An open date didn’t bring any changes for Auburn.
The Tigers (11-0, 7-0) remain No. 2 this week in the BCS standings, meaning the pathway to the BCS National Championship Game will go through Alabama on the road this Friday and then South Carolina in the SEC championship game on Dec. 4 in Atlanta.
A loss in either game would almost certainly knock Auburn out of the national championship picture.
That said, the Tigers have a good enough lead over No. 3 TCU and No. 4 Boise State that they’re a virtual lock to finish no lower than No. 2 in the final BCS standings if they just win these last two games. They won’t have to worry about style points.
Oregon was No. 1 again this week, and the Ducks were also off last weekend. They close the season with a home game against Arizona on Friday and then a road game against Oregon State on Dec. 4.
LSU, despite its narrow 43-36 win over Ole Miss, stayed No. 5 in this week’s BCS standings. The Tigers would need both Auburn and Oregon to lose to have any chance to move up into the national championship equation. Even then, there’s no guarantee that LSU would pass TCU or Boise State. If Auburn were to lose a close game to Alabama, Auburn might remain ahead of LSU in the two human polls since Auburn won the head-to-head meeting earlier this season.
If that's the case, then it would be just about impossible for LSU to move up into one of the top two spots in the final BCS standings.