The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic should be a good one Saturday as No. 6 Auburn tackles under-rated Louisville in the Georgia Dome.
The Tigers will play numerous newcomers and freshman on defense, and both teams have limited returning personnel on offense.
ODDS
The Auburn Tigers are a 10.5 point favorite over the Louisville Cardinals with a posted total of 55.
Auburn lost three of its final four games last year while going 0-5 ATS, including a loss to Texas A&M as 23-point favorites.
KEY MISMATCH
Auburn will start a number of freshman on defense and up to eight will play. That includes in the secondary where Louisville will try to take advantage of the potential mismatch with their experienced receivers including a pair of rangy and fast transfers.
Coach Petrino is especially strong in opening game preparations, so expect him to find the weaknesses and attack more against this revamped Auburn secondary.
A key matchup with be the Auburn spread offense trying to run the ball against a stout Louisville front seven. The Cardinals have the top-rated LB corps in the ACC led by their top returning tacklers Keith Kelsey and senior James Burgess. Add in TCU transfer Devonte Fields, who was the Big 12 defensive player of the year in 2012 and you have a top unit to count on despite just four returning starters.
Five of the top six return on the defensive line and the run defense should be even better in the second-year system after allowing just 109 rushing yards per game last season. The secondary gets a big boost with Georgia transfer Shaq Wiggins at CB and Josh Harvey-Clemons at strong safety, who was a former No. 1 recruit in the country at linebacker.
KEY STAT
Louisville was +72 yards per game in the ACC last season and won nine regular season games.
Auburn has had a top-10 rushing attack each of the last two seasons including last year averaging 255 rushing yards per game on 46 attempts per contest. Coach Malzahn says the Tigers have their most depth along the offensive line since he became the Tigers coach in 2013.
BETTING ANGLE
After Auburn's 13-game cover streak ended early last season, Tigers are just 2-9 ATS since which includes going 3-7 ATS as chalk in 2014.
Petrino coached college teams are 10-0 SU in their opening games.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Rapid growth and improvement offensively is expected from Louisville, who is very young and rotating players along the offensive line. The quarterback position will be key and likely have two guys seeing action. The Cardinals and coach Petrino have still not announced the starter with four competing.
Will Gardner or dual threat Reggie Bonnafon will likely lead, and both have experience with Gardner the more polished passer in Petrino’s preferred passing attack.
Petrino commented this week that they’ve been working hard with the quarterbacks on the timing in the passing game and getting the ball out more quickly. He’s pleased with the receivers, and more so with the Cardinals’ defense.
Auburn’s defense was its Achilles heel again last season allowing 400 yards per game and it struggled to slow the run. New defensive coordinator Will Muschamp built some strong defenses at Florida, but eight rookies will see action in Saturday’s opener as Muschamp throws plenty of freshman into the fray. That includes the nation’s No. 1 recruit at defensive end, Byron Cowart.
Auburn is one of the most difficult teams to prepare for on offense, as its spread formation and running game is dominant and difficult for a defense to get lined up correctly and get their fits and angles. But Louisville has very strong linebackers and will slow the run some to put pressure on new quarterback Jeremy Johnson, who has the talent but now has to show he can perform in pressure situations.
Auburn is laying is laying too many points in this game against an under-valued Louisville team that can pull the upset.
Louisville 27, Auburn 24
BookMaker opened the spread for this game at -10.5 in favor of the Auburn Tigers. The NCAA lines total surfaced at 57. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The matchup between the Auburn Tigers and Louisville Cardinals will take place Saturday, September 5, 2015, at 3:30 p.m. ET at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA. The matchup will be televised live on CBS.
