Here’s everything you need to know about today’s marquee matchup between No. 2 Auburn at No. 3 Mississippi State.

When: Saturday, Oct. 11
Where: Starkville, Miss.
Game Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Current Line: Auburn (-2.5)

Game Buzz: Arguably the biggest game in Mississippi State history, Starkville finds itself at the center of the college football world as No. 2 Auburn visits No. 3 Mississippi State. It’s a great matchup of quarterbacks as Dak Prescott is the current Heisman frontrunner and Nick Marshall has gotten the Auburn offense clicking after a 34-point win over LSU. The Bulldogs will try to win its third consecutive game over a top 10 team, something its never done in the history of Mississippi State football.

SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH PREVIEWS

Auburn Tigers

Players to watch:

  • QB Nick Marshall
  • RB Cameron Artis-Payne
  • WR Sammie Coates
  • WR Duke Williams
  • DT Montravius Adams
  • LB Kris Frost
  • LB Cassanova McKinzy
  • S Josh Holsey

Keys for Auburn:

  • Establish the tempo early. During a stretch of two games against Kansas State and Louisiana Tech in which the Tigers struggled, Auburn failed to get its tempo established early, and that’s something the Auburn offense must do early on the road in what is sure to be a hostile environment.
  • Slow down the run. Mississippi State will look to establish its running game early with Dak Prescott and Josh Robinson to open up the play-action pass for Prescott. Auburn boasts the SEC’s third-best run defense, and if it can contain Prescott and Robinson, that could force the Bulldogs into some unwanted situations.
  • Get off the field on 3rd down. It’s imperative for the Auburn defense to get off the field on 3rd downs. The Tigers cannot afford to give Prescott and that explosive offense more chances. If Auburn can force State into some third and long situations, Auburn most capitalize.

Auburn’s glaring weakness to watch: It’s not glaring, but the secondary is the unit to watch. Prescott has some talented weapons on the outside in Jameon Lewis and De’Runnya Wilson who could present some challenges in man coverage on the outside.

Most interesting part of this game: How does Auburn perform on the road? This is only the second trip away from Jordan-Hare Stadium for the Tigers, and this will be the most hostile environment the Tigers have faced. How Auburn responds early will determine a lot about how the game will unfold.

Team buzz: A week ago, we were discussing why the Tigers haven’t clicked yet, and how many games this team would lose. Now, we’re talking about them as the favorite in the SEC West and if they can survive that brutal schedule to get to Atlanta. Can Gus Malzahn get his team to forget last week’s win quickly and escape Starkville with a win?

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Players to watch: 

  • QB Dak Prescott
  • RB Josh Robinson
  • WR Jameon Lewis
  • WR De’Runnya Wilson
  • LB Benardrick McKinney
  • DE Preston Smith

Keys for Mississippi State

  • Establish your presence early. The Bulldogs survived a punch to the gut early last week against Texas A&M and rallied to dominate the majority of the game. Coming into this game as an underdog, look for the Bulldogs to establish its presence early with a physicality Auburn hasn’t seen yet.
  • Pressure the quarterback. Mississippi State must get pressure Nick Marshall and not give him time to go through his progressions and make a play. He can be forced into bad decisions when flushed out of the pocket and facing a pass rush.
  • Stop the run. Auburn has run all over opponents, with the exception of its road trip to Kansas State. Look for State to stack the box and force Marshall to throw the football.

Mississippi State’s glaring weakness to watch: The secondary has some holes for the Bulldogs, and Marshall possesses the ability to beat Mississippi State over the top with the deep ball. Look for the Tigers to try to throw the football early to keep the Mississippi State defense honest.

Most interesting part of this game: The Bulldogs face its third consecutive top 10 team. How does it fare mentally? Last week’s win over Texas A&M was a historic one, but the task gets much more difficult this week with the defending SEC West champion rolling into town.

Team Buzz: Mississippi State has been dubbed “last year’s Auburn,” and is the darling of college football right now. Will its hopes and dreams come crashing back to earth this week or do the Bulldogs continue flying high?