The Auburn Tigers and Oregon Ducks are once again set to clash in front of a national audience. Rather than this game being for the national championship as it was at the end of the 2010 season, this time the two big time programs will meet to open the 2019 college football season. Auburn and Oregon are two brand name programs that are set to meet in the only ranked matchup of the opening week of college football. Both teams have exciting quarterbacks. Both teams have high expectations for the 2019 season. And both teams will take a major step toward accomplishing their goals with a victory on opening weekend of the season.

Auburn and Oregon will play on Saturday, August 31, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. eastern. The game is being played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Auburn is coming off an 8-win season. It was a somewhat disappointing season based on expectations. Auburn wasn’t through mid-October last season before they already had three losses, essentially eliminating them from contention in the SEC West. Losses against LSU, Mississippi State and Tennessee essentially ended hopes for postseason contention in the first half of the season. The second half of the season wasn’t any easier as Auburn had to finish with games against Georgia and Alabama (both losses). Auburn regained some sense of momentum to finish the season with a 63-14 win over Purdue.

The Tigers enter the 2019 season with once again high expectations, but also once again, a brutal schedule. A win over Oregon will be crucial because the season only get harder as the Tigers enter SEC play. In the east, Auburn gets Georgia and an away game at Florida. Of course, Auburn will play the usual SEC West gauntlet of LSU, Alabama and others.

Auburn Tigers vs. Oregon Ducks football TV channel

The game will air on ABC Network at 7:30 p.m. eastern time.

Auburn Tigers vs. Oregon Ducks football players to watch

Auburn is loaded along both the offensive and defensive fronts. In terms of teams with power in the trenches, Auburn is right there with the best of them. But when it comes to players to watch, all eyes are on true freshman five-star recruit Bo Nix who has been named the starter for the opener against Oregon.

Bo Nix has been prepping for this moment his entire life potentially. He’s the son of a former Auburn quarterback, Patrick Nix. He’s a five-star recruit from the state of Alabama. He won consecutive state championships at the high school level with his dad as the coach. He was named Mr. Alabama for football. He’s highly decorated, he enrolled early and he beat out some legitimate competition (namely Joey Gatewood) along the way of to being named the starter for this huge opening matchup. If Bo Nix is comfortable and can move the ball and get the win against Oregon, Auburn fans will start to get quite excited about the potential young talent they have under center for years to come.

Auburn Tigers vs. Oregon Ducks football keys to the game

Auburn’s defensive line needs to disrupt a very good Oregon offense and quarterback.

Auburn’s offensive line needs to not only protect the young quarterback, but get a push and help Auburn establish the running game. Perhaps nothing will help Bo Nix in his debut than having a reliable running game to lean on. Gus Malzahn’s offenses are at their best when the running game is cranking. Interestingly, Bo Nix himself will likely be a major part of the running game. With the added threat of a run by the quarterback, you can expect the Oregon defense to be on their heels.

Auburn Tigers vs. Oregon Ducks football Vegas odds

The line has been steady for several days with no recent movement. Auburn is favored by 3.5 points in this game. This is down from 6.5 points, which is quite a move for a high profile matchup such as this.

The over/under line is set at 55.5 down from 58 points.

Auburn Tigers vs. Oregon Ducks football predictions

From the SDS week 1 predictions:

Michael: I hate to be a buzzkill but I don’t see the “game of the week” living up to the hype. Auburn is going to destroy Oregon. We’ve heard all offseason about the offensive line of the Ducks and how they are the best the Pac-12 has to offer. That’s cute and all but when these west coast linemen meet Auburn’s defensive line on Saturday, we’ll find out what they are really made of on the field. For some reason, many people have bought into the Justin Herbert hype and expect him to be the nation’s top quarterback prospect based on a few mock drafts but look for him to be exposed on Saturday. With Gus Malzahn back calling the plays full time, I like Auburn’s offense to look significantly improved from last season. This game should be a big momentum booster for the Tigers.

Auburn 33 Oregon 13

Chris: Oregon may have the best offensive line and QB in the country. But they are 4-12 away from Autzen Stadium in the last 3 years and haven’t seen a D-Line like this.

Auburn 31 Oregon 27

Auburn Tigers vs. Oregon Ducks football history

Auburn and Oregon played each other one other time. The previous matchup was the national championship game in January of 2011 at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Auburn won the game by a score of 22-19. Cam Newton helped lead the Auburn Tigers to the championship with 20 of 34 passing, 266 yards and one touchdown. Michael Dyer may have been the star of the game with 143 rushing yards.

Additional Reading

In the latest QB curve piece on Saturday Down South, Matt Hinton breaks down Bo Nix:

I used to be automatically skeptical of true-freshman quarterbacks thrust into the starting lineup, both for the obvious reasons and for reasons beyond the inevitable dumb freshman stuff — namely, the fact that most teams that wind up turning to a rookie behind center do so strictly out of necessity, or because they’ve already written off the season at hand and have moved on to investing in the future.

Over the past few years, though, that assumption has been rapidly and decisively debunked. Jalen Hurts, Jake Fromm and Trevor Lawrence each wrestled the starting job away from older players in short order and led their respective teams to the National Championship Game in consecutive seasons, a trend that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Including Tua Tagovailoa’s star turn in place of Hurts (and opposite Fromm) in 2017, the sport’s biggest stage has featured more true freshmen behind center the past 3 years than upperclassmen.

Elite prospects today grow up in a world of private coaches, 7-on-7 circuits, and specialized QB camps devoted entirely to developing and showcasing their talent. They play in more sophisticated, passer-friendly offenses in high school and enroll in college early for spring practice. By their first college game, they’re more prepared to play and succeed right away than ever before.

Gus Malzahn opener history

  • 2012: Arkansas State loss vs. Oregon
  • 2013: Auburn win over Washington State
  • 2014: Auburn win over Arkansas
  • 2015: Auburn win over Jacksonville State
  • 2016: Auburn loss vs. Clemson
  • 2017: Auburn win over Georgia Southern
  • 2018: Auburn win over Washington

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the game?

7:30 p.m. eastern time on Saturday, August 31, 2019.

What channel is the game on?

ABC Network.

Where is the game being played?

The game is being played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Who is favored in the game?

Auburn is favored by 3.5 points in this game. This is down from 6.5 points.