If Auburn fans had to pick the rivalry they miss most, the answers would probably scatter all over the map. Some would point to Tennessee.
Others would lean into the old Florida showdowns from the 1990s and 2000s. A few of the older crowd might even say Georgia Tech.
But for me, the one that stands out is Auburn-LSU.
It’s not just the road trip to Baton Rouge, though that tailgating scene every other year was part of the charm. It’s the fact that this game never seemed to behave like a normal football game. Something odd was always lurking around the corner.
A measured earthquake. An out-of-control fire. That 2016 matchup between Gus Malzahn and Les Miles, a losing-coach-must-be-fired kind of game, which Auburn won because LSU didn’t get the winning play off in time.
Then there was the phantom whistle. Jason Campbell hitting Courtney Taylor, Auburn missing the game-winning extra point, and then still getting the benefit of a penalty on LSU. There was the 2006 game too, the one that might have been the most physical defensive battle I’ve ever witnessed.
Every Auburn-LSU meeting seemed to come with its own bizarre headline.
Cam Newton cutting and weaving through the LSU defense, running past Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu in his Heisman Trophy moment. Joe Burrow arriving in 2018 and leading LSU down the field for the game-winning field goal in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Bo Nix spending roughly 30 seconds scrambling around in 2021 before finding an open receiver in the end zone and helping Auburn snap a 22-year losing streak in Baton Rouge.
That was the beauty of it. You couldn’t predict the outcome, but you could count on the game getting strange.
This season, the teams will meet in Jordan-Hare, with Lane Kiffin bringing LSU to the Plains to face Alex Golesh’s first Auburn team. Auburn is set to go back to Baton Rouge in 2028, but it won’t feel the same without the annual rhythm that used to make this rivalry feel like appointment viewing.
That’s one of the ugly side effects of conference expansion. The SEC has grown in ways that have stripped away some of the old familiarity, with Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas now part of the mix. That’s where college athletics is headed, but it comes at the cost of the annual rivalry games fans got used to circling on the calendar.
So yes, with apologies to the Longhorns, Sooners and everyone else who joined the league, Auburn and LSU is the one I’d want back every year. No other matchup promised that kind of chaos.
In Other News...
Why Auburns New Offense Is Suddenly Turning Heads In The SEC
Auburns new offense is already drawing attention around the SEC, and it is easy to see why. Under Alex Golesh, the Tigers have brought in a quarterback in Byrum Brown, a productive runner who gives the scheme a different kind of stress point, while Jeremiah Cobb and Bryson Washington give the backfield more than one way to attack defenses.
The receiving room has also been stocked with players from USF who already know Goleshs system, which should help the transition come faster than it might in a typical coaching change. Still, the real question hanging over the whole operation is how quickly everything can come together up front, because the offense can look intriguing on paper only if the line gives it room to breathe. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Fans Wont Love Whos Already Raving About Cam Coleman
Cam Coleman was already one of Auburns most important pass-catchers last season, and now the receiver is set to be part of a very different spotlight after moving on to a new offense built around Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian. For Auburn fans still getting used to the idea of life without their top wideout, the latest buzz out of SEC Media Days is the kind that only makes the departure sting a little more.
Manning had plenty to say about Coleman, pointing to the work they have put in together away from the cameras and the trust they have built through offseason practices and workouts. The Texas quarterback made it clear Coleman has impressed him as much with his approach as with his talent, and that kind of early chemistry is exactly why the Longhorns believe he can become a featured option in their passing game. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Fans Needed This From A Crucial 2027 Commit
Auburn has spent enough time watching the 2027 class wobble that any sign of stability matters, and one of the biggest reasons for optimism has been the presence of a highly regarded running back at the center of it. Under head coach Alex Golesh, the Tigers have worked to build around premium talent early in the cycle, and this commitment has stood out as one of the more important pieces in the group.
Even with Florida and Miami making pushes to change the picture, Auburn continues to hear the right things from one of its most important pledges. That matters even more after the Tigers already lost two other 2027 commits to flips, leaving the staff hoping this one holds as the class keeps taking shape. [Read more 🡒]