The Auburn Tigers could turn Dave Aranda's seat temperature all the way up during Week 1 of the College Football season when Aranda's Baylor Bears travel to Atlanta for the return game of last year's 38-24 AU win in Waco, Texas.
As ESPN's Adam Rittenberg notes, Aranda's seat is among "the hottest of the hot," and noted that his potential last stand starts at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Alex Golesh and Co.'s debut with AU.
The picture Rittenberg paints on Baylor's defense, and Aranda's position trying to impress a new athletic director, is bleak.
"Baylor didn't get through 2025 without a major change, but it came at athletic director, as Mack Rhoades resigned after more than nine years in charge. Aranda, who is 22-28 since leading Baylor to a Big 12 championship in 2021, might not have retained his job had Rhoades remained in charge of the athletic department. He now must win over new AD Doug McNamee and reestablish the Bears as a Big 12 contender. Baylor's defense has slipped the past two seasons, ranking 105th in points allowed (29.5) during the span. The team will try to extract consistency from quarterback transfer DJ Lagway and navigate a schedule that begins with Auburn in Atlanta," Rittenberg wrote.
Auburn is heavily favored to beat Baylor in Week 1
Notably, the Tigers are a pretty sizable favorite against the Bears, with the odds opening at -7.5 for Auburn. Baylor's weak defense is in new hands with Joe Klanderman, but Byrum Brown's transfer to the Tigers, along with several of his receiving threats from the USF Bulls, makes Auburn an immediate threat.
On the other side of the matchup, Florida Gators transfer DJ Lagway leads the Bulls against a Tigers defense that's still led by DJ Durkin, but is down many impact players to the NFL and the transfer portal.
There's a lot of unknowns, but what is known is that Golesh is a more proven entity than Aranda in recent years. That seems to have sportsbooks believing in a decisive Auburn win, and Baylor preparing for massive changes quickly in the coming campaign.