LSU climbs to No. 18 in AP Poll after 31-0 shutout of Mississippi State

LSU climbed four spots to No. 18 in the latest AP Top 25 after a 31-0 shutout of Mississippi State, moving up in a week when much of the top of the poll lost. LSU Tigers Wire reported the jump for Lane Kiffin's team, which is now 5-2. Crescent City Sports reported that the Tigers drew 529 points from AP voters and also gained four spots in the coaches poll, where they sit at No. 17.

The Tigers got their spots from teams falling past them, not from a loss of their own. According to Yahoo Sports, Miami and BYU now hold the top two spots after several top-10 teams lost. Texas fell from No. 7 to No. 19, right behind LSU, after losing at home to Florida, and Alabama fell from No. 6 to No. 13 after losing at Tennessee. The Volunteers rose to No. 11, and Kentucky, the team that beat LSU 35-34 two weeks ago, is one spot behind them at No. 12. Ole Miss, LSU's other conqueror, is No. 7.

The shutout of Mississippi State, ranked No. 16 coming in, was the bounce LSU needed after that one-point loss in Lexington. It was LSU's second home rout of a ranked SEC opponent this year, following a 35-6 win over Texas A&M. The Tigers have now allowed 20 points in their last three games combined, and only Ole Miss and Kentucky have scored more than 14 against them all season.

What it means for Auburn

The new ranking puts LSU on the road against the team that set off much of the chaos. Auburn upset top-ranked Georgia, which fell to No. 5, and LSU Tigers Wire reported that Auburn drew 61 votes in the poll despite being unranked. Earlier in the year, Auburn lost 24-14 at Tennessee. LSU's two losses both came away from Baton Rouge, at Ole Miss and at Kentucky, so a trip to Jordan-Hare is no small test.

The schedule gets harder after Saturday. LSU hosts Alabama and Texas to open November and then travels to Knoxville in Week 12. Both Alabama and Texas are still ranked after Saturday's losses, so the Auburn game is the last stretch that eases up before LSU's toughest month.

On this site's board, which tracks 12 venues, LSU is favored at -285 on the moneyline at Novig, with Auburn at +270. Novig lists LSU at -8.5 on the spread, priced at -111. The best price anywhere for the Tigers is Hard Rock Bet's -7.5 at -115. For Auburn, Pinnacle has the widest number, +9 at -110, against Novig's +8.5 at -106. The total sits at 50.5 at Novig, while BetMGM is a point lower at 49.5. The spread numbers run from 7.5 to 9 across the venues, and sportsbook hold on the moneyline ranges from 3.6% to 6.0%.

The ABC game kicks off Saturday, October 24. A win would keep LSU heading into November in the top 20, while a loss to the team that just knocked off No. 1 would likely send the Tigers back toward the edge of the poll.