Here are the Playoff implications at stake in the Tiger Bowl

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I’ll say it so you don’t have to say it in the comments of this column.

“It’s only Week 3. There’s sooooooooo much left that can happen that’ll determine the Playoff picture.”

You’re right, internet commenter. Good on you.

Not every mid-September game between ranked teams has Playoff implications (looking at you, 2017 Tennessee-Florida game). But the one that will take place between No. 7 Auburn and No. 12 LSU this Saturday at Jordan-Hare does have some big-time potential Playoff implications at stake.

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The winner will, in my opinion, be deserving of a top 4 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 next week. With 2 victories over legitimate top 15 teams in the first 2 weeks, no other team would have a résumé as good as that.

A team that started in the preseason top 10 like Auburn shouldn’t have any problem getting there with a win, and a team with multiple top 15 wins away from home like LSU would absolutely be worthy of such a ranking.

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My preseason top 4 teams in the division (Alabama, Mississippi State, Auburn, LSU) all won their big nonconference headliners … by an average of nearly 20 points. My preseason pick to finish fifth in the division, Texas A&M, nearly knocked off No. 2 Clemson and my preseason pick to finish sixth, Ole Miss, dominated in its neutral-site showdown against Texas Tech.

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What we do need to talk about is why that impacts Saturday’s action. The winner of this game has a major leg up on the field with those 2 quality wins. The winner of this game could also theoretically put itself in the position Alabama was in last year. That is, lose one division game, miss the SEC Championship and still make the Playoff.

Both Auburn and LSU have plenty more chances for quality wins. In addition to Saturday, Auburn and LSU will still play 4 more teams ranked in the current top 16. In other words, they could go 4-1 against top 15 squads and have a Playoff berth all but locked up before conference championship weekend, which they wouldn’t even have to play in.

Besides 2017 Alabama, does 2016 Ohio State ring a bell?

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It’s not just about having “a loss to give.” Everyone has a loss to give. But not everyone in the country can miss out on their conference championship and still make the field. Because of how good the SEC West was in nonconference play, that suddenly looks like a perfectly realistic scenario. That’ll remain true even if and when the West beats up on each other.

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On Saturday afternoon, beating another quality opponent will be the only focus for Auburn and LSU. Besides having the same mascot, the Tigers can relate. Both were told all offseason that their schedules were too difficult for them to compete for a Playoff spot. A win would quiet those claims from a whole bunch of people, myself included.

The conversation would quickly shift to those Playoff chances looking better than ever.

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