Auburn (4-4) at Ole Miss (4-4)

Two 4-4 teams find themselves fighting for bowl eligibility, and with Tennessee-Martin next, followed by Georgia and Alabama, it would seem to make this game a "must win" for the Tigers to have any chance of going bowling. Ole Miss is last in the SEC in pass defense, and Auburn is 11th in pass offense. Expect the Tigers to continue to try to get a running game going as the offensive line re-converts back to power football after a 10-month dalliance with the spread.

Defense has been the strength of the Auburn team all year — at least until now.

The Auburn defense gave up 31 unanswered points in the second half of a 34-17 loss at West Virginia last week. Now, Auburn (4-4, 2-3 SEC West) goes to Ole Miss (4-4, 2-3 SEC West) to try to salvage what is left of a season in which the Tigers never had much traction in the strong-shall-survive SEC.

Auburn fans have been extremely unhappy with busted pass coverage and slipshod tackling, as the heat continues to get turned up on the coaching staff.

The most popular theory going is that head coach Tommy Tuberville's job can be salvaged if he's willing to overhaul his staff, including a core group that has been with him for all 10 years he's been at Auburn.

To try to turn this season around, Tuberville, who for different reasons changed out both coordinators since the end of last regular season, has had the first-team offense go against the first-team defense for nearly an hour each practice early in the week.

The Rebels have been outstanding on the road this year, winning twice and losing heartbreakers at Wake Forest and No. 2 Alabama.

But Ole Miss has been disappointing in Oxford. The Rebels are 2-2 at home and have yet to beat a visiting SEC opponent.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB Kodi Burns — Has been firmly established as the starter by Tommy Tuberville, regardless of how he performs. Burns has a very slim playbook to choose from, and the emphasis is on execution. Tuberville will apparently go with Burns the rest of the season, no matter what happens

RB Brad Lester — Could have a bigger role in the offense over the last month of the season. He carried the ball 13 times against West Virginia, his most rushes since the season opener against Louisiana-Monroe.

DT Peria Jerry — He is the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for the second time after making five tackles and getting two sacks against Arkansas. He has nine tackles for loss this season.

WR Shay Hodge — The junior is tied for the SEC lead with six TD catches and ranks first in yards per catch (19.3). Hodge has hauled in four catches with a TD in each of the last two outings.