This week, Auburn looks to improve to 3-0 with a victory over Mississippi State at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The contest between the Tigers and the Bulldogs kicks-off at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2. Alabama travels to Texas A&M with Georgia off this weekend.

(Last week: 10-2, Overall: 20-5)

Mississippi State at Auburn, 6:00 p.m. CT, ESPN2

Auburn opens conference play against Mississippi State at home on ESPN2. The Tigers enter the contest with a record of 2-0 while the Bulldogs are 1-1. Auburn leads the all-time series 60-24-2. Both teams would love to open conference play with a victory but MSU has the tough task of playing on the road.

If opening SEC play on the road wasn't a big enough challenge for the Bulldogs, head coach Dan Mullen's offense may be without starting quarterback Tyler Russell. Russell suffered a concussion in the third quarter of MSU's 21-3 loss to Oklahoma State in the season opener. He sat out of last weekend's game against Alcorn State and his replacement, Dak Prescott, led the Bulldogs to a 51-7 victory. In his first start, Prescott went 12-of-19 passing for 174 yards with three total touchdowns.

If Russell can play this weekend he gives MSU a better shot at pulling off the upset after his performance against Auburn last year. He was 20-of-29 passing for 222 yards and three touchdowns in the 28-10 win in Starkville.

Luckily for Auburn, its defense is playing much better so far in 2013. Even though the Tigers allowed Arkansas State 422 yards of total offense, the unit kept the Red Wolves out of the endzone in Saturday's 38-9 victory. It was the first time the Tigers held an opponent without a touchdown since the 2011 season. In two games, Ellis Johnson's defense is allowing 443 yards per game and 16.5 points per game.

When Gus Malzahn was hired as Auburn's head coach last December, he promised the Tigers would be a run-first offense and he has kept his word. With three talented running backs Tre Mason, Corey Grant, and Cameron Artis-Payne, Auburn averages 298 yards per game on the ground. Last Saturday, Artis-Payne rushed for 102 yards and Mason added 99 as the Tigers wore down ASU's defense with a relentless rushing attack.

After a shaky start in the season-opener, quarterback Nick Marshall settled down against ASU by completing 10 of 17 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Marshall also added 53 yards on the ground. He connected with Sammie Coates on a 68-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Despite being more relaxed, Marshall still missed a few open targets and the offense needs to work on the passing game since the schedule will be a lot tougher with SEC games coming up. The unit averages 133 yards per game through the air. If Marshall shows more improvement this week and more receivers step up, Auburn should find a way to win and start the season 3-0.

Prediction: Auburn 28-20.



Louisville at Kentucky

Prediction: Louisville 30-14.



Southern Miss at Arkansas

Prediction: Arkansas 20-13.



Alabama at Texas A&M

Prediction: Alabama 28-25.



Tennessee at Oregon

Prediction: Oregon 34-17.



Vanderbilt at South Carolina

Prediction: South Carolina 33-23.



Kent State at LSU

Prediction: LSU 40-17.



Ole Miss at Texas

Prediction: Ole Miss 17-14.