Auburn football: Projecting the rest of the 2021 season game by game

Auburn handles Mississippi State at home

After a long trip to Texas, the Tigers will feast in their second to last home game of the season against Mississippi State.

Bryan Harsin and co. will have gone through the ringer with their last three opponents by the time the Bulldogs come to town on November 13th. A loss could eliminate the possibility of a winning season for the first-year staff, so this game won’t slip away from the Tigers.

Given MS State’s up-and-down year, projecting an upset against an Auburn team that may be in dire need of a victory is a fool’s errand.

Record after Week 11: 6 – 4

Tigers control the Gamecocks in Columbia

Last year’s loss to South Carolina might well be the reason why Gus Malzahn is coaching the UCF Knights at the moment.

Otherwise, a 7-3 record with losses to Alabama and Georgia on the road and against a 2020 Texas A&M team that fell just outside the College Football Playoff isn’t such a bad season in the middle of a pandemic.

But 6-4? That doesn’t cut it. Not when the rest of the SEC is playing in NY6 bowl games and your top rival just had one of the greatest seasons in the history of the sport.

Bryan Harsin was brought in to avoid slip-ups against teams like South Carolina, whose only other victory besides the Tigers in 2020 was against Vanderbilt. Fade any ideas of the Gamecocks defeating AU at Williams-Brice Stadium for the second year in a row.

Record after Week 12: 7 – 4

Bryan Harsin upholds a Jordan-Hare Stadium tradition

The cracks in the armor have already been shown. After Florida almost upset the Crimson Tide in the Swamp, Texas A&M finished the job three weeks later with the 2021 season’s biggest upset.

Alabama is nowhere near as dominant as they were in 2020.

So with the potential of playing spoiler in the final week of the regular season and there being a chance this game decides whether or not Auburn football finishes with a winning season, FWE is predicting a third straight Iron Bowl victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Gus Malzahn’s legacy at Auburn was beating ‘Bama. With the Tide looking more beatable than ever after Zach Caldaza lit them up for 285 yards and three touchdowns, Bryan Harsin could make this season a successful one by upholding the tradition of keeping Nick Saban winless on the Plains since 2015.

Record after Week 13: 8 – 4