For the greater part of a year, Auburn players, coaches and fans alike have been waiting to hear four simple words — words that have not been uttered since a gut-wrenching loss in Tuscaloosa closed the 2024 season. After 272 long days full of practice, predictions and hope, the anticipation will finally end Friday night under the lights in Waco, Texas. Auburn football is back.
No matter the season or opponent, the first game after the offseason is always highly built up, but this week’s contest seems as if the implications are much higher. 2025 is an important year for both Auburn’s outlook as a program and Hugh Freeze’s job security. Freeze has assembled top-10 recruiting classes for the previous two seasons, but his team’s performances on the field have not always lived up to expectations.
Despite having numerous opportunities to compete for a bowl game last season, Auburn went 5-7 while winning just two of eight conference contests. While the Tigers did reach a postseason game in 2023, Freeze’s first season in Auburn, the head coach knows this year’s team can be something special and will aim to return Auburn to its winning ways.
"I've been around enough to know when you have enough talent to win games,” Freeze said referring to his team's makeup. “We do and we're not going to run from that, we're excited about it and now we've got to go prove that."
The Tigers’ 2025 campaign will begin Friday night on the road against the Baylor Bears, marking the first time they have started the season away since 2019. Both opponents have performed extremely well in opening contests, as Baylor has won six of their last seven clashes, while Auburn has exited victorious in their last eight matchups to kick off the season.
This week’s matchup will mark the fourth meeting between Baylor and Auburn, but it will be the first time these two teams have faced each other since 1976. The Tigers head into Friday with a 1-2-1 record against the Bears and a 0-0-1 record in Waco.
Although the opener is a crucial one for Auburn, Baylor also needs a strong start to the season to attempt a double-digit win season for the first time since 2021. Since their dominating run four years ago, the Bears have left fans in dismay, going 17-21 over the last three seasons.
Despite their recent mediocrity, Baylor head coach Dave Aranda’s team showed much promise in 2024, winning their final six regular-season games to earn a bowl bid. While bringing this momentum into 2025, the Bears also return eight starters on an offense that was ranked in the top 20 last year.
Auburn is also expected to showcase an impressive offense this year behind a wide receiver room full of stardom, including SEC All-Freshman Cam Coleman and Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton Jr., who were both named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list. The plethora of talented quarterbacks that Auburn may utilize throughout the season is also not something to be overlooked. Hugh Freeze announced that Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold will get the start this week on the road, but fans could see true freshman Deuce Knight gain increased playing time as he continues to develop.
All questions and concerns are set to be answered Friday night, as kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CST at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas. Auburn is currently favored by 2.5 points according to Vegas, but this nonconference matchup could go either way to start the season. The game will be televised on FOX, with former Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III serving as color commentator alongside Jason Benetti.
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Will is a sophomore majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @willdembo
