The Auburn Tigers are facing their first ranked opponent on Saturday.
The Tigers will host the Penn State Nittany Lions at Jordan-Hare stadium, and quarterback T.J. Finley will have a chance to battle against veteran quarterback Sean Clifford.
Auburn earned two wins against Mercer and San Jose State, but a win against the No. 23 Penn State will finally give the Tigers some attention.
Our experts took a deeper analysis into the matchup and gave their predictions. Take a look.
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Bennett Durando, Auburn beat reporter
Penn State 31, Auburn 27: Another close game, another Penn State victory. Auburn hasn’t proven that it has the juice at key skill positions.
Blake Toppmeyer, SEC columnist
Penn State 24, Auburn 17: Penn State boasts a veteran quarterback in Sean Clifford who already possesses one win against Auburn, and its run defense has been sturdy. Auburn must find a way to get Tank Bigsby rolling or generate some more consistency through the air. Also, AU’s pass rush could prove menacing against an offensive line that surrendered a lot of pressure against Ohio. But Penn State proved its bona fides in a road win against Purdue, while Auburn looked ordinary against San Jose State.
Tommy Deas, sports editor
Penn State 27, Auburn 17: Orange jerseys? Who knows, but a gimmick won’t win this game. Auburn will gain from playing at home but not enough. Prone to turnovers and susceptible to the passing game in the middle of the field, where Penn State excels, the Tigers will be asking themselves (again) why they didn’t put the game in Tank Bigsby’s hands.
John Adams, senior sports columnist
Penn State 27, Auburn 23: If the Tigers knock off the Nittany Lions, will most Auburn fans suddenly believe they hired the right coach in Bryan Harsin?
Answer: No.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn Tigers football final score predictions vs Penn State
