How Much of A Threat Is Auburn to LSU This Season?

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

The LSU Tigers will face the Auburn Tigers this fall for the first time since 2023 in a mid-season matchup that is set to be an anticipated road game.

Sitting in the height of LSU's season, the road game will be the ultimate test for the new era of LSU football's endurance under head coach Lane Kiffin and his updated roster.

At the same time, Auburn also enters a new era of their program under new head coach Alex Golesh, being hired the same day that Kiffin decided to cross state lines to join the Tigers in Baton Rouge. Both teams, under a new identity, will be tested to their full ability for the Oct. 24 matchup.

The Eight-Week Stretch

The away game against Auburn will be LSU's final game of an eight-week stretch that begins Labor Day weekend, hosting the Clemson Tigers to debut the season.

That's how the team's endurance will be tested; can this new and improved program end the back-to-back weekly games victorious before getting a week off to then face SEC rival Alabama?

An end of October bye week is typical for college football teams, for roster adjustments, player recovery, and an overall team reset. But with lofty expectations for LSU this season, the Saturday off shouldn't be a reset. Instead, it's a way for the team to continue to grow mid-season, coming off what should be a victorious eight-week streak.

The Middle Game

Facing Auburn in a conference matchup on the road isn't the easiest game LSU will play this season, but it isn't the one that will write the headlines, compared to their packed schedule against other SEC opponents.

The Auburn Tigers have also reloaded their roster this offseason under Golesh, adding elite talent, including transfer quarterback Byrum Brown from USF, as the offensive leader. Five wide receivers and three running backs also came from the Bulls, meaning LSU's elite defense will face a talented offense, one that is comfortable.

That could be the deciding factor in the SEC matchup, with Kiffin adding major transfer portal additions to establish a top-ranked offense. It brought a new challenge to the team: gaining an identity. And with quarterback Sam Leavitt recently being fully cleared to practice with a new offense, that side of the ball is just now getting the opportunity to get comfortable.

Both teams will enter the matchup in critical times of the season, with LSU about to enter one of the toughest stretches of the season, facing both Alabama and Texas at home, and then on the road again to face Tennessee. At the same time, Auburn hosting LSU is sandwiched between a road game at Georgia and a road game against the Ole Miss Rebels. The critical timing increases the high-stakes nature of this conference matchup.

Sign up toour free newsletterand follow us onFacebookandXfor the latest news.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/lsu as How Much of A Threat Is Auburn to LSU This Season?.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos