Auburn, Baylor agree to move 2025 season opener to Friday, Aug. 29

Auburn and Baylor have agreed to move their 2025 season opener in Waco, Auburn Live’s Justin Hokanson reported. The game will now be played Friday, Aug. 29.

The two sides have been in talks for “awhile” about the move, Hokanson said. If Friday wasn’t available, Thursday, Aug. 28 was an option.

Ultimately, they chose to play on a Friday night, which could create extra TV exposure. That will also allow both teams an extra day to recover for their Week 2 games.

Auburn football's opener at Baylor is being moved to Friday, Aug. 29. Confirmed. This has been in the works for awhile. The second choice was going to be Thursday. All parties involved like the exposure and the additional day before the next week.

🔗 https://t.co/ufMvlDD5Dc pic.twitter.com/XoKDFQ7AnZ

— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) March 7, 2025

Auburn vs. Baylor is set to be the only matchup between Power Conference teams on Friday of Week 1. Kansas is the only other power program to play that night as the Jayhawks take on Wagner. TV designations have not yet been announced.

Auburn is entering Year 3 of the Hugh Freeze era and is looking to bounce back from an up-and-down 2024 season. The Tigers went 5-7 to miss out on a bowl game, but made strides on the recruiting trail this offseason to try and turn things around.

At the high school level, Auburn brought in the No. 8-ranked recruiting class in the country, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. The headliner of the group is five-star quarterback Deuce Knight – the No. 25 overall player and No. 5-ranked QB from the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The Tigers were also active in the transfer portal, securing the No. 9 overall class, according to the On3 Industry Team Transfer Portal Rankings. Former Georgia Tech wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. is the most notable addition, checking in at No. 3 in the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings. Former Virginia Tech offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin also came in at No. 12.

As for whether Freeze is the coach who can turn Auburn around, SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum thinks so. He told On3’s Pete Nakos the confidence Freeze showed through the rough start to his tenure could translate to the fan base as he continues building.

“Yes, I do [think he can turn around Auburn],” Finebaum said. “And I think he has been able to survive two absolutely miserable, I would say, inept years by looking confident compared to his predecessor, and by getting people to buy in and to underwrite the program in a way that has not happened in a very long time.”