When it was announced that Auburn was moving its season-opening game from Jordan-Hare Stadium to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, I was openly skeptical. In my opinion, the fewer neutral-site games, the better, as this situation has cost the city of Auburn and local businesses millions of dollars.
And while Auburn athletic director John Cohen explained his reasoning for moving the game, including $5 million in NIL and national television, taking it off campus after fans have filled Jordan-Hare during the bleakest of times, especially during a long holiday weekend, just doesn’t add up.
Now that the kickoff time of 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. in Atlanta) has been announced, the move befuddles me even more. If the move was to get more eyeballs, that might have just fallen by the wayside as the Tigers and Bears play in the middle of the opening Saturday, when, respectfully, there will be much bigger games going on.Â
Will Auburn fans still show up for the game?
Last year, moving the game to Friday night and having it be the only primetime matchup on a national network made every bit of sense. This just seems like an unwise decision by everyone involved, including those who decide when a game should be played.
If the city of Atlanta was looking forward to a full day of tailgating by a mob of Auburn fans for what many thought would be a night game, that just fell apart. And for the hotels in Atlanta, many reservations might have just been canceled, as a majority of the crowd (read: Auburn fans) likely live close enough to travel to the city and back on the same day.
But what if Auburn fans now decide not to go? It's Labor Day Weekend, and there are plenty of things to do besides traveling to Atlanta for a game. If Auburn doesn't fill the stadium, you know Baylor won't. I'm confident that those with game-day condos and houses in Auburn would loved to spend the weekend on the Plains.
If the organizers of the Alfac Kickoff Game wanted more hype, the game would have kicked off at 6 p.m. ET at the earliest. Even though there isn’t much tailgating room around the downtown stadium, give the fans what they want: a day of drinking followed by a game featuring two teams who enter the season with something to prove.
But all of this could have been avoided had Auburn not sold out for the price that comes with a neutral-site game. I’m confident that more Baylor fans would have come to the Plains to witness a game in Jordan-Hare and feel the SEC campus atmosphere than would have flown to Atlanta, which is a great city, to attend a matchup in a pro stadium with very little atmosphere.
All the improvements that Auburn’s athletic department has made and plans to make to Jordan-Hare won’t matter if they continue to play these neutral-site games instead of at one of the cathedrals of college football.Â
I’m sure Auburn and Baylor fans will have a good weekend, and hopefully the game is a good one, but with the timing of the kickoff and all of the other factors going into the rematch of last year’s game in Waco, things could have been significantly better.Â
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