AL.com’s experts predict Auburn vs Vanderbilt

By Jerry Humphrey III | jhumphreyiii@al.comPeter Rauterkus | prauterkus@al.comAuburn football (2-1,0-1)is set to host Vanderbilt (3-0) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on the SEC Network. With the new season comes a new series on AL.com where each week, our Auburn beat writers will predict the result of the upcoming game.Be sure to join in on the fun and make your predictions down below in our comment section:Jerry Humphrey IIITracker: 3-0Score: Auburn 31, Vanderbilt 21Analysis: Auburn coach Alex Golesh may downplay this as a must-win game, but a loss to the Commodores on Saturday will lead to long-term issues for the football program. This will be the Tigers’ last home game until the end of October when they host LSU, a game they will most likely lose given the current state of the college football landscape.If Auburn can’t take advantage of a Diego Pavia-less Vanderbilt team, Alex Golesh will be in for a rude awakening from fans all across the Plains. So, for Auburn this is a must-win, and they must do it convincingly. Peter RauterkusTracker: 3-0Score: Auburn 31, Vanderbilt 24Analysis: This feels like a must-win game for Auburn. It falls in between a tough SEC-opening loss to Florida and a brutal October that includes road trips to Tennessee, Georgia and Ole Miss.Vanderbilt is 3-0, but that may deserve an asterisk after how North Carolina State handed the Commodores a last-second win last Saturday. Regardless, Vanderbilt is talented, but probably not as talented as Florida. Auburn is the favorite for a reason, and I think this week is the offense’s chance to really break through. The defense has to improve too, and is facing the very talented, but very inexperienced true freshman Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis. Will Curtis’ talent shine through and hand out another punishment to the Tigers’ defense, or will his inexperience lead to more mistakes against a unit playing with something to prove?This game won’t be easy for Auburn, and I imagine it will be close for most of the afternoon. I’m picking Byrum Brown and the offense to pull through, though, getting a much-needed win before the calendar flips.Jerry Humphrey III is an Auburn Sports Beat Writer for AL.com since Oct. 2024, covering football, basketball and all things Auburn sports. Prior to joining the sports staff at AL.com, Jerry spent time at...