LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu, Spencer Ware Expected To Play Vs. Bama

So, there you have it! The Synthetic Three will play. But, really, the longer you stare at a Les Miles quote, the more you start to wonder about what he might have actually meant ...

“We’re practicing, preparing them to play and operating along that way,” Miles said. “We’re going to plan on using them.“Mathieu was a Heisman Trophy candidate before his suspension and might still be, Ware is the team’s leading rusher, and Simon is a strong defender. And yet LSU didn’t seem to miss a beat without the three players against Auburn, defeating the Tigers in a 45-10 rout.

Things might have been different if they had been suspended for the match-up with Alabama that could be a de facto BCS National Championship Game play-in game, though.

LSU’s three suspended players are expected to be reinstated on Tuesday according to CBSSports.com.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune had reported previously that the players would be suspended only one game. LSU did just fine without the trio against Auburn this past weekend, trouncing the defending national champs 45-10.

As for the players’ return -- next week, technically, is a bye week for the Tigers. And we’re absolutely sure that the time frame for the punishment is not at all related to the pivotal clash with Alabama on Nov. 5.

Head coach Les Miles declined to comment when asked for details of the suspension during his press conference Wednesday. Multiple anonymous sources confirmed with the Times-Picayune that the suspensions, which had initially been reported as “indefinite,” would not last past the Tigers’ bye week following this Saturday’s game against No. 19 Auburn, however.

Ware currently leads the team in rushing, with 512 yards and six touchdowns on the year. Mathieu has been arguably the most dominant cornerback in the country this season, and could become the first defensive player to take home the Heisman since Charles Woodson in 1997.

Of course, LSU fans had better hope this was the first drug-related suspension for the three. As CBS Sports’ Brett McMurphy shares, a second failed test would mean an automatic, school-mandated two-game suspension. But wouldn’t we have known about the hypothetical first failed test? Nope -- LSU athletic programs can handle one-time whoopsies on their own without suspensions.

On almost any other secondary in the country, Claiborne would be the marquee name. His three picks lead the team, and against Tennessee last week, he picked off a Mark Simms lob at the LSU six-yard line and returned it to the Tennessee five. He is more than capable of covering whoever Auburn trots out at the receiver position.

If there is one concern for LSU, especially with Blake involved, it is that Auburn is occasionally capable of big plays. They are terribly inefficient (71st in Success Rate+, 84th in Passing Success Rate+) but semi-explosive (34th in PPP+). Auburn is comfortable playing in a tight, close game, and if they can rip off a couple of big gainers, then they may be able to withstand some down-to-down failures.

Miles was extremely less-than-forthcoming with specifics and details:

He did say, however, that reports of failed drug tests are “way left of center.”

For more, visit LSU blog And The Valley Shook and SEC blog Team Speed Kills. For more college football, visit SB Nation’s college football news hub.