Week 4 was supposed to be the end of the Bryan Harsin era of Auburn football on the Plains, but rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated. Well, they were exaggerated, but after the way their clash with Missouri ended, perhaps the descriptor ‘greatly’ isn’t exactly apropos.
Mizzou choked both teams’ SEC opener away not once, but twice, in a fourth-quarter/overtime stretch that must have been excruciating beyond belief for the fans traveling over 700 miles from the ‘Show-Me’ State. It definitely looked that way as fans wearing black and gold emptied out Jordan-Hare Stadium with disbelief on their faces.
The only thing Bryan Harsin showed me against Missouri was that his play-calling isn’t overcoming severe deficiencies along the Auburn offensive line and that his decision-making in crunch-time — as proved by what happened with under two minutes left in the fourth on fourth down on September 24 — deserves some questioning moving forward. Remember, Auburn football lost their lost four games in 2021 in fourth and would have been well on their way to another late collapse this past Saturday if Mizzou’s personnel played their part following a 14-0 deficit in the first half.
So what now? A 3-1 LSU comes to town in Brian Kelly’s SEC road debut after notching an impressive Week 3 victory over Mississippi State and a heartbreaking Week 1 loss on a would-be game-tying extra point to currently undefeated Florida State in New Orleans.
The Bayou Bengals come in as heavy favorites on October 1, and the seat Harsin occupies is still boiling like the day of a crawfish bake. What goes down under the lights on Pat Dye Field Saturday night?
Fly War Eagle has your odds and a prediction for Week 5 (All lines courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook):
LSU vs. Auburn football Odds, Spread and Total
Spread:
Auburn: +9 (-110)
LSU: -9 (-110)
Moneyline:
Auburn: +260
LSU: -330
Total: 45.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
LSU vs. Auburn prediction
So you’re either looking for the end of the Bryan Harsin era to come as soon as possible with a painful drubbing not too dissimilar to the Penn State walloping on September 17, or you’re looking for the Jordan-Hare voodoo to rear its beautiful/ugly head — of course depending on which side of the Tiger Bowl and the Harsin conundrum.
That seems too hard to predict, but a low-scoring affair doesn’t seem all that unlikely considering AU’s offensive line/quarterback struggles, LSU’s No. 11-ranked defense, and an Auburn defense that has been getting sturdy performances from future NFLers Owen Pappoe, Derick Hall, and Colby Wooden.