Auburn vs Cal will be among the last Pac-12 After Dark games for the conference as we know it, with conference realignment moving the latter team into the ACC in 2024 and the former introducing Texas and Oklahoma to the conference.
Both teams took the win in Week 1, with Cal going on the road and stomping North Texas 58-21 in the DFW and Auburn doing some home-cooking at Jordan-Hare Stadium with a 59-14 domination of UMass.
It was an impressive week for the two Power Five foes from different coasts, who’ll now do battle in a different-strokes-for-different-folks kind of culture clash in Week 2; one fit for a true college football Sicko.
What will happen when these two teams battle in Berkeley?
Auburn vs Cal Odds, Spread and Total
Auburn is a -6.5-point favorite at California Memorial Stadium and is a -250 moneyline favorite; with the Cal moneyline sitting at +200. The over/under total for the matchup has been placed at 54 points. All lines are courtesy of BetMGM and are subject to change.
Auburn vs Cal How to Watch
Date: September 9, 2023
Game Time: 9:30 Central Time
Venue: California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California
How to Watch: ESPN, which is available on FuboTV.
Auburn Record: 1-0
Cal record: 1-0
Auburn vs Cal Key Players to Watch
Auburn
Robby Ashford: Three rushing touchdowns for Redzone Robby against UMass has put the Hoover product on the map despite entering the season as Payton Thorne’s backup. Ashford is now the team’s closer when getting in striking distance of a tuddy.
Does that make Ashford someone to watch if Thorne struggles? Fan support has never been at anything but a fever pitch for the Birmingham-born dual-threat.
Keldric Faulk: The 2023 DL out of Highland Home wasted no time getting busy in his Auburn debut, amassing two tackles and consistently pressuring the quarterback, getting a good push in the trenches.
Faulk has his brother Jakaleb joining him in 2025, but before the younger Faulk gets to the Plains, it’ll be curious to see if this is an in-state legacy to look out for.
Cal
Jaydn Ott: “There’s a lot of focus on the name Auburn,” Jadyn Ott said at a September 6 press conference before continuing with the following, “But what I see on film is not really in comparison to what their name is. I just want to get that into my guys’ heads that a name doesn’t mean anything.”
Enough said. Ott put a target on his back and now has to back up his tall talk.
Jackson Sirmon: A first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2022, Jackson Sirmon is now a captain for Cal on the defensive end. Sirmon led the Golden Bears with six tackles during Cal’s Week 1 opener against North Texas.
An active LB, Sirmon will be a problem in the flat, somewhere Thorne did a lot of his damage.
Auburn vs Cal Prediction and Pick
Cal defends well against the run but should be vulnerable in the passing game if Thorne is able to air things out. With Ashford being such a redzone threat, Thorne may be motivated to air it out to prove himself.
If he strikes at least twice in that way, AU figures to put up a handful of touchdowns. Ott challenged the Tigers, but especially Ron Roberts’ defense, and this writer believes Auburn will respond with a cover.