AUBURN, Ala. – Five games. That's what Auburn has left on its schedule. If the Tigers (4-3) win at least two of those next five games, they will become bowl-eligible and have a chance to play a sixth. But only the next five games are guaranteed.
It's not the season many expected. Back in August, there were goals of winning the SEC West again and making it to the College Football Playoff. That's not going to happen. But for the seniors like Chandler Cox or Deshaun Davis, these next five games are the last five games they will ever play in an Auburn uniform.
The mindset now?
"Just giving it everything we've got for these next five games," Cox said. "Playing as a team, playing as brothers. Playing for these seniors, including myself, because we've got five to six games left for the rest of our lives – in college. This is something I've been dreaming about since I was a little kid. It's crazy to think I've got five games.
"So I'm giving it everything I've got. I don't care what it has to take. I'm giving it everything, and I'm going to help these guys as much as I can. We're going to play for each other and play for Auburn."
You heard the same tone from quarterback Jarrett Stidham in his post-game comments after Saturday's loss to Tennessee. There was obvious disappointment. Disappointment in his performance and in the team's result. But there was this raw emotion, too. He became passionate when he talked about his teammates.
"Every day I'm going to go to work, get better and I'm going to keep fighting for those guys in that locker room," Stidham said. "That's what it's completely about for me."
You heard it the following Tuesday from senior defensive lineman Dontavius Russell, who said he was still "overjoyed" at his decision to come back. He didn't have to come back. He could've just as easily left school early to play in the NFL after last season. But he returned because he wanted to get his degree and play out his senior season at Auburn.
Now, regardless of record, it's about playing for the person next to you.
"In this situation, when the season isn't necessarily going the way that you would want it, a lot of people on the outside kind of start to turn against the team," Russell said. "That's a situation where I feel like we have that opportunity to play for each other and have our teammates' back.
"It's easy to have your teammates' back whenever everything is going good, but you really find out who has your back when it's going the way it is now. I feel like this is the most important time for us to really play together."
So while there are some on the outside who might look at the rest of this season and wonder what's left for this Auburn team to play for, that's not a thought that's crossed the players' minds. They're playing for each other. They're playing for the seniors. They're playing to finish this season the right way.
The only thing on their mind is going to Ole Miss on Saturday and getting a victory.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf
