College Football Week 9 Picks: Ole Miss Rebels at Auburn Tigers

Ole Miss Rebels (5-2 SU, 4-2 ATS) at Auburn Tigers (5-3 SU, 4-4 ATS)

Saturday, October 31: 8:00  p.m.

BetOnline.com Football Betting Odds: Texas -9 ½    

Here are some BetOnline.com Betting Trends Which May Impact This Game:

• Ole Miss: 5-1 SU in their last 6 road games
• Ole Miss: 9-2 ATS in their last 11 road games
• Ole Miss:  The total has gone UNDER in 4 of their last 5 games
• Auburn:  4-2 ATS in their last 6 home games
• Auburn:  4-1 SU in their last 5 home games
• Auburn:  1-4 ATS in their 5 games overall

Two teams going in completely different directions in the SEC West will square off Saturday in Auburn, Alabama.

For the home standing Tigers, a 5-0 start has hit the skids recently, as their once high-powered offense has been grounded in three straight losses.

Much of the blame must be placed on quarterback Chris Todd. Through five games, Todd looked like a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, as he threw for 12 touchdowns to just one interception. But boy how times have changed, as over the last three weeks, he hasn’t thrown a single touchdown, but has tossed a pair of picks. He has also barely completed 50 percent of his passes over that time.

With Todd struggling, a once vaunted offense attack has become one dimensional. Running back Ben Tate is still making his case for All-SEC however, as the senior has rushed for 923 yards, including 100 or more yards in three of the Tigers last four games, and five of eight games overall.

As for the Ole Miss Rebels, things have certainly looked up the past few weeks, after the season got off to a disastrous start, with two early losses in conference play. The Rebels have come to life in the last two weeks however, as their offense has scored 78 points in wins over UAB and Arkansas.

And finally, for the first time this season, quarterback Jevan Snead has looked like the superstar we expected him to be. In the wins, Snead has thrown for 572 yards and five touchdowns, after throwing just nine touchdowns in the Rebels first six games. The Rebels ground game has also been shored up, as Dexter McCluster carried the ball 22 times for 123 yards in last week’s win.

Defensively the Rebels have been excellent since day one, and are only getting better. In last week’s game, the Rebels held Arkansas’ high powered offense to just 17 points and 299 yards, both well below what the Razorbacks normally get. The unit is led by several NFL Draft picks, including linemen Jerrell Powe, Kentrell Lockett and former Auburn linebacker Patrick Trahan.

Again, these are two teams going in completely different directions. It’s hard to believe the same Auburn team that needed a touchdown on the last play of last week’s game to get to 10 points is the same one that scored 40 or more points in each of their first four games.

Until Todd gives us reason to go the other way, take the Rebels. It’s never easy to win on the road in the SEC, but at the same time it’s even harder to win when your offense can’t move the ball, like Auburn the last few weeks.

Aaron’s Pick: Ole Miss -3 ½