The Aflac Kickoff Game will make its annual return to Atlanta to begin the college football season, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium will feature an SEC vs. Big 12 matchup this year.
The Alex Golesh era will begin at Auburn with a neutral-site date against former SEC signal-caller DJ Lagway and Baylor, who are looking to take spoil the Tigers’ much-anticipated opener.
Ahead of the matchup, ESPN’s Football Power Index updated its projections for the weekend’s games, and the metric gives Auburn a 72.9% chance to begin Golesh’s first season with an important win.
The former South Florida coach is hoping the quarterback he brought with him from Tampa will out-duel the former Gator Lagway, as Byrum Brown possesses rare dual-threat abilities and could flourish if he remains healthy.
On the other sideline, it’s widely believed that Dave Aranda is beginning a make-or-break campaign in Waco, and he’s hoping that Lagway transferring to his father’s alma mater can help propel the program back to where it was in 2021.
To do so, Baylor will have to overcome what figures to be a sizable crowd advantage and a stingy Auburn defense while containing Brown & Co.
The Tigers and Bears will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, with the game being broadcast by ABC.
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Parker is currently the sports editor for Gulf Coast Media in Foley, Alabama. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
