The Auburn Tigers sit at 4-2 and are fresh off their best win in a mere decade, defeating No. 1 Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday.
Coming into the season, the two games that Auburn had the least chance to emerge victorious from were against its biggest rivals — at Georgia and Alabama.
Well, Alex Golesh and the Tigers knocked off the top-ranked Bulldogs over the weekend and shocked the world, as they stood as a 20.5-point underdog and were given just a 9.5% chance to win by ESPN.
It doesn’t get any tougher than between the hedges in Athens, Ga.. which raises a question: what’s the ceiling for this Auburn team after such a monumental victory?
Additionally, although it sounds like a stretch at the moment, could the Tigers even come close to sniffing a College Football Playoff berth in Year 1 under Golesh?
That sounds like a crazy statement, as fans and media had minimal confidence in the Tigers just a few days after their 24-14 loss to Tennessee.
However, it’s certainly still too early to discuss legitimate chances for Auburn when it comes to the postseason, but there’s something in front of the Tigers that they haven’t had in years — a path.
Yes, it’s a tough one, indeed. But Auburn has a path to the College Football Playoff in mid-October entering Week 8.
Auburn hosts Lane Kiffin and the No. 18 LSU Tigers this Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, which should be one of the most electrifying environments the Plains have seen in quite some time. If the Tigers can defeat LSU and prove that their win over Georgia wasn’t a fluke, Auburn will almost certainly crack the AP Top 25 — probably even the top 20.
A loss would likely eliminate Auburn from any sort of College Football Playoff conversations, though, as it would then fall to 4-3 overall, but a victory over another ranked opponent would garner national attention and turn heads.
After its clash with Kiffin and company, the Tigers hit the road for another tough battle against Ole Miss, which currently sits at No. 7 in the AP Poll. The Rebels have lost one game thus far but face No. 19 Texas on Saturday in Austin, Texas, so it’s difficult to gauge where their mental and physical state will look like next week.
If Auburn finds a way to somehow beat Ole Miss, although it’s obviously unlikely, the Tigers would enter November at 6-2 and undoubtedly find themselves in serious contention. It would also mean they went 3-1 through their toughest stretch of the season.
However, even if it drops its matchup in Oxford, Miss., a win over LSU and a loss to Ole Miss wouldn’t be the worst thing. Auburn would return home to play Arkansas before hitting the road to Mississippi State and hosting Samford.
Therefore, if they beat LSU and fall to Ole Miss, there’s a real chance the Tigers enter the Iron Bowl at 8-3. Of course, that’s assuming they take down Arkansas and win in Starkville, Miss., but the game against the Bulldogs certainly looks more winnable than it did last week.
If that happens, the Iron Bowl could potentially be for a spot in the College Football Playoff — which sounds absurd to think and is something that’s never been stated. And considering how the league is faring right now, a three-loss SEC team making the playoff is possible.
Obviously, there’s no telling what Auburn’s next two outings will look like. Golesh and the Tigers could defeat LSU and pull off another massive upset against Pete Golding’s Rebels on Halloween, but they could also very well drop their next two and fall to .500.
It’s extremely hypothetical, but, all in all, there’s a path — and there’s excitement that hasn’t been felt around the program is a long, long time.
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