Early season battle featuring No. 5 Tigers in Manhattan to take on No. 20 Wildcats

Auburn Tigers (-8.5, 65 o/u) at Kansas State Wildcats

The fifth-ranked Auburn Tigers (2-0) travel to Manhattan Thursday night to take on a 20^th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats (2-0) team that is desperately looking for legitimacy.

However, Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder knows it won’t be easy. He said, “Take your pick, they’re a physical offensive line, they have speed in the backfield at the running back position and the quarterback position.

“They run the ball well, and they’re deceptive in the way they run the ball. The wide receivers are big, fast, physical. I don’t think I left out a position. In other words, they’re very, very talented.”

So far Auburn has picked up where it left off last year with its offensive juggernaut featuring running backs Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant, as well as quarterback Nick Marshall.     Still, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn isn’t taking anything for granted against the Kansas State team led by talented quarterback Jake Waters.

Malzahn said, “We are going to work on improving ourselves and try to get a head start. We are playing a very good team on the road with one of the better coaches that has ever walked the planet. We will have to have a good plan and have to be prepared.”

The truth is Auburn’s schedule is about to heat up fast with ranked teams LSU, South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas A&M, Georgia and of course Alabama. Malzahn won’t be caught looking ahead but he still faces a tough Wildcats team that is playing at home. That’s why taking Kansas State and the points makes the most sense.