The Auburn Tigers’ defense was able to perform no small feat when it corralled Clemson’s high-powered offense last week. Unfortunately, Auburn’s offense couldn’t do enough and the Tigers fell to Clemson, 19-13.
Auburn just missed out on what could have been a big-time upset, and will now aim to take care of business in Week 2 against the Arkansas State Red Wolves. The Tigers are big-time home favorites in this matchup.
This matchup in Week 1 of the regular season will take place on Sunday, September 10, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arkansas State +19
Auburn -19
Over/Under 54.5
Odds Analysis
Auburn is a large favorite and will need to get off to a quick start in order to clear the 19-point spread. The current gamblers are riding them, as 89 percent of the wagers have come in for the Tigers to cover.
Often teams with large followings will pick their teams no matter what, which could skew the percentages. It can often pay off to bet on the other side, as the oddsmakers can push up the point spreads knowing the fans will still choose their side to cover.
With that in mind, Arkansas State could be the right pick in this matchup.
Position to Watch
Auburn had three different quarterbacks take snaps under center during the game and it will be interesting to see how they handle it against Arkansas State. Since the Tigers are heavy favorites, it would not be a surprise to see more of the same as the team tries to figure out the best signal-caller for the job moving forward.
Sean White started against Clemson but didn’t have a ton of success, finishing the game 10-of-21 for 140 yards with an interception. Jeremy Johnson threw six passes, completing four of them for 38 yards with a pick. John Franklin III also got in the game under center and was 1-of-1 but the pass went for negative-three yards.
White seems to have the upper hand at this point but Johnson and Franklin hope to still be in the mix and make their case.
Look-Ahead Situation
There seems to be little scenario that Auburn loses this game, as Arkansas State is coming off a 31-10 loss to Toledo and doesn’t have the firepower to compete. However, the Red Wolves could certainly keep it close enough to cover the spread if things go well.
Auburn may not be totally on its game because of what’s coming next. While this is pretty close to an automatic win, next week is a matchup against Texas A&m and that’s followed up with a contest against LSU. The Tigers naturally could be looking ahead, which could cause hiccups in this contest.
Free ATS Pick
Auburn’s defense showed it was in midseason form against Clemson, but the offense has to start clicking with some key games coming up. Running back Kerryon Johnson was one of the standouts of the opener, rushing 23 times for 94 yards and a touchdown, and will aim to follow that up with an impressive showing in this one.
If Arkansas State can keep it close, it will likely be behind Warren Wand. He ran for 707 yards with five touchdowns last season, averaging 6.0 yards per carry. Wand had a nice debut, carrying the ball 12 times for 77 yards in the season-opening loss.
The Red Wolves didn’t have much success through the air last week, and considering Auburn was able to slow down Watson, a possible Heisman Trophy candidate, it should do well again in this one.
The Tigers will win this one with ease but expect Arkansas State to secure a back-door cover with a late score.
College Football Odds: Auburn 34, Arkansas State 17
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