Is it good or bad for LSU to face an opponent coming off its biggest win in years?
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Auburn rallied from a 14-point deficit last Saturday to stun previously unbeaten, No. 1 Georgia, 27-24, between the hedges. Now the question is whether the Tigers can ride that momentum into their matchup with No. 18 LSU — or suffer an emotional letdown.
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin says that’s a legitimate concern, especially in an era when players are constantly exposed to praise on social media.
“That is a real thing, that is a real challenge,” Kiffin said. “Especially now, I think it’s a harder challenge now because of all the access on their phones, of people and media and all the stuff they see on social media. So you start to be told how great you are.”
Kiffin admitted he was pulling for Auburn to complete the upset.
First-year Auburn coach Alex Golesh also knows his team must stay focused after such an emotional victory. He hopes the challenge of facing LSU will keep the Tigers motivated.
“The easy thing, human nature tells you we’re good,” Golesh said. “And then you flip on this Louisiana State University team and get humbled really, really quickly. This dude’s gonna run it by you really quickly.”
Auburn is 4-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play. The Tigers’ other conference victory came against Vanderbilt, while their losses came against Florida and Tennessee.
LSU, meanwhile, is looking to snap an eight-game SEC road losing streak and earn its first conference road victory since 2024.
Kiffin was asked Monday why winning on the road is so difficult in the SEC. He pointed to the depth of the conference, noting that even teams outside the championship race can be tough to beat on their home field.
“I just think it’s a deeper conference,” Kiffin said. “Our middle to bottom, whoever you declare those teams, those are still really hard places to play.”
But one statistic offers a reminder that road wins are possible: SEC teams are 16-16 in conference home games this season.
The league’s unpredictability was on full display last Saturday when Auburn knocked off Georgia in one of the season’s biggest upsets.
For LSU, the key will be avoiding the mistakes that contributed to road losses against Ole Miss and Kentucky.
Auburn, meanwhile, will look to feed off its home crowd and summon another strong performance as it tries to knock off a second highly ranked opponent.
