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Posted at 9:45 AM EST. 

#385 UL Monroe +37½ over AUBURN

12:00 PM EST. The Tigers enter this one off a dominant performance when they laced the then-ranked #1 Georgia Bulldogs 40-17 on The Plains, last Saturday. if the Tigers win the Iron Bowl next week when hosting yet another #1-ranked opponent in arch-rival Alabama they will continue onto the SEC Championship and get the Dawgs again in Atlanta. Given how they fared against The Bulldog Nation last week, Auburn likes its chances if it can get over the proverbial Crimson hurdle.

We are not here to argue that Monroe is going to upset Auburn at home and cause sheer pandemonium. However, there are two things that make War Eagle a prime fade target this week. First, the Tigers have all but officially declared that this game will be nothing more than a glorified scrimmage. Auburn’s stud running back Kerryon Johnson will be limited in his services this week as skipper Gus Malzahn will hope to preserve him and keep him fresh for deployment next week against ‘Bama. Echoing a similar sentiment, the Tigers will not be taking too many chances here, as they will likely build up a large enough of lead against Monroe and pull their starters to prevent exposing them. This gives Monroe backdoor potential if need be, but it likely won’t even come to that.

The Warhawks are one of the Sun Belt’s most improved teams in 2017. While a win against Auburn seems improbable, UL-Monroe returns to business next week when they take on Arkansas State in conference play. A win for Monroe next week gets them to the five-win mark season, one shy of bowl eligibility. With a season finale at Florida State, bowl eligibility will likely be on the line for both teams in that contest but even then, if Monroe keeps it close they will be on a short list of 5-7 teams to be extended a bowl invitation if some spots need to be filled. It all starts with how they fare today at Auburn. If Monroe can keep this game manageable it will be a moral victory for the Warhawks and that incentive is enough to compel them when junk time comes around.  Auburn is spotting too many points when it has bigger fish to fry. Situational plays factor into our handicapping and in that regard, you will never see a bigger sandwich spot than the one facing the Tigers here, that being playing a nobody and being favored by more than five TD’s right in between playing #1 Georgia and #1 Alabama.   

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