Baylor Bears vs. Auburn Tigers (Saturday – 3:30pm ET – Atlanta, GA)
If you’re looking for a battle in the trenches, Baylor vs. Auburn is not the game for you.
Both offensive and defensive lines here could be a work in progress, but I feel the Tigers have plenty of other advantages. These teams met in the season opener last year and I backed Baylor. Auburn ran the ball for over 300 yards and dominated the game, despite Baylor being able to move the ball through the air, and handed me a loser.
That entire Baylor offense is gone this season. 10 starters depart on offense, and while some solid pieces were brought in via transfer, the new look offense projects nowhere on the same level. The defense was historically bad last season, giving up nearly 200 rushing yards per game, along with one of the worst pass rushes in the country. Baylor hired a new DC and transfers in talent, so it should at least be improved. But the losses on offense look to be far more significant than the gains on defense.
While Auburn is shaky on the lines, the rest of the roster has plenty of talent. The big upgrades should come on offense. Alex Golesh ran an elite offense at South Florida, and comes over as the new head coach of the Tigers. He brings most of his best weapons from USF — a RB, half the OL, an entire WR room, and the headliner being QB Byrum Brown. USF was a top-five offense last season, and now combines the best pieces from that team with some leftover SEC talent that remained at Auburn.
On top of that, the defense should be solid — Auburn was a top-20 defense last season. It returns its DC, five starters (including an All American in Xavier Atkins) and transfers in some good talent. Better on both sides of the ball with what should be a pro-Auburn crowd in Atlanta should result in another win in this matchup for the Tigers.
CFB Pick: Auburn Halftime/Fulltime (-135)
