The enemy of your enemy is your friend

With both being good (or better) that means they fight each other more, but we also have a higher chance of losing one of our guys to either school.

Auburn is already recruiting well in Alabama, they have 5/10 of the Rivals top 10 in Bama this year, while Alabama has 3. Alabama is recruiting nationally right now, and basically targeting every top kid in the country regardless of state, so I'm not sure a resurgent Auburn really changes that much.

I'd take LSU having another tough game if it means Alabama has to have one, too. That's how much I hate the Tide. Now we just need Tennessee to get their ship in order...

Alabama is recruiting extremely well nationally (just look at the 2 they've taken from LA), so losing out on some in-state guys for them isn't a huge deal. However, I'd hate to base the majority of my recruiting approach on grabbing out of state guys. They are generally much tougher to sign than in-state guys. IIRC, Florida did a lot of this towards the end of the Meyer tenure, and now they have very little talent on the offensive end (which should never happen if you're UF) and are watching the resurgence of FSU.

All told, a strong Auburn helps LSU. IMO, what hurts LSU is a REALLY strong Texas and Texas A&M. For decades, LSU has been able to get great players out of Texas. Losing those guys would be a huge blow.

Alabama is truly recruiting nationally now. Perhaps a stronger AU and FSU makes their recruiting a little tougher but don't count on a drop off. Now I think those two hurt Florida more.