Auburn vs. Baylor prediction, odds, start time: 2025 Week 1 college football picks by expert on 64-43 run

Programs looking to get back to prominence battle when the Auburn Tigers take on the Baylor Bears in a key Week 1 college football matchup on Friday night. Auburn has eight consecutive opening-game wins, while Baylor is 5-1 in openers under coach Dave Aranda. The Tigers (5-7 in 2024), who finished tied for 13th with Oklahoma at 2-6 in the SEC, were 1-3 on the road last season. The Bears (8-5 in 2024), who tied for fifth in the Big 12 at 6-3, were 5-1 on their home field a year ago.

Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas. Baylor owns a 2-1-1 all-time record against Auburn. The Tigers are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Auburn vs. Baylor odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 58.5. Before making any Baylor vs. Auburn picks, be sure to see what SportsLine expert Bruce Marshall has to say. New users can also target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $300 in bonus bets instantly plus over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket:

For years Vegas-based Bruce Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famed sports betting newsletter. With a background in play-by-play work and sports information while in college, Bruce joined TGS in 1981 when hired by the legendary Mort Olshan and served as executive editor for many years. Marshall now supplies his unique and colorful brand of football and basketball analysis to SportsLine members. Marshall crushed his 2024 college football picks, returning 16.24 units to $100 players.

Now, Marshall has set his sights on Auburn vs. Baylor and just locked in his picks and college football predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several college football odds and betting lines for Baylor vs. Auburn:

Why Auburn can win

Junior Jackson Arnold, a transfer from Oklahoma, takes over at quarterback for the Tigers. He will be Auburn’s 22nd starting quarterback since 2000. The previous 21 are a combined 16-5 in their first starts at the school. Last year with the Sooners, Arnold completed 154 of 246 passes (62.6%) for 1,421 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions. In a 51-3 win over Temple last August, he completed 17 of 25 passes for 141 yards and four touchdowns. 

Senior Damari Alston is the top returning running back for the Tigers. In 12 games last season, Alston carried 52 times for 276 yards (5.3 average) and three touchdowns. He also caught six passes for 53 yards. In a 45-19 win over New Mexico on Sept. 14, he carried 10 times for 80 yards and one touchdown. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

Why Baylor can win

The Bears had the nation’s 20th-best offense in 2024 and return a number of starters from that squad. Senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson tops the list. In 12 games last year, he completed 62.2% of his passes for 3,071 yards and 28 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. He also rushed 63 times for 230 yards and four touchdowns. In a 49-35 win over West Virginia on Nov. 16, he completed 26 of 36 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns.

Sophomore running back Bryson Washington set a freshman record a year ago, carrying 175 times for 1,028 yards and 12 touchdowns. He rushed for 100 or more yards in six games and also caught 22 passes for 217 yards and one score. In a 37-34 win over TCU on Nov. 2, he carried 26 times for 196 yards (7.5 average) and four touchdowns. In a 45-17 win over Kansas on Nov. 30, he rushed 28 times for 192 yards (6.9 average) and two touchdowns. See which team to back at SportsLine, and new users can also check out the latest bet365 bonus code to get $200 in bonus bets after placing a $5 bet:

How to make Auburn vs. Baylor picks

Marshall is leaning Over on the total. He also says there’s a critical x-factor that makes one side of the spread hit hard. Find out what it is at SportsLine.

Who wins Baylor vs. Auburn, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back?. You can head to SportsLine to see his Auburn vs. Baylor picks. Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the expert that has crushed his college football picks, and find out.