South Carolina at #5 Auburn Preview and Predictions

By Nathan Deal | Oct 22, 2014

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Oct 4, 2014; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers receiver D

Prediction

It’s always nice to have a bye week and return home after a disappointing road loss. It helps that the Tigers face a South Carolina team whose expectation has shifted from winning a national title to becoming bowl eligible in just a few weeks.

Should Auburn fans be concerned? Absolutely. This is still a Steve Spurrier-coached football team. One would have to believe he’s hungry to finally get a win against Auburn, and nothing would be sweeter than upsetting Auburn on their own field and ruining their national championship hopes.

However, I don’t think South Carolina has enough to challenge Auburn. Their defense is too vulnerable against an Auburn offense that is now full of angry players looking to prove themselves after a less-than-stellar performance two weeks ago. Carolina should have enough offense to put some drives together, but ultimately, they won’t have enough to stay with Auburn. The Tigers pull away and get a big win before heading to Oxford.

#5 Auburn Tigers 44, South Carolina Gamecocks 17

SEC Predictions:

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#1 Mississippi State 42, Kentucky 21 (The top-ranked Bulldogs (wow, that sounds weird) will get a stiff test from Kentucky in the first half, but they’ll pull away in the second half and successfully avoid the trap.)

#3 Ole Miss 21, #24 LSU 13 (This is a tricky situation for Ole Miss. LSU’s defense is improving rapidly, and this game’s in Baton Rouge at night. Ultimately, though, the Rebels have the nation’s best defense, which will be enough to win here.)

#4 Alabama 21, Tennessee 7 (Lane Kiffin’s back in Knoxville, and I see the Tide’s offense struggling on the road yet again in a hostile environment. However, the Tide has far superior athletes and will win.)

Missouri 35, Vanderbilt 10 (Missouri’s been pretty bad at home this year, strangely enough, but they should whip Vandy.)

Arkansas 49, UAB 21 (Did you know UAB has a winning record? Yes, I’m serious! They’re 4-3! Well, they’re about to be 4-4, but still, let them have this.)

Other Notable Games:

#6 Oregon 47, California 32 (This could be dangerous for the Ducks. They’d best be careful, or they could be out of the national title race thanks to a pair of weeknight upsets.)

#11 Kansas State 45, Texas 10 (Man, Auburn’s win over K-State is looking better and better by the week.)

#8 Michigan State 34, Michigan 0 (Is this the week Brady Hoke is fired? It very well could be.)

Oklahoma State 36, #22 West Virginia 31 (A week after a big win over Baylor, WVU will stumble in a hostile environment. Pokes get it done on a last-second touchdown.)

#19 Utah 27, #20 USC 21 (The Utes are one of the most underrated teams in America. They’ve silently become a Pac-12 South contender.)

Penn State 28, #13 Ohio State 20 (James Franklin gets his first big win as the head Nittany Lion. Down go the Buckeyes.)

UPSET ALERT! Colorado 33, #25 UCLA 30 (Following a close road win over Cal, the Bruins are inexplicably back in the polls. I think they get knocked back out after this week. The Buffaloes are 2-5 but have shown fight in their losses. They’re hungry for a statement win, and they’ll get it. Th Buffs knock off the Bruins and possibly send UCLA’s season into a tailspin.)

Next: Where Does Auburn Rank All-Time Among College Football's Elite?

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