Ball State (0-1) vs Auburn (1-0)
September 6, 2025 at 07:30 PM EDT
The Line: Betting Odds: Auburn -43.5 — Over/Under: +55.5
The Ball State Cardinals and the Auburn Tigers meet Saturday in college football action from Jordan-Hare. Here’s a Ball State vs Auburn prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Ball State vs Auburn pick. We will examine:
The Ball State Cardinals recent form and player performance
The Auburn Tigers recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Ball State Cardinals
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Auburn Tigers
Recent betting trends in games played between Ball State and Auburn
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Ball State vs Auburn game
Ball State didn’t fare so well in 2024, going just 3-9 overall in head coach Mike Neu’s final season at the helm. The Cardinals were just 2-6 in Mid-American Conference play, putting the team ahead of only a winless Kent State in the standings. Ball State’s three wins came courtesy of Missouri State, Kent State and Northern Illinois. The season finished on an 0-4 run with losses to Miami-Ohio, Buffalo, Bowling Green and Ohio in succession over the final quartet of outings.
Ball State is already in the hole this season at 0-1 following a tough opening matchup versus Purdue last weekend. The Cardinals gave up points in every quarter in that one, eventually falling in a blowout 31-0. QB Kiael Kelly went 10-of-16 passing but totaled just 87 yards through the air. Kelly was the top rusher as well on 22 carries for 63 yards, while Elijah Jackson’s lone 37-yard catch put him ahead of every other receiver on the team in the loss.
Over on the Auburn side, they didn’t have a great campaign last year either. In Hugh Freeze’s second year as head coach, the Tigers went just 5-7 overall with a 2-6 run in the Southeastern Conference. Auburn finished ahead of only Kentucky and Mississippi State with that effort. After a four-game losing streak in the middle of the season, Auburn found some mojo with a 3-1 run that featured wins over Kentucky, Louisiana-Monroe and Texas A&M. The final game of the season was a loss to rival Alabama on November 30 however, locking Auburn out of bowl game contention for good.
Auburn played a pretty interesting game versus Baylor in their opener. The Tigers hit the road last Friday, scoring points in every quarter (while also giving up points in every quarter) on the way to a high-flying 38-24 win. QB Jackson Arnold was 11-of-17 for 108 yards and also led the rush with 16 carries for 137 yards and two scores. Both Damari Alston (84 yards) and jeremiah Cobb (74 yards) had 16 carries and one TD each on the ground. Malcolm Simmons led the receivers with his lone 26-yard catch.
I’m just going to stay with Auburn. I’m also not messing with it; the line is ugly. The Tigers took care of business with a tricky road win over Baylor in their opener, but there’s still plenty to improve upon. Auburn put up 415 total yards, 6.0 yards per play, 25 first downs and zero turnovers. That said, the Tigers also had just 108 pass yards, nine penalties and went a tepid 5-of-10 on third-down conversions. On defense Auburn was strong with just 5-of-15 allowed on third downs and 64 yards rushing allowed. The Tigers were chewed up through the air (419 yards) however and couldn’t register a takeaway.
As for Ball State, they couldn’t do much against a much more skilled Purdue team, but no one was really expecting them to. The Cardinals mustered just 203 yards (87 passing) and 13 first downs while giving up 340 passing yards on defense. I’d like to see Auburn take advantage with a big game through the air this weekend, but it shouldn’t be much trouble regardless.
The Ball State Cardinals recent form and player performance
The Auburn Tigers recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Ball State Cardinals
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Auburn Tigers
Recent betting trends in games played between Ball State and Auburn
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Ball State vs Auburn game
Ball State Cardinals Betting Preview
Ball State didn’t fare so well in 2024, going just 3-9 overall in head coach Mike Neu’s final season at the helm. The Cardinals were just 2-6 in Mid-American Conference play, putting the team ahead of only a winless Kent State in the standings. Ball State’s three wins came courtesy of Missouri State, Kent State and Northern Illinois. The season finished on an 0-4 run with losses to Miami-Ohio, Buffalo, Bowling Green and Ohio in succession over the final quartet of outings.
Ball State is already in the hole this season at 0-1 following a tough opening matchup versus Purdue last weekend. The Cardinals gave up points in every quarter in that one, eventually falling in a blowout 31-0. QB Kiael Kelly went 10-of-16 passing but totaled just 87 yards through the air. Kelly was the top rusher as well on 22 carries for 63 yards, while Elijah Jackson’s lone 37-yard catch put him ahead of every other receiver on the team in the loss.
Auburn Tigers Betting Preview
Over on the Auburn side, they didn’t have a great campaign last year either. In Hugh Freeze’s second year as head coach, the Tigers went just 5-7 overall with a 2-6 run in the Southeastern Conference. Auburn finished ahead of only Kentucky and Mississippi State with that effort. After a four-game losing streak in the middle of the season, Auburn found some mojo with a 3-1 run that featured wins over Kentucky, Louisiana-Monroe and Texas A&M. The final game of the season was a loss to rival Alabama on November 30 however, locking Auburn out of bowl game contention for good.
Auburn played a pretty interesting game versus Baylor in their opener. The Tigers hit the road last Friday, scoring points in every quarter (while also giving up points in every quarter) on the way to a high-flying 38-24 win. QB Jackson Arnold was 11-of-17 for 108 yards and also led the rush with 16 carries for 137 yards and two scores. Both Damari Alston (84 yards) and jeremiah Cobb (74 yards) had 16 carries and one TD each on the ground. Malcolm Simmons led the receivers with his lone 26-yard catch.
Ball State vs Auburn Prediction
I’m just going to stay with Auburn. I’m also not messing with it; the line is ugly. The Tigers took care of business with a tricky road win over Baylor in their opener, but there’s still plenty to improve upon. Auburn put up 415 total yards, 6.0 yards per play, 25 first downs and zero turnovers. That said, the Tigers also had just 108 pass yards, nine penalties and went a tepid 5-of-10 on third-down conversions. On defense Auburn was strong with just 5-of-15 allowed on third downs and 64 yards rushing allowed. The Tigers were chewed up through the air (419 yards) however and couldn’t register a takeaway.
As for Ball State, they couldn’t do much against a much more skilled Purdue team, but no one was really expecting them to. The Cardinals mustered just 203 yards (87 passing) and 13 first downs while giving up 340 passing yards on defense. I’d like to see Auburn take advantage with a big game through the air this weekend, but it shouldn’t be much trouble regardless.