Last week at Baylor, the Auburn Tigers scored an impressive win that could be an indicator that War Eagle is ready to step out in 2025. This week, Auburn steps down in class to face the MAC and Group of Six Ball State Cardinals. Ball State was blown out at Purdue in its College Football lines season opener. The Auburn Tigers consider the 2025 season a critical juncture in the Hugh Freeze era. Freeze has begun his third year as head coach of the Tigers. Initially, Auburn greeted Freeze as the savior of their fallen program.
Ball State Cardinals at Auburn Tigers NCAAF Betting Information
| Date and Time: | Saturday, September 6, 2025, 7:30 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL |
| TV Coverage: | ESPNU |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | +42½ ( -110 ) | 52 ( -110 ) | – |  |
| Auburn | -42½ ( -110 ) | 52 ( -110 ) | – | |
| ||||
Ball State Cardinals Team Overview
Last game, the Ball State Cardinals lost 31-0 against the Purdue Boilermakers as 17-point road underdogs. The game went under the offshore betting total of 48.5. Ryan Browne threw for 311 yards Saturday and accounted for three touchdowns as Purdue matched its win total from last year, blanking visiting Ball State.
Browne, one of a handful of returning players from last year’s 1-11 team that got Ryan Walters fired after two seasons on the job, spread his completions among seven different players. Hence, the Boilermakers played a clean game, committing only three penalties and avoiding turnovers in Barry Odom’s first game as their coach.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals couldn’t quite find traction offensively in their first game under new coach Mike Uremovich. They managed only 203 yards from scrimmage and allowed quarterback Kiael Kelly to absorb four sacks.
In sum, the mobile Kelly rushed 22 times for 63 yards while hitting on 10 of 16 passes for 87 yards. Ball State had two good drives in the second half but were stalled out, and kicker Carson Holmer missed field goal attempts from 45 and 29 yards away.
Auburn Tigers Team Overview
Last game, the Auburn Tigers won 38-24 against the Baylor Bears as 1-point road favorites. The game went over the total of 57. Quarterback Jackson Arnold rushed for a career-high 137 yards and scored two touchdowns in his Auburn debut to guide the Tigers to a victory.
Fellow transfer Rayshawn Pleasant returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the Tigers, who dominated the trenches and had a 307-64 edge in rushing yardage. Also, Damari Alston (84 yards) and Jeremiah Cobb (74 yards) rushed for touchdowns on 16 carries apiece for Auburn. Namely, Sawyer Robertson completed 27 of 48 passes for 419 yards and three touchdowns, and defensive star Keaton Thomas had 15 tackles for Baylor. Kole Wilson caught eight passes for 134 yards, while Michael Trigg (7 for 99), Kobe Prentice, and Caden Knighten each had scoring receptions for the Bears.
Arnold, a transfer from Oklahoma, completed 11 of 17 passes for 108 yards. He put the game away when he sped up the middle for a 27-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 to give the Tigers the 38-24 lead with 4:32 left in the game. Finally, Auburn took a 24-10 advantage when Cobb scored from the 2 with 5:40 left in the third quarter.
Ball State at Auburn SBG Free Picks
As mentioned earlier, Ball State is coming off a weak CFB odds performance. On the other hand, Auburn looks ready to make a run to the College Football Playoff.
Ball State at Auburn SBG Best Bet: Auburn Tigers.