Why Auburn is the most important game of the year for LSU football

It hasn’t necessarily been pretty this season, but LSU football went 3-1 in September.

While 4-0 would’ve been ideal, a 3-1 start isn’t bad considering the first game of the season was a loss to UCLA.

Last week, the Tigers went to Starkville and picked up a big win against Mississippi State. It was easily one of the most important games of the year for LSU.

A loss to the Bulldogs for the second year in a row could’ve easily derailed LSU’s season.

On Saturday, LSU will host Auburn in a night game at Tiger Stadium.

And I think it’s the most important game of the year for Ed Orgeron’s squad.

Why the Auburn game is the most important matchup of the year for LSU football

LSU lost to two first-year SEC head coaches in 2020 (Mike Leach at Mississippi State and Eliah Drinkwitz at Missouri).

That’s obviously never a good thing — especially for the defending national champs.

On Saturday, the Tigers get another first-time SEC head coach in Bryan Harsin, who took over at Auburn for Gus Malzahn after the 2020 season.

This is a must-win game for LSU. They can’t lose to another first-year SEC head coach. If that happens again, Coach O’s seat is going to get incredibly hot. LSU is an established program with a plethora of talent. If it gets to the point that first-year coaches are routinely beating LSU, there’s a major problem.

LSU must win at least eight games this season. Anything less than eight wins would be a disaster for a program that went 15-0 just two years ago.

And looking at the schedule, it’s hard to see eight wins without beating Auburn.

Right now, LSU has three wins. They only have one “auto-win” left on the schedule (against Louisiana-Monroe on November 20).

Games remaining against Kentucky, Florida, Ole Miss, Alabama, Arkansas (suddenly a top 10 team), and Texas A&M could all be potential losses.

If LSU loses to Auburn, suddenly a 5-7 season isn’t out of the question.

This is the game that could swing LSU’s season. A loss could lead to a meltdown.

A win, however, could build some nice momentum and completely change the outcome of the season.

Auburn is ranked No. 22 in the nation right now, but that’s a bit misleading. They haven’t beat a Power-5 opponent this season. And they nearly lost to Georgia State last week.

This is a game that LSU should win. It’s a game they have to win.

Otherwise, the questions about Orgeron’s future as the leader of the program will start being a bit more prevalent.