Auburn HC Alex Golesh’s Comments Could Give Baylor the Edge in the Aflac Kickoff

Baylor has a major Week 1 game on tap and the Bears can use anything to their advantage.

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For the second year in a row, Baylor will kick things off against the Auburn Tigers. It was a home loss to Auburn in 2025, and this time, the Bears will look to avenge the loss on the road — sort of. The game was originally supposed to be played in Jordan-Hare Stadium, but it has since been moved to Atlanta for the Aflac Kickoff Game in Week 1.

While it still is a road game for Dave Aranda's team, the Bears would much rather play on a neutral site compared to going into the depths of Auburn.

Which leads to an interesting quote from new Auburn head coach Alex Golesh, who comes to the Tigers from South Florida. Speaking on 680 The Fan, Golesh insisted the Tigers' fanbase isn't as fired up about this game.

“The people here in Auburn maybe aren’t as fired up in the sense that that home game got moved to Atlanta, but there’s a lot of advantages for us,” Golesh said. “We’ve got such a huge alumni base there, really just the entire state of Georgia, that place will be rocking with blue and orange.”

Will the Baylor fanbase be more invested in this game?

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Granted, losing a home game isn't ideal, and the Auburn fanbase probably isn't overly happy about it. But Week 1 marks the first real week of college football and fans are going to be excited to see their team back in action.

As for Auburn, Golesh is insisting the fans in Alabama aren't as invested in this game as what they should be. He clearly believes there will be plenty of blue and orange in the stands, but this could be a situation where Baylor fans feel more invested in this game.

Neither team met expectations a year ago, and there is a ton of pressure on Dave Aranda's shoulders. He brought in former five-star QB DJ Lagway to run the offense and to get the job done. A win over Auburn will give fans, Lagway, and Aranda confidence heading into a tough Big 12 slate.

Baylor fans will likely make the trip to Atlanta to see their Bears in action, and if Golesh's comments mean anything, Baylor has a chance to gain an edge in the game early if the Tigers' fanbase isn't as invested in the game as they should be.

The game will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.