Nine months into the wait, Auburn football is finally ready to open the Alex Golesh era.
The Tigers get going Saturday, Sept. 5 at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC, meeting Baylor at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The matchup also serves as a rematch of last season’s opener, when Auburn traveled to Texas and walked away with a Power 4 road win.
This one comes with familiar pressure on both sides. Dave Aranda is back on Baylor’s sideline after another year carrying that burden, while Auburn is hoping Golesh becomes the third time the Tigers get it right with a head-coaching hire.
The betting market has Auburn favored to start the season. According to BetMGM as of Thursday, Sept. 3, the Tigers are 7.5-point favorites, with the over/under set at 59. Auburn is listed at -290 on the moneyline, while Baylor sits at +235.
As for the pick, the call is Auburn 38, Baylor 27.
There are still questions about how much Auburn will be tested by DJ Lagway leading Baylor’s offense and a new coordinator handling its defense, but Auburn enters with a clearer sense of what it has and what it wants to become.
Even with those unknowns, the Tigers should have a real shot to open the Golesh era with a solid road-style win over a competent opponent. Anything less would count as an upset. If Auburn is truly ahead of schedule, though, this could be the kind of result that builds real momentum in Week 1.
In Other News...
LSU Just Dropped Auburn Into A Fresh SEC Eligibility Fight
A Louisiana judges ruling has put LSU back in the middle of a familiar college football fight over eligibility, and it carries a ripple effect Auburn fans will recognize right away. Zxavian Harris and DaeQuan Wright were cleared to regain their status to play despite recent NFL roster involvement, even after the SEC went to federal court seeking to block their participation. The courts order also barred the SEC, NCAA and LSU from taking actions that would hurt the two players, leaving the Tigers with another roster decision to sort through as the season approaches.
For Auburn, the bigger concern is less about the courtroom and more about what this kind of ruling could mean for a league where eligibility disputes have already become part of the calendar. Harris and Wright have been practicing with LSU ahead of the opener against Clemson, and LSU now decides whether to formally add them. However that plays out, the case adds another layer of uncertainty around SEC roster rules at a time when every marginal advantage matters. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn May Have Found A Defensive Lineman Fans Didnt See Coming
Cody Siglers path to Auburn has never followed the usual script. The New Hope High School product started as a walk-on at UWA, redshirted his first season there and then got into 10 games the next year before moving on to Arkansas State, where he turned himself into an all-Sun Belt performer and put up the kind of defensive production that got attention beyond his previous stops.
Now at Auburn via the transfer portal, Sigler is suddenly part of the conversation as one of the Tigers top defensive linemen heading toward the 2026 season. For a player who kept climbing a level at a time, the intriguing part is not just how far he has come, but how quickly he has gone from an under-the-radar addition to someone Auburn fans may need to keep a close eye on. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Suddenly Has Another SEC Problem To Watch Closely
A federal ruling in Louisiana has stirred up another SEC issue worth tracking for Auburn, because the decision could help clear the way for a wave of former pro athletes to compete immediately in college football. Judge William Jorden granted an injunction that allows NCAA and SEC eligibility for more than 40 athletes, including former NFL players Zxavian Harris and DaeQuan Wright, who are expected to land on LSUs roster.
The SEC is not letting the matter sit there. The league plans to appeal the ruling and has already filed a separate lawsuit aimed at enforcing new punishments against teams that add ex-professional players, leaving the status of those athletes in flux while the legal fight plays out. For Auburn, it is another conference storyline to monitor closely, since the outcome could shape how aggressively rivals try to use this route and how the SEC handles it going forward. [Read more 🡒]