It's all hands on deck preparing for Baylor Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Hugh Freeze, Auburn Talk High Stakes of Baylor Season Opener

Originally posted on Auburn Tigers on SI | By Dre Gaines | Last updated Jul 15, 2025 9:55 PM ET

ATLANTA, Ga.- The Auburn Tigers are opening this season treading on different territory than the previous two seasons, going on the road week one against Baylor on Aug. 29 to open the new campaign. But does that change what the Tigers will do during fall camp compared to previous seasons?

During SEC media days, Keldrick Faulk, Hugh Freeze and Connor Lew all put in their input on how this preparation will be different compared to the openers the previous two seasons against Alabama A&M in 2024 and UMass in 2023.

It is important to note that Baylor is neither one of those teams, having a record of 8-5 overall last season and a 6-3 record in the Big 12 conference. Not to mention, this will be Auburn's first non-Saturday game since 2015, when the Tigers faced the Kentucky Wildcats.

Center Connor Lew was asked if the preparation for this matchup will be any different than the previous two season openers. In his mind, it should be no different.

”I’m not sure that it changes the preparation, but opening up with a game like that, the opportunity to get a head start and get some momentum going into the season, that’s gonna be really big for us.”

Keldrick Faulk said they can’t take the preparation lightly, knowing that they have stiff competition to open the season.

“Baylor is, they’re not a pushover team. We are coming in, we’re coming up a week of fall camp, just with a focused mindset. We’re surely not going to keep them in our main focus when we first start off. But we’re definitely going to prepare like we are playing them that following week.”

Hugh Freeze feels the matchup to open the season has upped the stakes in fall camp.

“There’s no question that our focus throughout fall camp should be heightened. This is not a game that you can sleepwalk into and expect to win.”

Freeze knows that this game is not a pushover game like the previous two season openers were; the Baylor Bears are going to come out looking to win on their home field under Friday night lights. The Baylor game could either heighten the Tigers’ confidence or make the Tigers have to go back to the drawing board for the rest of the season.