Important Games to Catch During Auburn Bye Week

The Auburn Tigers may be on a bye this weekend, but there are still some pivotal games on Saturday that could affect the Tigers later this season. Here’s what to watch this weekend while Auburn is off.

No. 16 Vanderbilt at No. 10 Alabama

Coming off a big road win against the Georgia Bulldogs last week, Alabama will host a Vanderbilt squad that beat them in Nashville last season and is 5-0 for the first time since 2008. With both teams looming later on Auburn’s schedule, the matchup could be pivotal for scouting and positioning in the SEC standings. 

Tuscaloosa will host College Gameday this week in preparation for the game. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CDT on ABC, with Sean McDonough and former Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy on the call.

Alabama is favored by 10.5 against the Commodores, but it might not be as easy of a win for the Crimson Tide. Though Ty Simpson has looked every bit the superstar field general head coach Kalen DeBoer hoped for and the passing offense is No. 2 in the country, the defense has some exploitable weaknesses. 

Vanderbilt enters the game with the No. 14 rushing attack in the country led by quarterback Diego Pavia and running back Sedrick Alexander. Alabama, meanwhile, enters Saturday as the No. 90 rushing defense in the country. 

As for the other side of the ball, the aforementioned Alabama passing attack will go up against a Vanderbilt secondary that is No. 55 in the country in pass defense despite not playing a team with a passing attack in the top 48, with the best opponent in that regard being No. 49 Utah State. Not exactly a headliner. 

Last season in Nashville, Vanderbilt was able to control time of possession, run effectively, and win the turnover battle. This season, Alabama enters the game as the best team in the country in terms of turnover margin, so the Commodores will have to be even more mistake-free to take home a win. 

Kentucky at No. 12 Georgia

Georgia will be Auburn’s opponent next week on Oct. 11, so Tiger fans should keep an eye on this one to see how the Bulldogs respond to last week’s home loss to Alabama. The game is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. CDT on ABC, with Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer on the call.

Georgia enters the game as a 20.5-point favorite, and Kentucky is far from a formidable opponent. The Wildcats are 2-2 with wins over Toledo by one score and Eastern Michigan and losses to Ole Miss and South Carolina. The last six matchups between Georgia and Kentucky in Athens have been decided by at least 17 points, and the Bulldogs currently have a 15-game winning streak against the Wildcats.

For Auburn fans, the game will be a good measure of how this Georgia team bounces back after being punched in the mouth against Alabama. Aside from the Tennessee game, Gunner Stockton and the Bulldogs’ passing attack have struggled to operate consistently.  

If the Bulldogs come out and look like a new, angry version of what they showed in the first four games of the season, Auburn needs to be even more concerned entering next weekend’s night game in Jordan-Hare.

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