It’s not often that a college football season opener carries with it the potential for such extenuating repercussions as it does for Oregon and Auburn. In fact, a strong argument can be made that Saturday’s season opener may mean more for the Ducks than it does the Tigers based solely on the limited number of opportunities Oregon will likely have to bolster a prospective College Football Playoff résumé between now and the end of the season.

Only twice since 2009 have the Ducks opened the season with a ranked opponent, each resulting in dispiriting losses at Boise State (2009) and versus LSU (2011) in Arlington – the site of Saturday’s game against Auburn. Oddly enough, both seasons were capped off by appearances in the Rose Bowl for the Ducks (one loss, one win), but those Oregon teams seemed to have a sense of belonging as it related to college football’s upper echelon.

The 2019 Ducks are without that pedigree, and are seeking a prime opportunity to create that momentum for themselves with a coaching staff and approach that is radically different from the one that was in Eugene roughly a decade ago.

To make good on that opportunity, they’ll need to upend the Tigers, who will be seeking an emphatic start of their own entering head coach Gus Malzahn’s seventh season on The Plains.

To break it all down, WFOD offers up its primer for the upcoming bout between Oregon and Auburn.

Auburn Tigers

2018 record: 8-5 overall, 3-5 in the SEC
Last game: 63-14 win vs. Purdue (Music City Bowl)
Ranking: 16th in AP Poll/16th in Coaches’ Poll
All-time record vs. Oregon: 1-0
When and where to watch: Saturday, Aug. 31 at 4:44 p.m. (Pacific), ABC

Items of note:

• The Ducks have a 88-31-4 all-time record in season openers, but are only 1-4 in neutral site openers. They are just 2-11 vs. ranked opponents to start the season.
• A win over Auburn would give the Ducks their first win over a ranked opponent in a season opener since Wisconsin in 2001
• Auburn holds a 9-3 all-time record against Pac-12 schools, and is 6-0 versus the conference in neutral site games
• In Gus Malzahn’s first game as a collegiate head coach in 2012, his Arkansas State Red Wolves lost to Oregon (then ranked no. 5 nationally) by a score of 57-34
• Auburn’s Bo Nix will be the first true freshman quarterback to start a Tigers season opener since 1946

Five Auburn names you should know:

5. Marlon Davidson (DL)

The first item of business when considering the 2019 edition of the Auburn Tigers is acknowledging the tremendous talent they possess along the defensive front. One of the key cogs for the Tigers in defensive trenches is senior Marlon Davidson, a disruptive 6-foot-3, 278-pound athlete who enters his fourth year as a starter. An all-SEC first teamer a season ago, Davidson ranked tied for third on the team in sacks (3.5) to go along with 46 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 11 quarterback hurries. Defense isn’t the only area where Davidson excels, however, as the senior ranked second nationally in blocked kicks (3) in 2018.

4. Noah Igbinoghene (CB)

For all the deserved attention that Auburn’s defensive line receives, one of the top overall players for the Tigers on the defensive side of the ball plies his trade in the Auburn secondary. That man is speedy junior corner, Noah Igbinoghene. A track and field athlete who was originally recruited to Auburn as a wide receiver, Igbinoghene made a relatively seamless switch to defense last season, finishing fifth on the team in tackles (50) while leading the Tigers in passes broken up (11). Now entering his second full season as Auburn’s top corner, Igbinoghene has a chance to compete for All-America honors, as he’s widely regarded as one of the nation’s best cover corners.

3. Nick Coe (DL)

At 6-foot-5 and 291 pounds, it’s difficult to find athletes that are as dynamic as junior defensive lineman Nick Coe. Last season, Coe led the Tigers in sacks (7.0) and finished second in tackles for loss (13.5), in addition to forcing two fumbles, en route to earning SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week recognition on three separate occasions. Deployed primarily as an edge rusher a year ago, look for Coe to be used in a variety of different ways in Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele’s scheme on Saturday, as his versatility and ability as a pass rusher are second to none.

2. Bo Nix (QB)

Nix doesn’t land here because he’s necessarily a top five player on this Auburn team (at least not yet), but because his play is likely to be one of the primary factors that determines the outcome of Saturday’s game. A five-star recruit from the 2019 recruiting class per 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, Nix set Alabama state records with more the 12,000 yards of total offense and 161 touchdowns over the course of his illustrious high school career. The son of former Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix (’92-’95), Bo Nix will be the first true freshman to start the season at quarterback for the Tigers since Travis Tidwell in 1946. Regarded as a dual-threat quarterback, Nix won a tight quarterback battle over redshirt freshman Joey Gatewood in fall camp, setting the stage for his historic debut.

1. Derrick Brown (DL)

The ringleader of the Auburn defense, if not the team as a whole, is none other than senior defensive lineman Derrick Brown. Considered a potential top five pick in next year’s NFL draft, Brown – like Justin Herbert – turned down a shot to be a first round pick last April by deciding to return to The Plains and spearhead the vaunted Auburn defense this fall. Last season, the 6-foot-5, 318-pounder from Sugar Hill, Ga. finished third on the team in tackles for loss (10.5) and second in sacks (4.5) on his way to second team all-SEC honors. If there’s one player who is single-handedly capable of ruining Oregon’s day a la Nick Fairley in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, it’s Derrick Brown.