Mississippi State will host Auburn Saturday after a much-needed bye week as they're coming off back-to-back losses to Kentucky and Alabama.

It's a matchup that's intriguing in more ways than one. Former Mississippi State Athletics Director John Cohen is now the AD at Auburn after taking the job on Monday, and there's got to be a bit of edge to this MSU team after that news broke.

There's a revenge factor on the Auburn side as Will Rogers led a 28-3 comeback on The Plains last year to pick up a 43-34 win and clinch bowl eligibility. State will have the chance to clinch bowl eligibility against Auburn again this year, but this isn't the same Tigers team.

Bo Nix is gone and is a dark horse Heisman candidate at Oregon. He's been focused and having fun putting up 31 total touchdowns for the Ducks this season. It was a coincidental QB swap for the Ducks and the Tigers with Oregon transfer Robby Ashford under center for Auburn this season. Ashford is an impressive athlete but leaves a bit to be desired in the passing game, completing only 52.6% of his passes.

Head Coach Bryan Harsin is out, and Running Back Coach Cadillac Williams makes his debut as the interim coach. All of these factors point to a sizeable Mississippi State victory. BetMGM Sportsbook puts the Bulldogs as a 12.5-point favorite, but they'll need to play smart football to avoid getting upset.

1) Protect the football

Your typical college football upset usually comes in the same fashion...

Turnovers.

Will Rogers has feasted on opposing defenses when he has a clean pocket but has made some ugly plays when under pressure. Derick Hall and Colby Wooden have caused some problems this season by combining for 8.5 sacks, and those two will need to be the point of emphasis for the Mississippi State offensive line.

The ball carriers also need to be focused on protecting the football. Mississippi State has fumbled the football seven times on offense this season. They've been clean in their last three games, and they'll need to continue that protection to not give Auburn any additional opportunities.

The same thing goes for special teams, as Austin Williams and Zavion Thomas have each muffed a punt this year. Giving the Tigers a short field is something they can't afford to do if they want to control the game.

2) Contain the run

Auburn's passing attack this season has been pretty disappointing, so they're going to focus on the running game to move the football.

Junior Tank Bigsby has been one of the top running backs in the SEC over the past three seasons. He's one of the most physical running backs in college football and will present a challenge for the Mississippi State defense, but it's nothing they can't handle. The Bulldogs had contained Bigsby before, as they held him to 41 yards on 12 carries last season, and they should be well-equipped to do so again.

It's been an up-and-down year for the Mississippi State run defense, and the two-game stretch against Kentucky and Alabama embodies that.

The "Big Blue Wall" got the best of the Mississippi State front all game as they helped Chris Rodriguez rush for 196 yards, but the Bulldogs bounced back against Alabama.

The scoreboard may not reflect it, but the Mississippi State defense had a very solid day. The run defense really stood out as they held AP midseason All-American Jahmyr Gibbs to 37 yards on ten carries, his second-worst yards per carry on the season.

The bye week also gave Mississippi State a chance to rejuvenate itself, as the expectation is for defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy to make his season debut after suffering an arm injury in training camp.

3) Don't leave points on the board

I mention it all the time, but kicking has been a continuous issue for Mississippi State.

Mike Leach has gone back and forth between Ben Raybon and Massimo Biscardi at the starting kicker spot, and neither has run away with the job. It's been Biscardi for the past two games. He drilled a 48-yarder at Kentucky but missed a 42-yarder at Alabama.

No matter who is back there, they're going to need to make their kicks. We could see Leach take matters into his own hands and keep the offense on the field, but that strategy was a bit unsuccessful at Alabama as they failed on three of their six fourth down attempts.

No matter what strategy Leach takes, they're going to need to convert to minimize Auburn's opportunities.