Overview
- Auburn opens Golesh’s tenure Saturday in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes‑Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
- Byrum Brown, who followed Golesh from South Florida, is the Tigers’ starting quarterback and will lead an offense built around the run.
- Baylor counters with Florida transfer DJ Lagway at quarterback and a new defensive coordinator tasked with improving a defense that struggled in 2025.
- Betting markets and multiple media outlets favor Auburn by roughly a touchdown, and many local analysts predict an Auburn win.
- Both programs enter 2026 after 5-7 seasons in 2025, making this opener a key early test of Golesh’s roster overhaul and Baylor’s response under Dave Aranda.