The Auburn Tigers’ remaining 2026 schedule may have gotten slightly easier on Tuesday.
Mississippi State star quarterback Kamario Taylor has been ruled out for the season, according to reports on Tuesday morning. Taylor suffered a turf toe injury a few weeks ago and will undergo surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the year.
Taylor was one of the best players in the nation throughout the first couple of weeks with the Bulldogs, and he was even considered among the top favorites for the Heisman Trophy in September. The sophomore injured his toe in Mississippi State’s win over Missouri on Sept. 26, causing him to miss the LSU game on Oct. 17.
He attempted to play in the following couple of games against Alabama and Oklahoma, but exited early and didn’t look 100% due to his injury.
This is obviously a massive blow for the Bulldogs, as he is undoubtedly their most talented contributor, but Taylor’s expected absence also impacts Auburn’s season outlook.
The Tigers sit at 4-3 overall with five games remaining — at Ole Miss, Arkansas, at Mississippi State, Samford and at Alabama. It’s safe to say Auburn will likely knock off Arkansas and Samford, which would lift Alex Golesh and company to bowl eligibility, but its trip to Mississippi State seemed much more difficult after its 4-0 start to the season.
However, the Tigers’ chances to emerge victorious from Starkville, Miss., have likely increased drastically with Taylor’s injury progression. Aside from running back Fluff Bothwell, who’s also battled some health issues this year, Mississippi State lacks any other true playmaker without Taylor.
The Bulldogs opened the season undefeated with wins over Minnesota, South Carolina and Missouri, and they even cracked the top 25. But since then, they’ve gone 0-3 with losses to Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma.
So, it’s obviously not ideal for a player to go down with an injury for an extended period of time, but Mississippi State is a significantly worse team without Taylor under center.
Thus, Auburn’s clash against the Bulldogs gets substantially more winnable, as the Tigers won’t need to game-plan against one of the nation’s top quarterbacks. It still won’t be a light task on the road in the SEC, but Auburn’s path to seven wins — and potentially an eighth if it finds a way to upset Ole Miss or Alabama — is certainly much more of a possibility after Tuesday’s news.
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