ATLANTA, Georgia (KXXV) — With a memorable off-season coming to an end for the Bears, the focus now turns to the season opener on Sept 5 against Auburn.
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It's a bit of deja vu for both teams, as they will face off for the second straight year in the season opener — but this time at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the Aflac Kickoff Game.
Auburn beat Baylor 38-24 last August at McLane Stadium.
Head coach Dave Aranda stopped by Atlanta to speak on this first-ever kickoff game of its kind.
"There needs to be more stuff like this. I think this is a real positive and it's cool to be a part of the first one of these. Hopefully there's more," Aranda said.
Aranda also knows his players are ready to play.
"They're excited to play in the stadium. A lot of them have not had the experience for that yet and so they're excited to see what it's like," he said.
At Big 12 Media Days, there was a setup for the Aflac Kickoff Game, featuring the old leather helmet awarded to the winning team.
With a game in Atlanta, it's a chance to grow college football even more.
"It brings excitement and I think for the teams that are playing it builds anticipation and it gives them something to work towards and test early on to kind of see where stuff's at. I think all those things are positive things," Aranda said.
One definite positive thing is winning and Aranda knows how important it is to start the season with a W.
"Any time you have a win, it solidifies belief and it builds greater confidence and then it gives you more to play for in the next couple of games," he said.
You'll be able to watch Baylor vs Auburn right here on 25 News on September 5.
