The ninth-ranked Auburn football team has a lot at stake Saturday when it meets No. 6 Washington in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic in Atlanta.
A lot of people are touting the Week 1 top-10 showdown as a battle between the SEC and Pac-12. Some are saying the winner immediately gets a leg up in the battle for College Football Playoff position. There’s no consensus on which team will leave Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a win.
The reality is this: It’s a very big game and a victory will be huge for either team. But there’s still a lot of college football to be played after Sept. 1 for the winner and loser.
So sit back and enjoy this great Week 1 game that the college football gods have provided: Auburn vs. Washington.
While there are some other good games this weekend, like Notre Dame-Michigan, LSU-Miami and FSU-Virginia Tech, none size up to this one. Washington brings a loaded lineup to Atlanta with what many consider the nation’s best secondary, a four-year starter at quarterback in Jake Browning and a running back in Myles Gaskin, who has at least 1,300 rushing yards in his first three seasons in Seattle.
On the other side, Auburn has one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Jarrett Stidham, one of the nation’s best defensive fronts, a talented group of receivers and a lot of young talent ready for an opportunity.
We have compiled things you should know about Auburn football and how it relates to the game Saturday against the Huskies: