No. 17 Auburn vs. Mississippi State picks and best bets for Week 11

We have a pair of SEC West teams trying to shake off losses when battling each other on Saturday as the Mississippi State Bulldogs head down to the plains to meet the No. 17 Auburn Tigers. The game will kick off at noon ET on ESPN.

Auburn (6-3, 3-2 SEC) couldn’t get anything going offensively last Saturday and fell 20-3 to Texas A&M in College Station, TX. Quarterback Bo Nix had a rough go of things against the Aggie defense, completing just under 50% of his passes for 153 yards and an interception through the air. He was strip sacked in the fourth quarter, which led to the only touchdown recorded in the entire contest. The Tigers still have a shot at the SEC West title but would need to win out and be helped out by a TAMU loss.

Mississippi State (5-4, 3-3) fell 31-28 to Arkansas and were the victims of untimely special teams struggles. Bulldog kickers missed three field goals during the contest, including a 40-yard Nolan McCord attempt that would’ve sent the game to overtime as time expired. You will never believe this but, gasp, head coach Mike Leach proceeded to publicly throw his kickers under the bus afterwards. Quarterback Will Rogers had a prototypical stat line for Leach-Air Raid QB, attempting 48 passes and throwing for 417 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Mississippi State: 31st overall, 41st offense, 25th defense
Auburn: 27th overall, 45th offense, 14th defense

Injury update

Mississippi State

No new injuries to report.

Auburn

WR Malcolm Johnson Jr. Questionable - Undisclosed

WR Elijah Canion Questionable - Undisclosed

DE Zykeivous Walker Questionable - Arm

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Mississippi State: 5-4 ATS
Auburn: 5-4 ATS

Total

Mississippi State: Over 4-5
Auburn: Over 4-5

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

Mississippi State: 31st overall, 37th offense, 28th defense
Auburn: 17th overall, 18th offense, 16th defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Auburn -5.5
Total: 51
Moneyline: Auburn -200, Mississippi State +170

Opening line: Auburn -4.5
Opening total: 52.5

Weather

55 degrees, 10 MPH Winds NW, Sunny

The Pick

Mississippi State +5.5

We’ve reached the point in the season where the SEC West is starting to cannibalize itself and games are getting tight up and down the division. With the unpredictability of Auburn’s offense under Bo Nix, this is a spot where Mississippi State will make this a competitive contest and keep it close.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat. (CT). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/MI/NH/NJ/PA/ TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.