3 predictions for Baylor vs Auburn
The Baylor Bears are hours away from opening their season against the Auburn Tigers in McLane Stadium on Friday night. It's one of the biggest week one matchups and is a game that could go either way. Baylor is bringing back loads of talent from a team that finished the regular season on a six-game win streak, but Auburn has brought in a ton of players through the portal that should help them improve.
With that said, let's hop into some predictions for Friday night's showdown.
Sawyer Robertson Out-Duels Jackson Arnold
All the talk leading up to this game has been about Jackson Arnold, Cam Coleman, Eric Singleton and the rest of Auburn's offense. Tiger fans are excited about the possibility of what this offense could be with a former five-star under center, but they could be gravely disappointed on Friday night.
Jackson Arnold never really flashed at Oklahoma, and now he comes into a new system with a bunch of new receivers. Granted, his receivers may be the best in the country, but it will still be his first real game with his new team, and that could be cause for a rocky start.
On the other hand, Sawyer Robertson enters year two with Baylor Offensive Coordinator Jake Spavital and returns a bunch of weapons from last season, including his top-two targets, Josh Cameron and Ashtyn Hawkins.
While Arnold may have the better weapons, Robertson is the better quarterback and is the one surrounded with continuity, which is huge in college football nowadays. It'd be pretty shocking if Robertson doesn't outperform Arnold tonight.
Cam Coleman Goes For 100+ Yards
While Robertson should have a better night than Arnold, there's still a very good chance that Cam Coleman has a great game tonight. Auburn's star sophomore is going to be one of the best receivers in the nation this year, and with Eric Singleton a little bit banged up, he should see an even heavier target share than expected.
Auburn's offense is going to run through Coleman, and the Bears don't have anyone on defense who can cover him one-on-one. They're going to have to double him and let everyone else beat them, but even then, Auburn is going to find a way to get Coleman the ball. It would be surprising if he doesn't have a big game.
Baylor Upsets Auburn
Even though Baylor's the home team, Auburn is 2.5-point favorites in this game. Vegas believes in Hugh Freeze's squad and thinks they'll take down Baylor in the opener. Personally, I'm a bit hesistant to think that'll happen.
We've talked about a lot in the lead-up to this game, but Baylor is returning a whole lot of players. That offense has a ton of continuity, and there's no reason to believe they'll take anything but a step forward this year. As for Auburn, they're relying on a lot of transfers to gel right away. They may have the more talented roster on paper, but I'm going with the team that's proven what they can do when they're clicking.
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Luke is a writer for the Baylor Bears On SI. He's an LSU graduate and previously covered the Tigers for two years. He also covers the New Orleans Saints and Formula 1. Luke's passion for sports and storytelling led him to become a sports writer.