With a strong 3-0 start, Auburn finally enters the much-hyped Oklahoma week. The full-circle moment for Tigers' quarterback Jackson Arnold is what makes spices up the anticipation.
Arnold's substandard performance in Oklahoma raised clouds of doubt when he first arrived in the Plains. Now, the same fans are waiting for the signal-caller to get his moment against his former team.
This multiplies the pressure on Arnold to have an excellent performance tenfold. The remaining noise surrounding whether he could really pull it off makes it worse. When asked about how exactly he was handling the pressure and keeping his emotions in check before a nostalgic trip to his former home turf, Arnold had the perfect answer.
"I’m not on social media either, so no noise for me," he said in the post-game conference following a win over South Alabama. "Just worried about going to practice every day and being the best version of myself, and off the field, watching tape, watching OU – just locking in and doing my job.
"It’s nothing more than that for us. It’s a job for us, we go in every day and attack it and make every day my best day."
For what it's worth, it will be the toughest job he does this season so far. Brent Venables' squad is looking pretty invincible. The Sooners have crushed each opponent they have faced this season, including a blue-blood like Michigan.
Add John Mateer's elusiveness giving Auburn's defense one of its toughest tests this season, and the game looks like a real threat to Auburn's perfect 3-0 record.
We'll see whether Auburn can hold off the Sooners this Saturday.