Week 8 College Football Predictions: Why LSU Is on Upset Alert vs. Auburn

The SEC schedule has featured zero real upsets this season, but that's all about to change.

Things are about to get scary in the SEC just a week before Halloween.

No. 1 ranked LSU welcomes No. 19 Auburn to town in the battle of the Tigers. At full strength you have to give the edge to LSU, but with the suspensions to cornerbacks Tyrann Mathieu and Tharold Simon and tailback Spencer Ware, things have changed.

Gone is Mathieu, one of the best defensive talents in the nation that has forced four fumbles, recovered three of them and returned two for scores. On top of that, he has two interceptions, 42 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

While the Tigers still have a great defense, who knows how the unit will react to missing two key cogs, including one of the best players in the country.

Gone is Ware, who has run for 512 yards and six TDs and kept the LSU offense balanced.

The two-QB system of Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson only works with a balanced attack and the Auburn defense can now give all their attention to the suspect passing game. Jefferson will likely see an increased role, which will lead to more carries, but expect the speedy Auburn linebackers to stay at home and make the tackle.

As long as sophomore QB Clint Moseley (who replaced a struggling Barrett Trotter last week) doesn’t make any poor throws under pressure and takes advantage of the space provided in the middle of the field, the running game, which averages 197 yards, will take care of the rest.

It’s not going to be easy going into Baton Rouge and emerging victorious, but Gene Chizik is doing his best coaching job to date and he has this Auburn team brimming with the sort of confidence they really shouldn’t have.

Let’s call them naive of the moment.

Prediction: Auburn 24 LSU 21