NCAAF Betting: Auburn visits Mississippi State

Josh Bynes and the Tigers defense take on the Bulldogs on ESPN.

The 22nd-ranked Auburn Tigers open up SEC play on the road Thursday night at Mississippi State.  It will be a chance for the nation to see Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton since the college football betting game is on ESPN.

Newton was excellent in his first start last week as Auburn rolled over Arkansas State 52-26. He had 186 passing and threw for three touchdowns, plus rushed for 171 yards and two more touchdowns.  The Arkansas State head coach said Newton was the best player he had ever seen in person.

Auburn is a two-point favorite at SBG Global.

The Tigers are hoping to start the SEC part of their schedule with a win. They were just 3-5 in the SEC last football betting season.  That was the second straight season the Tigers had a losing conference record.  Auburn may be able to start with a win in conference play on Thursday since they have won eight of the last nine games against Mississippi State, including the last four on the road.

Last season the Tigers rolled 49-24 as they rushed for 390 yards. The Tigers have not been a good road team as they have lost seven of their last eight road contests overall.

Mississippi State was very impressive last week as the Bulldogs routed Memphis, 49-7.  The Bulldogs threw for 372 yards and five touchdowns. Chris Relf was the starter at quarterback but freshman Tyler Russell was the star as he went 13-of-16 for 256 yards and four touchdowns.

Here are the college football betting stats for Thursday’s game:

• The Tigers are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 conference games.
• The Tigers are 1-8 ATS in their last nine road games.
• The Tigers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight meetings against Mississippi State and the favorite is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings.
• The Bulldogs are 5-2 ATS in their last seven conference games. The Bulldogs are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.

Looking at the 'total,' the 'over' is 4-0-2 in the Tigers' last six games overall. The 'over' is 5-0 in Auburn's last five September games. The 'under' is 4-1-1 in the Tigers' last six road games and 16-7-2 in their last 25 conference games.

The 'over' is 4-1 in the Bulldogs' last five games overall. The 'under' is 4-1 in the last five meetings between the two teams.