Auburn football fans will find out which three SEC teams the Tigers will face on an annual basis on Tuesday, according to CBSSports' Brandon Marcello.
The conference announced this summer that the league would adopt a nine-game football schedule starting in 2026, with each team receiving three permanent opponents and the remaining teams rotating on the schedule.
For Auburn, the two teams that make sense are Alabama and Georgia, the Tigers' two biggest rivals, with the Iron Bowl and The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry being seen as two annual marquee matchups.
When it comes to the third opponent, that is when it gets interesting for Hugh Freeze and the Tigers. While the rivalry between Auburn and Florida was intense in the 1980s and 1990s, the two teams haven't played each other much in the past 20 years. The same can be said for Tennessee, as the Tigers and Volunteers have faced off just five times since 2008.
With the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs currently being powers, an easier game would make sense for the Tigers, which could come in Mississippi State or Vanderbilt.
If the league wants to make life difficult for Auburn, continuing the Auburn-LSU annual game, one of the wackiest and weirdest games every season, is the call. Still, it's unlikely that LSU would be on the list considering their rivalries with Ole Miss, Arkansas and Texas A&M.
Many pundits have thrown out South Carolina as Auburn's third permanent opponent. Still, there is a lack of history and bitterness between the Tigers and Gamecocks outside of the 2010 SEC Championship Game, when Cam Newton led the Tigers to a 56-17 victory over Steve Spurrier's Carolina squad en route to winning a national championship.
Regardless of who the third opponent is, some will support the decision, while others will not.