Ole Miss, 5-2, hosts Auburn, 4-3, on Saturday in Oxford, both teams off losses. Byes have left only five SEC games this week, and four of the five carry double-digit favorites. Ole Miss is one of them, at home. The Rebels rallied at Texas before losing by one score. Auburn was beaten badly at home by LSU last week. It beat Georgia in Athens two weeks ago.
The Locked On SEC host who convened the panel called Saturday a must-win for Ole Miss, arguing a third loss would be close to a playoff eliminator, with Georgia in Oxford next week and a trip to Oklahoma after. He picked Ole Miss, though he said he could be talked into Auburn keeping it close.
The Locked On Gators host disagreed. He argued Auburn’s offense is unusually hard to prepare for, spreading its receivers to the boundary to thin out the box, and said he does not believe Ole Miss defends the run well enough to handle it. The Locked On Sooners host agreed, saying Kewan Lacy’s absence will cost Ole Miss more than most expect.
Both guests pointed to Auburn’s spot on the calendar, noting the game does not follow Auburn’s Georgia week, giving it a buffer. The Locked On SEC host pushed back with the Missouri game, when Ole Miss shut down the Tigers’ running game and kept them out of the end zone in Oxford, and noted the Rebels are still banged up along the offensive line, with Brycen Sanders listed probable.
The show of hands went against the home team. The Locked On SEC host took Ole Miss; the visiting hosts took Auburn, one calling it an outright upset. With Georgia at home and Oklahoma on the road ahead, Saturday became the game the panel treated as decisive.
Photo: Makhi Frazier, September 26, 2026, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images.
Adapted from the October 29, 2026 episode of SEC Squad, carried on Locked On Ole Miss, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Watch the full episode.