Staff Predictions: Baylor Football vs. Auburn Tigers in Aflac Kickoff Game

The Baylor Bears enter the 2026 season with a lot of unknowns. Coming off a 5-7 campaign last season, Baylor made some major moves in hopes of shoring up weak areas on the team. Dave Aranda made the move of relinquishing play calling duties on the defensive side of the football, and hired Joe Klanderman to take over.

Baylor made a lot of moves via the transfer portal, none as notable as DJ Lagway coming in from Florida. Now, the Bears hope all of their work this offseason pays off. And it's not going to be an easy task on Saturday when Baylor plays Auburn.

For the second year in a row, Baylor will take on the Tigers in its season opener. Here's how the staff at Baylor on SI sees the game going.

Trent Knoop

The two brands are familiar with one another after playing in Waco last season, but there isn't much familiarity between the two teams. Baylor features a new-look defense and a new QB in DJ Lagway, along with several new playmakers.

Auburn has a new head coach, and a lot of USF players followed him, including Byrum Brown. What hurt Baylor last meeting was that it couldn't stop the QB run, and that could be an issue this season. Brown is much more athletic than Jackson Arnold and Brown beat up a lot of teams a season ago with his feet.

I look for Baylor to be competitive, but the Tigers will pull it out in the end.

Final score: Auburn 31, Baylor 27

Bennett Parker

The home-away-from-home advantage pushes the Tigers past the Bears in a game that comes down to the last drive. Lagway has a good second half, but the hole was dug too deep in the first. The Bears will still have some optimism for the season but want a couple of big plays back from Week 1.

Final score: Auburn 31, Baylor 24

Tyler Gillum

I think Baylor comes out looking strong on offense to start the game; we will definitely see some flashes of what Lagway is capable of. But once the second half starts, this Auburn team is really going to pick up the pace, and the Bears fall short of catching up and lose in week one.

Final score: Auburn 31, Baylor 23

Brad Teague

Last season's game was rough to watch as Jackson Arnold just walked up the middle of the field most of the game against the Baylor defense. Byrum Brown is a mobile quarterback as well, and he would have also torched the Baylor defense that played Auburn last year. This isn't last year though, and with Joe Klanderman in as defensive coordinator along with the extra emphasis put on speed during the offseason for these players? I expect a completely different result.

Auburn is deep at running back, and they'll be more than willing to utilize as many as they're able if Baylor's defense can't contain any of them. And while he's certainly been diplomatic when asked about his feelings when it comes to the chance to play against his former team in Baylor, Bryson Washington will be looking for a chance to score if one presents itself. I don't believe that he gets a chance though. If the hype is to be believed, Baylor's defense has found a way to patch the holes from last year and have the defensive line and linebacking core faster than ever ready to never find themselves out of position again. With the intent of looking at a glass that half-full rather than half-empty, I'm willing to buy the hype.

DJ Lagway is going to have his work cut out for him, new season, new team, new receivers, new guys holding the line and charged with protecting him. Lagway will have to avoid the costly turnovers, but that's every quarterback every week. The offense is going to be running through him though, and rightly or wrongly he's going to catch either the praise or the flack that comes with that position.
Coach Aranda needs to start the season off with a win. A win silences a lot of the critics (at least until the next game) and is the ideal outcome for the first week of the season. A loss though is only going to begin sewing the seeds of unrest in the fandom this season as another missed bowl game opportunity and sub .500 year would loom overhead.

How I expect the game to go: Baylor's defense falters early while still gathering their bearings playing together in a live-game for the first time all together, allowing Auburn to lead the game early on. Auburn gives up a 40+ yard td (either Dawson Pendergrass running or DJ Lagway connecting with Dre'lon Miller on a deep throw against 1-1 coverage) to change the momentum of the game at some point, and once Baylor gains the lead, they never relenquish, scoring 21 unanswered as Baylor's defense holds firm, bending but not breaking, late in the game to prevent the hope of a comeback.

Final score: Baylor 38, Auburn 24

Grant Peterson

Auburn will look to play fast on offense and wear down the Bears’ defense. Alex Golesh brought in several players from that successful USF offense in 2025 who are already familiar with the offensive system, including starting quarterback Byrum Brown.

Luckily for Baylor, they brought in some experienced and talented players in the secondary and the defensive line through the transfer portal. I can see this Baylor defensive front causing some issues for the Tigers’ offensive line.

For the Baylor offense, they will have to protect Lagway and limit mistakes. The big question for Baylor is what version of Lagway will they get in this game? I’m confident in Spavital’s game plan, but it ultimately comes down to the offensive line and Lagway connecting with this new group of receivers.

I expect this game to be closer than many expect, with Auburn barely coming out on top.

Final score: Auburn 27, Baylor 24

Jason B. Hirschhorn

Though Saturday's game will take place at a neutral site, the proximity of Mercedes-Benz
Stadium to the Tigers' campus, as well as Atlanta serving as a major metro for Auburn alumni,
doesn't do Baylor any favors, and the crowd will probably slant heavily toward the navy and
orange.

The matchup does offer DJ Lagway a prime opportunity to reintroduce himself as a
nationally important quarterback, and the Bears will need him to do so in order to pull the upset.
That seems like too big of an ask for a signal-caller who threw more interceptions (nine) than
touchdowns (six) away from home last season.

Prediction: Auburn beats Baylor

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