CBS Makes Way Too Early Prediction on Baylor's Season Opener vs. Auburn
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Spring football is in the air, and you can almost squint tight enough to see fall football around the corner.
Tailgates, the smell of smoke from a grill, and of course the football that captivates all of us on every Saturday from the end of August until late January.
The Baylor Bears are riding a bit of a high at the moment as they secured four-star quarterback Luke Babin and beat out their conference rivals in the process.
Recruiting is fun, but the games on the field are why everyone watches the sport, which is why CBS recently gave way-too-early predictions for the first weekend of the season.
Games on the slate that weekend include Lane Kiffin’s debut at LSU against Clemson, and Notre Dame traveling to Lambeau Field to take on the Wisconsin Badgers.
Another game on the slate that weekend, of course, is the Baylor Bears taking on the Auburn Tigers, looking to avenge last year’s season-opening loss.
Baylor is in a difficult spot this year, as Dave Aranda’s seat is scorching hot entering the season. He has to win, and win quickly in order to keep his job both now and for the foreseeable future.
If the season opens the way this expert sees it, however, things are going to get off to a sour start in a big season for the Bears.
The Prediction
Baylor will open the season against Auburn on a neutral site, traveling to Atlanta on Saturday, September 5.
As things stand now, Auburn is a 7.5 point favorite going into the game. Those odds may shift as things get closer.
CBS’ Brad Crawford had this to say about Baylor's season opener.
Dave Aranda has for the Bears, given their fall from grace since winning the Big 12 in 2021 to cap his second campaign. They're just 22-28 since, failing in countless marquee matchups -- like last season's opener to these Tigers and then-coach Hugh Freeze. Auburn is one of several SEC programs with a new coach in 2026 after Alex Golesh left Tampa for the Plains and brought many of his top players with him. This should be an Auburn-heavy crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and that will help the Tigers.
Following his analysis, Crawford predicts a 30-24 for the Tigers on what will likely be more of a home game for the Tigers than a neutral site.
The Numbers
The numbers that Crawford mentions are the ones that are damning for Aranda to this point in his Baylor tenure. 22-28 since their Big 12 championship game in 2021 after his second season is unacceptable for a program that has as many resources as the Bears have poured into their program.
Winning big games is an expectation, not a bonus. Aranda isn’t going to establish a lot of good will with just one victory over Auburn, but getting off to a good start on the season should help him before the Bears get into conference play.
Jacob Westendorf is a contributing writer for Baylor Bears on SI. He is also a writer covering the Green Bay Packers for Packers on SI. Westendorf graduated from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where he earned a degree in communication with an emphasis in journalism and mass media. He worked in newspapers in Green Bay and Rockford, Illinois. He also interned at Packer Report for Bill Huber while earning his degree. In 2018, he became a staff writer for PackerReport.com, and a regular contributor on Packer Report's "Pack A Day Podcast." In 2020, he founded the media company Game On Wisconsin. In 2023, he rejoined Packer Central, which is part of Sports Illustrated Media Group.