UMASS vs Auburn Prediction - College Football Picks 9/2/23

Auburn Tigers (0-0) vs Massachusetts Minutemen (1-0)

Game Info: Saturday, September 2, 2023 at 3:30 pm (Jordan-Hare Stadium)

Betting Odds: Auburn Tigers -39.5 -- Over/Under: 53.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

Where to Watch: ESPN Stream live sports and exclusive originals on ESPN+. Sign up now!

The UMass Minutemen and Auburn Tigers face off on Saturday in a Week 1 of the college football showdown at Jordan-Hare.

UMass Looks for a 2-0 Start

There are still a lot of questions surrounding this UMass team, but they were able to secure victory in Week 0. UMass faced off against New Mexico State and they were able to secure the 41-30 victory. At halftime they were tied, but it was the 28 points scored in the 4th quarter that was the difference on the way to the victory. Under center for UMass was Taisun Phommachanh and he completed 10 of his 17 passes for 192 yards. He also rushed 17 times for 96 yards and a touchdown. Kay’ron Adams also was good rushing 15 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns. The offense was good, but the defense still showed some major holes and in this game the defense is going to need to be better.

UMass Betting Preview

Massachusetts has lost 21 of its last 22 road games against non-AP-ranked teams.
Massachusetts has failed to cover the spread in each of its last nine September road games against non-AP-ranked teams.
Massachusetts has lost the first half in 21 of its last 24 games against non-conference opponents.
Three of Massachusetts' last four games against opponents from the Southeastern Conference have gone UNDER the total points line.

Hugh Freeze Back in the SEC

Hugh Freeze is back in the SEC, this time in charge of Auburn’s program. There always seems to be controversy wherever he goes, but he knows how to win football games, and for a program like Auburn, that’s all that really matters. Under center for Auburn is expected to be Payton Thorne who started his college career at Michigan State. He is a good quarterback, and he should thrive in this new system. On defense, Auburn was busy in the transfer portal and they got themselves a star in Justin Rogers who came over from Kentucky. In this game, it’s going to be all about the defense making it real tough on UMass. If the defense struggles, it could be a bad sign for how this season will go.

Auburn Betting Preview

Auburn has won each of its last 15 September home games against non-AP-ranked teams.
Auburn has failed to cover the spread in each of its last five home games in September.
Six of Auburn's last seven games have gone OVER the total points line.

Shane’s Free Pick

Auburn is going to have no issue in this game. For the first three quarters the offense wasn’t good for UMass and they are going to really struggle against the Auburn defense. Thorne is going to be a star in this Auburn offense and he’s going to have no issue throwing it all over the field against UMass. Auburn can put up 75 points in this game if they want to, and this game is going to be a blowout. Back Auburn against the spread.