Auburn and Baylor are back on the same stage for the second straight year, but this time the setup is different. The Tigers gave up the back half of a home-and-home to meet the Bears in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and 24 Auburn players will be paid $6 million for promotional work tied to the event.
Peach Bowl Inc. CEO David Epps is already sold on the rematch being a better football product. After talking through the matchup, he pointed to the quarterback changes on both sides as the biggest reason the game feels sharper and more compelling than it did a year ago.
"Yeah, I think that's probably a better question than most people realize because when you look at this game, a year ago, you didn't know DJ Lagway was coming. You didn't know Hugh Freeze was going to be fired. Now you actually start to see the meat on the bones," Epps said.
For Epps, Baylor’s side starts with DJ Lagway and the changes around him. He also noted the addition of defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman, saying the Bears have retooled the roster in a way that raises their ceiling.
"You get to see Lagway, and you get to hear what Baylor's doing offensively, and also, having the defensive coordinator from K-State moving over there. I mean, they've retooled that thing. I think that their ceiling is higher than you would expect.
"And then I think it took the reality of getting Auburn's players into camp and people starting to see them and see what they're capable of, and having Byrum Brown coming with Coach Golesh from USF. Having a new quarterback out of the portal is one thing, but having one out of the portal who came with the offense already in his back pocket, and a kid who accounted for 4,000 yards of total offense last year, that's huge.
"To me, the matchup looks a lot more intriguing. Because both of those guys are capable of really lighting things up.
You've got a new face and a new place with both of them. I'm really intrigued by it.
I was really anxious to see where the line came out to, just to see what the experts think about the matchup, and I think it's been hovering around a touchdown. I'm really intrigued.
"And there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm, especially coming out of Auburn. I hear more about Auburn, obviously, just because of the geography of where we are, but without being too optimistic, Golesh sounds pretty high on what he's seeing from his guys."
That buzz is part of the backdrop heading into Week 1, where both coaches have been leaning into the moment. Alex Golesh and Dave Aranda have been working to energize their fan bases, and Aranda now has a roster that could finally give him the kind of defensive identity his staff has been promising.
Golesh has done his part to build belief, too, and the excitement around Auburn has only grown this week. By Saturday afternoon, the answers will start coming.
In Other News...
Auburn Fans Just Lost A Home Game For A Bigger Reason
Auburns 2026 football opener against Baylor is headed to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, a move that shifts a marquee home date away from Jordan-Hare Stadium but brings a different kind of value to the program. The decision fits into the new college football reality where big nonconference games are being judged not just by atmosphere and tradition, but by the money they can generate and the benefits they can create for a roster.
David Epps, the Peach Bowls CEO, said the Atlanta setup gives Auburn players and the program financial and NIL-related advantages that are becoming harder to ignore. For fans, it is the latest reminder that scheduling in the modern game is no longer just about home-field pride, but about how schools position themselves in a crowded revenue race that keeps changing the meaning of a big September game. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Suddenly Has A Reason To Watch LSU's SEC Fight Closely
Auburn has a new reason to keep one eye on Baton Rouge, and it comes from well beyond the field. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr sent an open letter to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey supporting LSUs removal from the league, arguing that the Tigers have ignored conference rules involving players with NFL experience and have still benefited from SEC membership without meeting the same obligations as everyone else.
The letter, obtained by ESPN, has added another layer of friction to an already tense SEC issue, with conference members and state officials now drawn into the debate. For Auburn, it is the kind of off-field fight that can ripple through the league if it keeps growing, even if the full consequences of this dispute are still to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Fans Have One New Reason To Worry About Alex Golesh
Auburn got a little more than the usual offseason coach-speak this week when Alex Golesh hosted a Victory Day celebration involving participants from the Auburn EAGLES program and Lee County Special Olympics. It was the kind of community event that plays well anywhere, but it also drew attention well beyond the Plains, including coverage back in Columbus, Ohio, where Golesh has college ties and a familiar name still carries some weight.
For Auburn fans, that is where the unease starts to creep in. Golesh has been building a profile that reaches outside the SEC footprint, and any coach who starts showing up on national radars inevitably gets linked to bigger jobs sooner or later. There are no official moves or offers on the table, but the combination of visibility, background and rising stock is enough to make people in Auburn watch the next step a little more closely. [Read more 🡒]