Auburn and LSU played the last weekend of September and both coaches were under pressure. The ugly game had a bizarre ending. The next day LSU fired coach Les Miles, while Auburn and Gus Malzahn were feeling fortunate to be 2-2.
Now it’s November and both SEC West Tigers are in the race not only for a conference championship, but perhaps a spot in the College Football Playoff.
No. 15 LSU hosts No. 1 Alabama on Saturday for what amounts to an elimination game for the Tigers. Even with a victory, the Tigers would need help to win the West, an amazing prospect given the first month of the season.
Snapping a five-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide would do wonders for interim coach Ed Orgeron as he tries to convince LSU to make him coach-for-good.
No. 11 Auburn faces a much easier task Saturday with Vanderbilt at home. The Tigers have won five straight and if they get to the Iron Bowl without another loss, beating Alabama could earn them a trip to the SEC title game.
How things have changed.
The picks:
THURSDAY NIGHTERS
No. 12 Oklahoma (minus 21) at Iowa State
The Sooners are down to one scholarship tailback with Joe Mixon suspended and Samaje Perine injured … OKLAHOMA 42-14.
UCLA (plus 12) at No. 21 Colorado
The Bruins’ season is crumbling … COLORADO 24-10.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
San Jose State (plus 29) at No. 24 Boise State
The Broncos bounce back from the first loss of the season … BOISE STATE 45-14.
MARQUEE MATCHUPS
No. 1 Alabama (minus 7) at No. 15 LSU
The Tide held Leonard Fournette to 31 yards on 19 carries last season … ALABAMA 28-23.
No. 9 Nebraska (minus 17) at No. 6 Ohio State
The Cornhuskers have not beaten a top-10 team on the road (0-9) since coach Tom Osborne led the Cornhuskers to a victory at Washington in 1997 … OHIO STATE 31-20.
UPSET ALERT
No. 8 Wisconsin (minus 6½) at Northwestern
The Wildcats have won two straight against the Badgers and could find themselves in first place in the Big Ten West with another victory … WISCONSIN 21-20.
No. 10 Florida (minus 5½) at Arkansas
The Razorbacks will have had two weeks to stew over getting blown out by Auburn … ARKANSAS 28-24, UPSET SPECIAL.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS
Maryland (plus 31) at No. 2 Michigan
Jim Harbaugh faces former assistant DJ Durkin, who has done a solid job in his first season as Terps coach … MICHIGAN 41-15.
Syracuse (plus 26½) at No. 3 Clemson
The worst defense in the ACC comes to Death Valley for Deshaun Watson to feast upon … CLEMSON 52-21.
No. 4 Washington (minus 17) at California
If the Huskies were getting overconfident, the College Football Playoff selection committee likely knocked that right out of them … WASHINGTON 49-28.
No. 5 Louisville (minus 25) at Boston College
The Cardinals need some blowouts … LOUISVILLE 56-14.
No. 7 Texas A&M (minus 13½) at Mississippi State
The Aggies lost their last game in Starkville, but Dak Prescott doesn’t player there anymore … TEXAS A&M 38-21.
CONFERENCE CALLS
Vanderbilt (plus 26) at No. 11 Auburn
The downside of playing Vandy? If the Tigers were to get into a three-way tie in the SEC West, the record of their non-divisional opponents could come into play … AUBURN 42-10, BEST BET.
TCU (plus 8) at No. 13 Baylor
The last three meetings include two decided by three points each and one - last season - went to overtime … BAYLOR 35-28.
Kansas (plus 34½) at No. 14 West Virginia
The Jayhawks’ Big 12 losing streak is at 17 games … WEST VIRGINIA 45-7.
Georgia Tech (plus 10) at No. 18 North Carolina
The Tar Heels have won two straight high-scoring games against the Yellow Jackets; combined score 86-74 … NORTH CAROLINA 43-27.
No. 19 Florida State (minus 5) at N.C. State
Seminoles RB Dalvin Cook is back in the Heisman Trophy discussion … FLORIDA STATE 35-24.
Iowa (plus 7½) at No. 20 Penn State
If the Nittany Lions are truly on the upswing, this is a game they need to win … PENN STATE 26-20.
No. 22 Oklahoma State (plus 3) at Kansas State
Wildcats Bill Snyder looking for victory No. 199 … KANSAS STATE 24-21.
No. 23 Virginia Tech (plus 10½) at Duke
After years of futility against the Hokies, the Blue Devils have won two of the last three meetings and lost the other game by one point … VIRGINIA TECH 31-23.
Arizona (plus 17) at No. 25 Washington State
After 0-2 start, the Cougars are the biggest threat to Washington in the Pac-12 North … WASHINGTON STATE 42-24.
TWITTER REQUESTS
Texas (minus 3½) at Texas Tech - @4WallerOU
The Charlie Strong Referendum Tour pulls into Lubbock; the Longhorns had a six-game winning streak against the Red Raiders snapped last year in Austin … TEXAS 50-42.
Georgia (minus 2) at Kentucky - @realBJP
The Wildcats have not beaten Georgia since 2009, but now is the season to do it … KENTUCKY 28-23.
Notre Dame (minus 6½) vs. Navy in Jacksonville, Florida - @JeffiBelcher
The Irish didn’t exactly look like a team about to salvage its season in beating Miami last week … NOTRE DAME 35-31.
Oregon (plus 17) at USC - @mjbx101
A couple of emerging quarterbacks in the Pac-12 in Sam Darnold of USC and Justin Herbert of Oregon … USC 48-35.
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Record: Last week 13-7 straight; 15-5 vs. points.
Season: 129-52; 83-93-3.
Upset specials: 2-7.
Best bets: 1-8.
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Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP
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AP’s college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org
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