No. 4 Auburn-No. 7 Ole Miss: Playoff knockout game

Auburn defender Jonathan Jones (3) breaks up a pass intended... — Auburn defender Jonathan Jones (3) breaks up a pass intended for South Carolina wide receiver Shaq Roland (4) during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, in Auburn, Ala. Auburn won 42-35. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) Credit: AP

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSOctober 31, 2014

Auburn and Mississippi spent the week dismissing their standing in the first College Football Playoff rankings as mostly irrelevant.

One of them will no longer enjoy the relative comfort of a win-and-in mindset after this weekend. The fourth-ranked Tigers and seventh-ranked Rebels, both among the initial top four teams, meet Saturday night in what could amount to the first elimination round of the playoffs.

It won’t likely be the last in the competitive Southeastern Conference Western Division. “We’re focused solely really on one ranking and that would be on Dec. 7,” said Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze, referring to the final rankings that set up the four-team field. “That’s the one that really matters.”

This game really matters to both teams.

Auburn (6-1, 3-1) is third in the CFP rankings, one spot ahead of the Rebels (7-1, 4-1). The loser of this game is out barring help from multiple upsets.

Like Freeze, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn doesn’t want to talk in such big-picture terms.

“I’m viewing this Saturday as, this is the biggest game on the schedule,” Malzahn said. “We’ve got to go there, we’ve got to play well to win, and that’s the only thing on our mind. I’m not looking ahead, this or that. We’re going to Ole Miss. We’re trying to win a game.”

The Rebels are coming off their first loss, 10-7 to No. 16 LSU. They still sport the nation’s top scoring defense.

The Tigers are averaging 39.3 points a game and have the SEC’s top running game, fueled by quarterback Nick Marshall and tailback Cameron Artis-Payne.