

LSU visits Auburn on Saturday afternoon.
It’s the No. 12 team in the country visiting the No. 7 team in the country.
It’s the SEC opener for both teams.
It’s the renewal of a passionate and extremely competitive rivalry.
It’s a really big game for mid-September, but will it still seem that way in retrospect in December?
When these teams met last season in mid-October in Tiger Stadium, the game featured some of the same dynamics – Auburn was No. 10 and the winner was going to strengthen its SEC standing – and it wound up being a memorable game.
Auburn rolled to a 20-0 lead in the second quarter and LSU coach Ed Orgeron’s advance obit was being assigned. But LSU roared back and ultimately prevailed 27-23.
That victory might well be the biggest one Orgeron has had since taking over as LSU head coach after the first four games of the 2016 season. (By the way, that fourth game that season was Auburn’s 18-13 victory over LSU in Auburn, which led to Les Miles’ firing as LSU’s head coach.)
The blown lead and discouraging loss last season wasn’t going to do in Auburn coach Gus Malzahn the way the game a year earlier did in Miles. Nonetheless at the time it looked like it could have ruined Auburn’s season.
As it turned out, the outcome of last year’s game didn’t do as much good for LSU, or as much bad for Auburn, as it seemed it would in the immediate aftermath.
LSU went on to finish third in the SEC West and played in the Citrus Bowl, where it lost to Notre Dame in a ho-hum game to complete a ho-hum season.
And Auburn went on to win the SEC West anyway and play Georgia for the SEC championship. Though Auburn wound up losing to Georgia, and then to UCF in the Peach Bowl, for a disappointing end to its season, none of its big-picture disappointment had anything to do with the blown lead against LSU.
Perhaps the outcome of this year’s game will be a springboard to great big-picture success for the winner and start a slide to mediocrity for the loser. But maybe not.
Whether LSU wins or loses it still has to face No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia and No. 16 Mississippi State, among others, before it figures out its postseason opportunity.
And Auburn still has to play those same three teams.
So the long-term meaning of this game is unclear, but the short-term meaning will be significant. After all it’s No. 7 and No. 12 and the winner will control its fate in the SEC West and CFP races. The loser will have a long climb back into any championship conversations and just importantly will lose much of the credibility that it acquired through a 2-0 start.
The preseason expectations were higher for Auburn than they were for LSU and Auburn lived up to its preseason No. 9 ranking by beating preseason No. 10 Washington 21-16 before handling Alabama State 63-9 in a Week 2 sparring match.
LSU exceeded the modest preseason expectations for it when, as the No. 25 team, it handled preseason No. 8 Miami 33-17 before a mundane but adequate 31-0 tune-up victory against Southeastern Louisiana.
The pollsters and the oddsmakers, who favor Auburn by more than a touchdown, still see Auburn as the better team, but those same people envisioned Miami being better than LSU out of the gate. So we’ll see.
When LSU and Auburn get together, they usually produce something memorable besides the outcome and its effect on the teams’ seasons. It might be an earthquake-like crowd reaction, a burning building, record-setting interceptions or missed kicks, or an historic comeback, or blown lead, depending on your point of view.
So the long-term implications of this game may or may not be as significant as the rankings suggest.
But chances are, Auburn and LSU will make it memorable.
It should definitely be one to watch…
What fantastic input Bamatime
At least my input had to do with the subject. Like always your post is off topic and a waste of time.
I see you’re still a waste of oxygen…
Pretty sure Washington was preseason #6, they’re down to #10 now.
I’m not sure their wins against Washington ( who seldom sees a great defense) and Miami (who’s QB is terrible) tells us that much about either team that we didn’t already know.
The team that comes out on top, or maybe both teams if it’s a very close game, will be able to stake a claim to higher aspirations. Interesting match-up.
I am not sure what Georgia’s victory over an unranked South Carolina team tells us. Auburn’s victory over Washington and LSU’s victory over Miami were more instructive. I cannot wait for Georgia to play LSU and Auburn. Neither Auburn or LSU have weak schedules.
Agreed WarEagle. Could see UGA losing one, if not both, of those games. No one prior to LSU will be giving them any trouble and they’ll be going into that game thinking they are the best team in the country after the powder puff schedule they have…Baton Rouge ain’t easy, specially at night.
A Alabama fan talking about powder puff schedules. Hilarious!
What’s hilarious is a UGA fan telling us wins over Miami and UW proves nothing while a win over SC proves how dominate UGA is……
How do you know it is going to be a night game? If it is on CBS, it will be a 3:30 est game.
@2233, CBS does double headers for big SEC match ups and usually LSU schedules big match ups at night when it’s a home game. Never said it was definite it would be at night, just that it’s tougher when it’s a night game in Baton Rouge.
@Tim – Alabama’s schedule is more difficult than UGA’s, that’s just a fact…the East is crap and SC isn’t a good team, so let’s not beat our chests about that W. Love how you’re now saying, ‘well, when we played them, they were ranked’ – they were barely in the top 25 after one week of football and now they are out of it once again. Congrats on beating what was the 24th ranked team, I guess?
USC was ranked when Georgia played them. The Dawgs looked dominating. I don’t see anyone in the east beating them.
War Eagle actually, SC was ranked No.24, before the Dawg’s completely destroyed them. But don’t let the facts get in your way.
Yeah, I can’t wait for Georgia to play LSU and Auburn, either. In referring to UGA’s weak schedule, I’m assuming you’re figuring LSU and Auburn into that… Don’t worry. Georgia will play the No. 2 and the #3 SEC West teams on the regular season schedule. Then they will play Alabama in the SEC Championship game.
Ga’s schedule doesn’t sound so weak to me. But, I guess that all depends on how much stock you put into LSU and Auburn.
I looked up LSU’s offensive numbers. Worst in the SEC! But when, if Auburn beats them, you might want to take that into consideration before you buy more stock in the Gus-Bus. We will get to see what Auburn’s really made of when they come to Athens, GA. And, yeah, I’m really looking forward to that night…
One game at a time “chump” i mean “champ” uga plays mid tenn st this week. Stop assuming you will be in Atlanta after 2 games,bama is not on uga’s schedule. You know what the say about assumptions.
*they
A UGA fan beating their chest about beating the #24 ranked team, can’t make it up folks! No need to play anymore, UGA has won it all after beating the #24 ranked team! Can’t make this up, folks!
“It’s the renewal of a passionate and extremely competitive rivalry.”
Nope, they play every year.
Bama Time, there you go again…
You simply can’t argue my points on the basis of what I actually said. Just like every one of your other comments, you have to try and put words into it that I never mentioned. I never said that the SC game proved much for Georgia. At this point, who knows how good or bad SC is. I didn’t say the Miami and Miami games “proved nothing” but you seem like such a Snow-flake that your emotions always take over.
Oh, and by the way. Kirby still has Five 5-star players committed. Saban has only one. It is what it is. Try not to let that fact get you too emotional..
Not a single person on this site has ever linked you to posting a fact….
And your comments putting down Miami/Washington while hyping UGA is in your history….. You have repeated the Narrative Multiple times…
Oh and for recruiting…Not a single team has signed anyone…
Nobody does less with More than UGA…Fact