Kickoff: Saturday, 9:00 p.m. ET
Line: Clemson -7, Total: N/A

A pair of college football powerhouses, Auburn and #2 Clemson, meet in the opening week of the season.

Clemson came ever so close to capturing a nation title, falling five points short against Alabama in the championship game. A 14-game winning streak to start the season (including victories over Notre Dame, Florida State, North Carolina in the ACC Championship and Oklahoma in the national semifinals) was brilliant, but the Tigers want more in 2016 and have the talent to get back to the Playoffs. QB Deshaun Watson (4,109 passing yards, 35 passing TD, 1,105 rushing yards, 12 rushing TD) has a nearly unstoppable combination of athleticism and arm strength. Top performers are back at RB (Wayne Gallman), WR (Artavis Scott) and TE (Jordan Leggett), and former 1,000-yards WR Mike Williams returns from a redshirt season. The defense risks taking a step back after a marvelous 2015, needing to replace elite pass rushers Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd, who were picked in the 19th and 33rd overall, respectively, in the NFL draft. The Tigers also have to replace two starting LBs and three-fourths of their secondary. Auburn entered 2015 with a No. 6 ranking, but fell out of the top-25 for good by Week 3. An opening night win over Louisville in Atlanta was a strong start, but in Week 2, Auburn needed a comeback and overtime to defeat 39-point underdogs Jacksonville State (who did ultimately make the FCS championship game). The Tigers scuffled to a 2-6 conference record, but pounded Memphis 31-10 as three-point favorites in the Birmingham Bowl. The offense is greatly depleted, putting head coach Gus Malzahn’s offensive bona fides on the line. The QB situation is uncertain, there’s been a mass exodus at RB and there are no proven receiving options. Auburn might have to lean on their defense, which should be solid on the back end and has intriguing depth on the line. Clemson and Auburn’s most recent meetings were in 2010, ’11 and ’12, with Clemson going 3-0 ATS (2-1 SU). Clemson is 1-7 ATS (3-5 SU) as a road favorite of seven points or less under Swinney, but 5-1 ATS & SU in September games since 2013. Auburn is 1-6 ATS (5-2 SU) in the past two Septembers, and 2-8 ATS (9-1 SU) in non-conference games the past two seasons.

Clemson’s offense averaged 38.5 points last season (16th in the nation), and could be even better this year. Heisman hopeful QB Deshaun Watson became the first ever FBS player to pass for 4,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in the same season. Bruising RB Wayne Gallman (1,740 yards from scrimmage, 14 TD) put his NFL dreams on hold to pursue a national title. Top receiver WR Artavis Scott (93 receptions, 901 yards, 7 total TD) and skilled TE Jordan Leggett (40/525/8) are both back, and the receiving group gets a huge boost from WR Mike Williams, who redshirted with a neck injury after a 1,030-yard, six-touchdown 2014 season. Clemson’s defense featured nine new starters in 2015 and held opponents to 313 yards per game (10th in the nation), and lost an abundance of talent for the second-straight year. Departed DEs Kevin Dodd and Shaq Lawson combined for 24.5 sacks and 49 TFL last year, and there are no proven commodities to replace them on the edge. DTs Carlos Watkins (7.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks) and Christian Wilkins (4.5 TFL, 2 sacks) make the Tigers strong up the middle, and LB Ben Boulware (8 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 7 pass breakups) is a playmaker against the run and the pass. Aside from CB Cordrea Tankersley (5 INT, 9 pass breakups), the secondary lacks experience.

After averaging 174 passing yards per game (111th in the nation) and 27.5 points per game (75th), Auburn needs improved quarterback play. QBs Jeremy Johnson (1,053 passing yards, 10 passing TD, 7 INT, 6 rushing TD) and Sean White (1,167 passing yards, 1 TD, 4 INT) may take a backseat to tremendously athletic junior college transfer QB John Franklin III. The loss of WR Ricardo Louis, the only Auburn player with more than 300 receiving yards last season, leaves the receiving corps extremely thin. The backfield is similarly emaciated after RB Peyton Barber (1,016 rushing yards, 13 TD) left early for the pros, RB Jovon Robinson (639/3) was dismissed from the team after a series of off-the-field incidents and former five-star recruit RB Roc Thomas transferred to Jacksonville State. Both starting offensive tackles from last season are also gone. RB Kerryon Johnson, a threat as a runner and receiver, bulked up this offseason in hopes of being the Tigers’ bellcow, and FB Chandler Cox impressed in the spring during his transition to halfback. Auburn’s defense may be better than their offense for the first time in Gus Malzahn’s four-year tenure as head coach. For a unit that allowed 26.0 points per game (54th in the nation), five starters return with reinforcing talent in the freshman class. DLs Carl Lawson, Montravius Adams and Dontavius Russell return to their starting roles. LB T.J. Neal (44 solo tackles, 15 TFL), a graduate transfer from Illinois, is slated to start in the middle of a linebacking brigade that lost all of its starters. The secondary held opponents to 6.3 yards per pass attempt (24th in the nation) and returns leading tackler S Rudy Ford and standout CB Carlton Davis (3 INT, 8 pass breakups).