How and what to watch for Kentucky vs. Auburn

The opening slate of games features a pair of ranked teams in the SEC when the No. 23 Kentucky Wildcats travel to play the No. 8 Auburn Tigers on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Auburn rode with a true freshman as its starting quarterback last season, and although Bo Nix’s numbers didn’t jump out in his first year out of high school, he held his own as a quarterback in the toughest conference. Nix completed 57.6% of his passes for 2,542 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. He is back for his second season, and Auburn should expect more consistency from him in Year Two.

Kentucky is coming off an incredibly unique season offensively in 2019. For more than half the campaign, the Wildcats simply lined up their best player at quarterback with wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr., who did it all for Kentucky. Unfortunately for UK this season, Bowden is playing for the Miami Dolphins. Kentucky has Terry Wilson returning at quarterback after missing most of 2019 with an injury. The Wildcats’ offensive attack had to adjust quickly last season and did so with relative success.

Auburn and Kentucky saw each other once since the end of the 2010 season. The Tigers won 30-27 in Lexington in 2015.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

Saturday’s game will start at noon ET at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. This game will appear on SEC Network.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Kentucky (+8) vs. Auburn
Point Total: O/U 47.5 (-110)
Money line: Kentucky (+290), Auburn (-385)

• Kentucky finished 8-5 last season, finishing with a win over Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl.
• In 2019, Kentucky went 10-3 against the spread.
• Auburn went 9-4 in 2019 with a loss to Minnesota in the Outback Bowl.
• Auburn finished 9-4 against the spread last season.

The Best Bet

Auburn was better than its record showed in 2019. It beat the Alabama Crimson Tide and Pac-12 champion Oregon Ducks but lost by single digits against LSU, Florida, Georgia and Minnesota. The Tigers should be on a mission this season, knowing it was a bit of a what-could-have-been type of a year. Kentucky has quietly turned into a fairly consistent football program, but let’s go with the home favorites in this one.

Pick: Auburn -8

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