Sunday Poll Roundup - Auburn Moves... Up?

After yesterday’s rain-delayed 24-13 win over Southern Miss, the Auburn corner of the internet was not pleased. The offense in general, and specifically the offensive line, Jarrett Stidham, and injuries, were all culprits in the ire of Auburn fans in saying that things were completely falling apart.

To be fair, it does feel that way. When you’re only up by a little bit over a team you’re supposed to hammer, and they’re dominating you in the trenches, what else are you supposed to feel?

Somehow, the rest of the country either A) didn’t see it that way, or B) doesn’t care.

Because Auburn moved up in both of the major polls.

Here’s the AP Top Ten:

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. LSU
6. Notre Dame
7. Oklahoma
8. AUBURN
9. West Virginia
10. Washington

The Tigers’ sluggish win didn’t affect the ranking negatively in the eyes of the voters. Instead Auburn’s ability to not lose must have impressed them. It’s the same thing in the Coaches Poll.

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. Oklahoma
6. LSU
7. Notre Dame
8. West Virginia
9. AUBURN
10. Washington

I mean, alright... I’m not upset at the fact that we won and we moved up, but I just don’t think it’s an accurate representation of how we would fare against other top ten teams with the way we’re playing at the present time.

In other polls, Bill Connelly’s S&P rankings are fairly consistent with the rest:

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Ohio State
4. Georgia
5. Washington
6. Oklahoma
7. Michigan
8. Penn State
9. Notre Dame
10. UCF
11. AUBURN

The whole thing is that whether Auburn is ranked highly or not doesn’t really matter. If Auburn somehow figures it out and wins, there are a ton of highly-ranked opponents left that the Tigers will be in the picture at the end of the year. If Auburn loses, then that’s that.

There’s still time for Gus Malzahn and company to figure things out. Next Saturday’s game against Mississippi State looks easier now that their offense has barely cracked 200 yards in the last two games, and scored a combined 13 points. Then it’s a Tennessee team that’s trying to make it work before a bye. November will be tough, but hey, that’s showbiz baby.