Will Auburn football rise in the AP Top 25 after Week 4 comeback?

Before anyone gets ahead of themselves, this was not any iteration of an ideal victory for Auburn football in Week 4.

Georgia State was supposed to be a feel-good cupcake crushing during Homecoming weekend on the Plains, but the Panthers fought until the very end. They led for most of the afternoon.

Bryan Harsin was impressed, giving the visitors up I85 north their due in his post-game interview. But calamity wasn’t to be as the Tigers staved off a second straight loss by entrusting TJ Finley with the ball in the second half.

Did Finley’s heroics and Smoke Monday’s game-sealing pick-six–ultimately leading to a 34-24 victory–help AU climb in the AP Top 25?

Auburn football will rise in the rankings after wild comeback win over GA State

Given Kansas State’s likely loss to Oklahoma State, TCU’s 41-34 loss to SMU, Wisconsin’s destruction at the hands of Notre Dame, 41-13, and Liberty’s shocking 24-21 loss to Syracuse, the math dictates AU will not only remain ranked, but rise in the AP Top 25.

This was idyllic for Auburn first-year head coach Bryan Harsin. He was confronted with living up to his preseason mantra of having the best QB out on the field.

Nix had done enough to be QB1 up until the Georgia State matinee was slipping so far out of hand that there was no other option. The Trap Game almost caged the Tigers.

But TJ Finley said ‘nah’.

Finley came to the Plains to start, so this moment was one he was prepared for. He now likely has a week to mentally arm himself as he walks into Death Valley as the new leader of the offense.

The Louisiana native’s arm is even bigger than presumed former starter Bo Nix’s. If he could continue to make things happen with his legs, and remain poised in the pocket against his former team, LSU could be a stepping stone to what would be one of the year’s biggest games the Plains will see: a 5-1 Auburn football battling the #2 Georgia Bulldogs, who just buried Vanderbilt in spectacular fashion in Nashville and have the Arkansas Razorbacks–who upset #7 Texas A&M in Week 4–up next in Athens.

You have to figure a potential top 15 spot is on the line next week in Baton Rouge.