SEC football: Grading Auburn, rest of league’s non-conference scheduling
By Rob Maxwell
Auburn
Washington, Oregon, Penn State, North Carolina and Cal. Not bad. Auburn has done a solid job of scheduling. When you consider the Tigers end the season with Georgia and Alabama in two of the final three weeks of the season, any additional big-time matchup is seriously getting after it.
Update: On Thursday, Aug. 16, Auburn added two more matchups to the list with games against Baylor and UCLA.
Future non-conference opponents
2018: Washington (Atlanta), Southern Miss, Alabama State, Liberty
2019: Oregon (Arlington, Texas), Tulane, Kent State, Samford
2020: North Carolina (Atlanta), Southern Miss, Massachusetts, Alabama A&M
2021: at Penn State, Georgia State, Alabama State
2022: Penn State, Western Kentucky, Mercer
2023: at California
2024: California
2025: at Baylor
2026: Baylor
2027: at UCLA
2028: UCLA
RELATED: Auburn’s next Heisman winner … | 10 key players on offense
FlyWarEagle analysis: With Alabama placed as the season finale every season and with Georgia finally taking hold of the SEC East and becoming a threat in the SEC each season, Auburn already has as tough a schedule as anyone in the conference. The game to kick off this season vs. Washington could be the best game on paper for the entire season right now. Back-to-back-to-back seasons with neutral field season openers is great for the program and throw in a home-and-home matchup with Penn State and you’ve got yourself some of the biggest games in college football. The just-announced home-and-home series against Baylor and UCLA are icing on the cake. Like we said with Alabama, there are some cupcakes (Samford, Alabama A&M, Mercer) but playing some of the in-state teams isn’t always a bad thing. Grade: A