ESPN's College GameDay crew gives their picks for Cal-Auburn
ESPN’s College GameDay crew likes Cal on Saturday.
Auburn has yet to win a game in the state of California. The Tigers are 0-3 all-time when they come west, with losses against Santa Clara (1936), USC (2002), and Florida State in the 2014 BCS championship game. The GameDay crew was split on who emerges with a win in this Week 2 matchup.
Here’s how the crew picked:
- Desmond Howard: Auburn
- Pat McAfee: Cal
- Joe Namath (guest picker): Cal
- Lee Corso: Cal
- Kirk Herbstreit: Auburn
Auburn is a one-score betting favorite in Vegas, but ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) actually likes Cal as the favorite in this game and gives the Golden Bears a 55.4% chance of winning.
Despite losing its starting quarterback in the first half of last week’s opener, the Cal offense ripped through North Texas in a 58-21 win. Led by Jaydn Ott’s 188-yard, two-touchdown performance, Cal’s offense put up 669 total yards in the win.
Week 2 provides a stiffer test with Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers (1-0) coming to town. Auburn beat UMass 59-14 in its opener, with starting quarterback Payton Thorne throwing for 141 yards and a score while backup Robby Ashford ran for three scores.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.