As Auburn looks to break a 4-game losing streak, it goes back on the road to face another team trying to get off the mat.

Arkansas is the next team up for the Tigers in a battle of team fighting for their first SEC win. The Razorbacks are 2-5 (0-3 SEC) and are led by interim head coach Bobby Petrino, who took over after Sam Pittman was fired.

Auburn is a 2.5-point underdog this weekend, according to BetMGM, and our EA Sports College Football 26 simulation played out a thriller, like it often does.

With that said, here’s how the game went in that simulation compared to predictions from AL.com Auburn beat writers Peter Rauterkus and Jerry Humphrey III.

EA Sports College Football 26 simulation

Score: Auburn 31, Arkansas 29

The score in our simulation isn’t far off from the spread, other than the underdog winning the game.

As is expected in real life, the simulation was somewhat of a shootout, with both offenses gaining over 400 total yards. Jackson Arnold played a near-perfect game in the simulation, completing 20 of his 22 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns.

Jeremiah Cobb had the biggest play in the simulation, though, breaking off a 79-yard touchdown run in the first half. He finished the game with 146 yards on 22 carries.

The simulation came down to the wire too. Arkansas put together a scoring drive in the final seconds, but missed the two-point conversion that would have sent the game to overtime.

Peter Rauterkus

Score: Arkansas 35, Auburn 31

Analysis: On paper, Saturday’s game should be Auburn’s easiest since it beat South Alabama in Week 3. In reality, Arkansas’ elite offense creates one of the toughest matchups Auburn will have all season.

The Razorbacks are not a good all-around team. Good teams typically don’t fire their head coach midseason, and while Arkansas’ offense is great, the defense is one of the worst in the country.

Unfortunately for Auburn, its offense doesn’t seem equipped to survive a shootout. I expect the Tigers to have a better offensive showing than in previous weeks, but keeping up with Arkansas may be a task too large.

I think the game will be close, but Auburn hasn’t proved this season that it can win close games. I won’t predict that to change on Saturday.

Jerry Humphrey III

Score: Arkansas 24, Auburn 21

Analysis: Despite both programs being winless in SEC play, Auburn still has the most to prove when it comes to closing out games.

Arkansas has proved it can compete in games behind its nationally ranked offense. However, Auburn’s defense ranks high amongst other teams in the conference, making this an even matchup.

Arnold is expected to start, but Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze hinted at the idea of possibly seeing Ashton Daniels and Deuce Knight in action too.

Whoever the Tigers go with under center will be important as Auburn tries to avoid an 0-5 hole in SEC contests.

Standings

Jerry Humphrey III: 7-0

The machine: 6-1

Peter Rauterkus: 4-3