SEC expansion: Sports Illustrated predicts Auburn Football’s permanent rivals

This option would provide small relief to Auburn’s customary schedule.

Now that we know that Oklahoma and Texas will join the SEC in 2024, the biggest question on every Auburn fan’s mind regarding conference expansion is who will Auburn’s permanent opponents be?

Once the news broke, we at Auburn Wire tried our hand at predicting which teams would end up on Auburn’s schedule permanently, but it appears now that a prominent figure in college football media has submitted his picks for every SEC program’s permanent rivals.

Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated is one of the few national writers to make his prediction for each SEC team’s permanent opponents. His prediction reveals that Auburn will play two of their longest-tenured rivals, plus a bottom-tier program which will provide relief for Auburn’s usual tough schedule.

Here is what Dellenger predicts Auburn will play every season beginning in 2024:

  • Alabama
  • Georgia
  • Vanderbilt

Alabama and Georgia appeared to be obvious from the beginning, as the Tigers have played those two programs more than any other from the conference, but Auburn had a “wild card” option for its’ third opponent.

Most fans felt that it would be an older rival in Florida or Tennessee, or that a fellow SEC West power in LSU could be the winner. However, this prediction provides Auburn with a more even playing field to go along with playing two of college football’s most powerful programs on a yearly basis.

Here is a look at how Dellenger sees the SEC’s three-team permanent schedule format shaking out:

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