Simulation Picks
Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
Understanding Public and Money
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Expert Picks
It's difficult to pick against an SEC team in a nonconference Week 1 matchup, but that's what I'm going to do here. Washington is simply the better team getting free points. Auburn deserves some love after a 10-win season, but even though this is just hours from campus, it has gone 0-2 in its last two games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Plus, the Huskies (and the Pac-12) badly need this one.
This is one of the opening weekend's biggest matchups, but I don't agree with the line. Yes, Auburn won the SEC West last season, but it has one of the least-experienced offensive lines in the country and it's facing a veteran, and talented Washington defense. Give me a Chris Petersen team as an underdog any time.
I believe in Chris Petersen's defense, and especially in Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin. While Auburn will have a sizable crowd edge in Atlanta, the Tigers have a terrible history when opening against ranked teams. They're 1-7 straight-up in this spot, the lone win coming 61 years ago. Take the points but don't be surprised by the outright upset, with Washington's elite O-line the deciding factor.