After enjoying byes last week, the Auburn Tigers and Kansas State Wildcats will be well-rested and well-prepared ahead of their much-anticipated catfight on Thursday.
Auburn will have its championship credentials tested on the road against a dangerous ranked opponent in K-State. Can Nick Marshall and the Tigers pass (and run) with flying colors?
The team that beat Auburn to the title last season, Florida State, also has a potentially tricky test in Clemson on Saturday. Check out our preview of that ACC Atlantic battle here, and read on to see who comes out on top in this battle of two Top 25-ranked teams.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Auburn Tigers vs. Kansas State Wildcats Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, Manhattan
When: Thursday, September 18, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Auburn Tigers (-9) at Kansas State Wildcats (+9) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Auburn Tigers
It’s been two games and two convincing wins for Auburn so far this season, exactly what was expected from a team with national championship aspirations. The Tigers took care of Arkansas, 45-21, with regular starting quarterback Nick Marshall sitting out the first half for disciplinary reasons. Then, Marshall returned to the lineup to lead the Tigers’ 59-13 mauling of San Jose State.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]But honestly, Auburn could have put a regular Joe off the street under center and still would’ve won both games because its prolific running game is just that good. After leading the nation last season in rushing, the Tigers are right back at it with 660 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground through two games.
Senior Cameron Artis-Payne has stepped in seamlessly in place of Tre Mason as the featured back and is banging out about seven yards per carry. And as he showed last season, Marshall is as deadly (sometimes even deadlier) with his legs as he is with his arm. He ran for 103 yards on just 11 carries with a touchdown against San Jose State.
Just about everyone expects the Tigers to run it down K-State’s throat on just about every down, and why wouldn’t they? But if the Wildcats overcommit to the run, Auburn now has a legitimate deep threat in transfer D’haquille Williams to make the Wildcats’ secondary pay. Williams already has 13 catches for 214 yards and a touchdown in his first two games.
On the other side of the ball, just about everyone expects K-State to target their top receiver Tyler Lockett. If Auburn can successfully take Lockett out of the game with extra coverage, the Wildcats’ offense suddenly looks a lot less threatening.
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Betting on the Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State almost suffered a huge slip-up away to conference opponents Iowa State earlier this month, but it managed to rally in the fourth quarter for a close 32-28 win, not nearly enough to cover the 12.5-point spread as favorites. The Wildcats also failed to cover the 42-point spread as favorites in Week 1, making them 0-2 ATS, while the total has gone over on both games.
The Wildcats will now take on the role of home underdogs against last year’s beaten national championship finalists Auburn, and they could have the weapons needed to pull off the upset.
It starts with quarterback Jake Waters, who did just about everything in his power to deliver a win against the Cyclones. Waters didn’t throw the ball particularly well (16-for-29 for 239 yards and no touchdowns) but he did his damage on the ground with 138 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. He now has four rushing TDs in his first two games.
Despite Waters’ bad throwing night, he still connected with star receiver Tyler Lockett six times for 136 yards. Lockett is one of the best receivers in the country and will be a threat to make some big plays against a shaky Auburn secondary that finished second to last in the SEC in passing yards allowed in 2013.
While Waters and Lockett have the ability to punish Auburn’s defense, K-State’s D-line has the potential to at least slow down the Tigers’ prolific offense. Ryan Mueller and Travis Britz are legitimate playmakers across that line, while transfers D’Vonta Derricott and Terrell Clinkscales should help solidify the front seven against Auburn’s running attack.
Writer’s Prediction
Auburn’s running game proves too tough for K-State to stop, while its defense limits the Wildcats’ main offensive weapons, Waters and Lockett. Take Auburn (-9) to win and cover on the road.
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