburn being an 8-4 team. In the aftermath of the Florida loss, it’s difficult seeing Auburn winning at LSU, for example.

“If you thought The Swamp was dangerous on Saturday afternoon, try Tiger Stadium about 6:00, with the sun going down and try to lead a comeback against a team that’s explosive as any team in the country,” Finebaum said.