Auburn (0-0) vs Alabama A&M (0-0)
Game Info: Saturday, August 31, 2024 at 7:30 pm (Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium)
The Line: Betting Odds: Auburn -46.5 / Alabama A&M -46.5 — Over/Under: 56.5
The Alabama A&M Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers meet Saturday in college football action from Jordan-Hare. Here’s an Alabama A&M vs Auburn prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Alabama A&M vs Auburn pick. We will examine:
The Alabama A&M Bulldogs recent form and player performance
The Auburn Tigers recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Alabama A&M Bulldogs
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Auburn Tigers
Recent betting trends in games played between Alabama A&M and Auburn
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Alabama A&M vs Auburn game
Alabama A&M Bulldogs Betting Preview
The Bulldogs had a fairly disappointing campaign in 2023, going 5-6 overall with a 3-5 run in Southwestern Athletic Conference matchups. Alabama A&M finished in fourth place among East Division teams, behind Florida A&M, Alabama State and Jackson State.
Alabama A&M gets a new defensive coordinator (Thomas Howard) in head coach Connell Maynor’s seventh season at the helm. The Bulldogs are projected to finish around fourth place in their division again this season.
Auburn Tigers Betting Preview
Over on the Auburn side, they managed to eke into a bowl game berth last year with a 6-7 overall record. The Tigers went 3-5 in SEC games, landing behind Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU and Texas A&M in the West Division standings. Auburn’s season ended with a 31-13 loss to Maryland in the Music City Bowl.
Hugh Freeze enters his second season as the Auburn head coach. He’s got a fresh crop of coordinators with him, so we’ll likely see some different looks from the Tigers on both sides of the ball this season.
Why the Auburn Tigers will win
- Auburn has won 10 of its last 11 season openers.
Why the Alabama A&M Bulldogs will win
- Auburn has lost four of its last five home games.
- Auburn has failed to cover the spread in 10 of its last 12 games against non-conference opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Auburn’s last three season openers have gone OVER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- Auburn was one of only 22 FBS teams with a better road winning percentage (.600) than home winning percentage (.429) last season (min. 8 games).
- Auburn ranked 27th among FBS teams for H1 points allowed per game last season (10.1).
Alabama A&M vs Auburn Prediction
I’m going to stay with Auburn, but the line’s way too hefty to mess with. The Tigers definitely have their work cut out for them after three straight losing seasons—a stat which hadn’t occurred since the 1970s. There’s reason to be optimistic about Auburn though, even with the roster turnover. RB Jarquez Hunter should be a star once again, as should true freshman receiver Cam Coleman.
There will be some early questions with the Auburn passing game however, as it remains to be seen how well QB Payton Thorne can perform with his new crop of receivers. There’s a tough schedule ahead for the Tigers, but this should be a pretty routine opener win to get the team warmed up. With that thick line however, I could see taking the Bulldogs on principle.