In one of the most unlikely games picked at the beginning of the season, the Auburn Tigers will face the Missouri Tigers in the SEC Championship game this Saturday, December 7th. Coverage will begin at 4 pm ET on CBS. The winner of this one could end up in the BCS Championship game in Pasadena with a little help.
- When:
Sat., Dec.7, 2013 @ 4:00pm ET
- Where:
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga
- Who’s Favored?
AU by 2 ~ 58 o/u @ BetOnline
- More Info:
Of the two, Auburn has the bigger case for a berth in the national championship as it stands right now. Of course, the Tigers will need to first beat Missouri before they begin to campaign for a trip to the Rose Bowl on January 6th.
Auburn knocked off top-ranked Alabama in a game for the ages this past week – winning 34-28 on the final play of the game that saw a 109-yard return on a missed field goal cement the victory. It’s been a magical season for the Tigers thus far, with back-to-back miraculous victories that have spearheaded Auburn’s trip to the Georgia Dome. This time last year the team was 0-8 in the SEC.
The matchup against No.5 Missouri will not be an easy one though. These Tigers are explosive offensively and defensively. In fact, the strength of the Missouri defense lies inside in stopping the run, which is what Auburn relies on offensively. Mizzou quarterback James Franklin is back from injury and appears to be in the rhythm of the game coming off of a nice win over Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M. Missouri went 7-1 in the SEC this season, winning the East by one game over South Carolina.
What Missouri needs to do in order to win this one is to exploit the matchups in their favor. That most certainly begins with the wide receivers. The Tigers have big wide receivers, standing 6’5 and 6’6 on the outside. Auburn defensive backs are much smaller, and will have a real challenge in trying to cover one-on-one. That in turn can open up some of the run game as well, for which Mizzou uses a committee.
Most believe that Auburn will win this one, but don’t be surprised for Missouri to come in surprise people with a solid performance. Of course, it’s hard to doubt Auburn and the finishes that they have come up with of late.