Auburn Football: Picking Every 2012 Game on the Board Against the Spread

Auburn begins the 2012 season with a lot to gain and little to lose in the eyes of the sports betting world. Sports’ betting is just as important to the sports world as Gatorade at this point. That being said, there is no better time than now to pick against the spread for every game on the board for the Tigers.

The Golden Nugget has released its game-of-the-year lines for the 2012 college football season. Auburn lands six of its games on the 111-game list, with the Golden Nugget favoring the Tigers in one of the six picks. The remaining lines come from beyondthebets.com.

The Tigers are picked as the favorite in six of the twelve games on the 2012 schedule. Here are the early picks for the Tigers against the spread for the 2012 season. 

Auburn (+2)* vs. Clemson

This game is being played at the neutral Georgia Dome as the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic. Auburn expects its fans to travel well with Auburn only a short hour-and-a-half drive from Atlanta.

The Tigers were beaten handily by the Clemson Tigers a year ago after holding a lead early in the contest. The Clemson Tigers exploded with talented skill athletes on the outside perimeter, shredding the Tigers' defense for big plays and yards. 

Auburn and Clemson are both loaded with skill and talent, and each team will utilize that talent to create points. The question in this game is the line play. Both teams have young players that will man the trenches. That is where this game will be won and lost. 

The Clemson Tigers are currently the two-point favorite, but Auburn is my pick to win the game outright. Assuming that Auburn does win the game, they will likely do it by more than three. 

Take Auburn in this game. 

Pick: Auburn

*Golden Nugget Line

Auburn (+1.5) at Mississippi State

Auburn travels to Mississippi State in the second game of the season. The Tigers won a tough battle against the Bulldogs a season ago that ended in a goal-line stand. 

Mississippi State has a good corps returning on defense and offense, but so do the Tigers. The overall talent at Auburn is better than at State, and the Tigers appear to have a stronger defensive front heading into the 2012 season.

Despite the questions that the Tigers carry at the quarterback position, expect an Auburn win in the game. The Tigers will also beat the spread, as a victory of around seven is the likely outcome. 

For the second week in a row, take the Tigers. 

Pick: Auburn

Auburn (-26) vs. Louisiana Monroe

The Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks find their way to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the third game of the season. By this point, the Tigers should have solidified the starting lineups and will be looking to gain valuable experience for backups in this game. 

The Tigers will also be a week away from facing one of the toughest games of the season when Auburn hosts LSU.

If the Tigers can help it, the starters will be rested early in this contest. It will be an Auburn win and the contest shouldn’t be close, but a 26-point line may be a bit much. 

Again, the Tigers will win convincingly, but by the third game the Tigers' offense may still be struggling when the reserves hit the field. 

Go with the Warhawks. 

Pick: Louisiana-Monroe

Auburn ( +10.5)* vs. LSU

This will be one of the first major tests on the Tigers' lineup this coming fall.

LSU will come to Auburn, and that is where the majority of the blessings end for the Tigers. Auburn will have a large uphill climb ahead of them. 

The Tigers return a lot of starters from last year’s team, but LSU does come to Auburn. Visiting the Tigers is huge for Auburn, but the LSU team will not be so easily occupied. Auburn will struggle in this game. 

LSU has more experienced talent on roster than anyone in the country this fall. Look for this game to be close, but Auburn falls. Even though Auburn likely loses this game, losing by 11 points at home is a tough feet for LSU to pull off. This game will be closer.

Take the points and the Auburn Tigers. 

Pick: Auburn

* Golden Nugget Line

Auburn (+4.5)* vs. Arkansas

Arkansas travels to Auburn this fall and is the early favorite to win the game. The Tigers are expected to struggle in some areas on the field, but the quarterback play is the biggest question heading into this game.

Arkansas has leadership on offense, and despite the loss of Bobby Petrino this offseason, the Arkansas offense still looks to be extremely potent. 

Having Arkansas as a five-point favorite on the road seems to be a bit of a stretch. They are the early favorite to win the game, but this is a tough early line for the Razorbacks to match. 

Auburn is my pick for the outright winner—take the Tigers. 

Pick: Auburn

*Golden Nugget Line

Auburn (-7) at Ole Miss

Auburn travels to Ole Miss in mid-October to begin a two-game road stretch, the longest of the season for the Tigers. Ole Miss is a few years away from being a potent SEC contender, and the Tigers want to be the dark horse this season from the West. 

Beating Ole Miss on the road is a great way for the Tigers to solidify that they are a part of the championship discussion. 

The Tigers should be settled on both sides of the ball by this game, and leadership should be emerging comfortably from the quarterback position. This is a road game for the Tigers, but seven points is a good line. The Tigers have handled Ole Miss very easily the past few seasons—don’t expect that to change this season.

Go with the Tigers. 

Pick: Auburn

Auburn (-4) at Vanderbilt

James Franklin has built a very good team in Nashville over the past two seasons. The Commodores welcome the Tigers to Tennessee this fall as this will be the second of two consecutive road trips for the Tigers. 

Auburn will be coming off of a winning trip to Ole Miss, but just because the Tigers will feel confident after the win doesn’t mean the Commodores will lay down for the loss. Franklin has put some fight back into Vanderbilt football. 

This game will likely play tight early, but Auburn will take the game over in the second half. Vanderbilt will keep it close and force the Tigers to win with special teams. Auburn wins by a field goal, and the Commodores cover the spread. 

Pick: Vanderbilt

Auburn (3.5)* vs. Texas A&M

The Aggies will make a tough road trip to the Plains this fall to finish the month of October. The Aggies will get a warm welcome into the SEC this season with this game being a part of the welcoming celebration. 

New coach Kevin Sumlin will have gotten his team through the tough transition pains of new coaching by this point, and the Aggies should be hitting on all cylinders. This will be a tough matchup for the Tigers at home.

Expect for the Aggies to be settled into their roles and play this game with an explosive offense. Auburn has struggled in the secondary in the past, but that looks to be a strength this season. This game will be a true test to the progression. 

Sumlin and his teams like to air the football out. This is another close, down-to-the-wire game that the Tigers will win with special teams. This game will be another three-point win for the Tigers, and points win for the Aggies in Vegas. 

Pick: Texas A&M

*Golden Nugget Line

Auburn (-34) vs. New Mexico State

Auburn traditionally owns the late season non-conference contest. This game will be no different. 

Can the Tigers win by five touchdowns? That is a tough question. Auburn will be explosive on offense with the talent at the skill positions scattered on the roster. Auburn should also be settled along the lines and playing very well in the trenches by this game. 

New Mexico State will not be very good, and Auburn will win the game handily, but by five touchdowns may be a stretch. 

Gene Chizik likes to put players out in games to get experience, especially in blowout wins. Expect much in the same in this game, resulting in some points for New Mexico State. Auburn wins the game big, but not by five touchdowns. 

Pick: New Mexico State

Auburn (+6) vs Georgia

Georgia travels to Auburn this season with one of the best offenses in the SEC. Aaron Murray should be a Heisman contender by this point if the Bulldogs season is as successful as they would like for it to be. 

Auburn will have built a strong season to this point, but this game brings out a different animal in both teams. Last season the Bulldogs dismantled the Tigers in Athens; Auburn will be looking to return the favor this fall. 

This is going to be a tight game from the onset. Both teams will battle through the first half with the eventual winner taking center stage by the fourth quarter. This will be a tight finish, and I would not expect a win to come in blowout fashion. 

This game is as unpredictable as any, but I would take Auburn for the points. I have Auburn winning this game outright, but even losing by seven at home is a stretch. 

Pick: Auburn

Auburn (-38.5) vs. Alabama A&M

This is a monster line to start the year. Yes, the Bulldogs are a lower division team but Auburn is not known to run up the score often. 

This may be an instance where the score just happens to run up, no matter what players are on the field for the Tigers. Winning this game by almost 40 points seems lofty, but in reality it isn’t that high of an expectation. 

These are the games that will trap your money. Be careful with this line, even though Auburn feels like the right pick with the points. If I were to lay money on this one, I would take the points—biting my nails to the finish. 

Pick: Auburn

Auburn (+18)* at Alabama

The Iron Bowl is now upon us. One of the toughest fought games of the season will leave a lasting signature in 2012. If the Tide win by almost three touchdowns, this game will undoubtedly land in history. 

Alabama throttled Auburn last season in Jordan-Hare, but the Tigers appear to be a different team this season. With the maturity and leadership now found on the Plains, it will be tough to thump the Tigers this season. It won’t happen in this game. 

Auburn will not lose by blowout two seasons in a row. The Tigers are a much improved team, and the Tide have a number of questions both offensively and defensively. 

This will be a very tight and close-fought match. Take the money and run on this one to finish the season with your pockets full. 

Pick: Auburn 

*Golden Nugget Line

Follow @ShugJordanPkwy