| MATCHUP | Auburn Tigers | Baylor Bears |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 1-0 | 0-1 |
| Where | McLane Stadium, Waco, TX | |
| When | Friday, August 29, 2025 | |
| Time | 08:00 PM EDT | |
| TV | FOX | |
The Auburn Tigers and the Baylor Bears meet in week 1 college football action from McLane Stadium on Friday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s an Auburn Tigers vs. Baylor Bears prediction.
Auburn Tigers Team Preview
The Auburn Tigers come into this game looking to rebound from a down year by Auburn’s standards, finishing the year at 5-7 overall including 2-6 in SEC conference play. The Tigers couldn’t really get above average QB play going, so out goes Payton Thorne and Hank Brown and in comes Jackson Arnold, the former top recruit for Oklahoma. There’s competition at QB1 with Deuce Knight and Ashton Daniels in the mix as well. Damari Alston provides a decent option in Auburn’s backfield, but the coup of the offseason might be bringing in Eric Singleton from Georgia and Horatio Field from Wake Forest to go along with Malcolm Simmons, who finished second on Auburn with 40 receptions last season. On defense, Keldric Faulk leads the rush up front for Auburn, while Kalen Harris is a name you’ll need to pay attention to in the Auburn secondary.
Why the Auburn Tigers will win
- Auburn has won each of its last eight season openers.
- Auburn has covered the spread in six of its last seven season openers.
Baylor Bears Team Preview
The Baylor Bears come into the 2025 season looking to take another step forward in 2025 after finishing 2024 with an overall record of 8-5 including a 6-3 mark in Big 12 play. The Bears would end up playing in the Texas Bowl, a game they lost to LSU by a score of 44-31. Sawyer Robertson threw for over 3,000 yards with 28 TDs for Baylor last year and is back in the fold, while Bryson Washington and Dawson Pendergrass return after combining for almost 1,700 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Bears offensively last season. Josh Cameron was a do-it-all receiver for the Bears last season with 52 receptions as well as a premier punt returner, while Kobe Prentice is a heck of a pickup from the portal for the Baylor receiving group. On defense, Keaton Thomas is back after leading the Bears in total tackles but there’s a lot of incoming pieces via the transfer portal and Devyn Bobby leads the Bears’ secondary with 80 tackles and 3 INTs, finishing third on the team in total tackles.
Why the Baylor Bears will win
- Baylor has won each of its last five home games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Auburn has lost three of its last four games as a favorite.
- Baylor has covered the spread in each of its last six home games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Auburn has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five road openers.
Total Points Facts
- Seven of Baylor’s last eight home openers have gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of Auburn’s last four season openers have gone OVER the total points line.
Auburn Tigers vs. Baylor Bears Prediction
I’m rolling with Baylor here. There are a lot of wild cards at play for Auburn in fairness and it’ll be interesting to see how Jackson Arnold does with a change of scenery. However, until I see it, I have to think that some of the Arnold that struggled throughout his Oklahoma tenure is still in there, and that’s not good. Baylor has solid options at QB and RB with Robertson along with Washington and Pendergrass, and I think that continuity along with a defensive mind like Dave Aranda is going to pay dividends in the opener here. Give me Baylor here.