Golden Bears Head Down South to Challenge Auburn

Cal Golden Bears | Auburn Tigers — © Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

At 3:30 p.m. EST on Sept. 7, the Cal Golden Bears (1-0) meet the Auburn Tigers (1-0) at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. In Week 1, both teams prevailed against FCS opponents.

Cal looks to bring the Atlantic Coast Conference even with the Southeastern Conference in head-to-head matchups between teams of the two conferences, which the SEC leads by a 2-1 count after Week 1, in which Georgia (SEC) defeated Clemson (ACC), Vanderbilt (SEC) beat Virginia Tech (ACC) and Miami (ACC) whipped Florida (SEC).

Cal and Auburn have played only once previously, last year, when the Tigers defeated the Golden Bears 14-10 in a hard-fought defensive battle in Berkeley, Calif.

The Gravity of the Matchup

Cal is embarking on its inaugural season in the ACC, and Auburn is a longstanding SEC stalwart. Both teams look to commence conference play with momentum. After this clash with Auburn, Cal will face one more nonconference opponent before launching into ACC play with tough games against Florida State and No. 12 Miami. The Tigers likewise will face one more nonconference opponent before heading into an SEC schedule featuring the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (1-0), the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) and the No. 9 Missouri Tigers. Before delving into these daunting dockets, the Golden Bears and Tigers both seek to pad their win totals.

Auburn Key Players

Head coach Hugh Freeze's Tigers were efficient in Week 1, racking up 628 yards on offense, led by quarterback Payton Thorne, who threw for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also rushed for 49 yards and another touchdown. Those explosive numbers came against an overmatched FCS foe, Alabama A&M (0-1). Against the Golden Bears, Auburn will likely lean more heavily on its rushing attack, spearheaded by star running back Jarquez Hunter. In the offseason, Hunter was named to the prestigious Walker Award and Maxwell Award Watch Lists.

Golden Bears Key Players

Hunter's counterpart is Jadyn Ott, the standout Golden Bears RB who has been drawing comparisons to legendary Cal RB Marshawn Lynch. Justin Wilcox, who played defensive back for the Oregon Ducks in the late 1990s, has been Cal's coach since 2017. In his seven seasons at Berkeley, his record is 36-43. He is a highly respected coach and figures to rely heavily on Ott and his team's sturdy offensive line in this matchup against Auburn. Furthermore, Cal QB Fernando Mendoza has shown the ability to give the Golden Bears' offense a balanced attack.

Per the Action Network, Auburn is favored by 13.5 points, and the over/under is 53.5 points