The SEC’s Week 7 schedule landed with a thud for Alabama fans, and the frustration is easy to understand.
Auburn and Georgia are set for a 3:30 pm ET/2:30 pm CT kickoff on ABC, ESPN, or the SEC Network, and that puts the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry directly opposite Alabama-Tennessee in the Third Saturday in October matchup. For fans in the state of Alabama, that’s a brutal overlap right out of the gate.
The night windows didn’t do any favors either. Arkansas-Vanderbilt and Kentucky-Oklahoma were the two games selected for those slots, leaving three of the SEC’s bottom-tier teams in the spotlight and a Wildcats team that had just dropped from ranked to unranked after winning at South Carolina in Week 5.
Clint Lamb summed up the reaction bluntly on X: “Putting AUB-UGA and UA-TENN at the same time is… dumb. Throwing those in with a top-25 matchup in MIZZ-OM is even dumber. It was a bad call when they revealed the time windows months ago.”
That left plenty of fans wondering whether the whole setup was really just a nudge toward multiview or a public gathering spot where both games could be watched at once. But the more obvious answer points to the money and television priorities that drive the sport.
ABC’s night slot on October 17 went to Notre Dame-BYU instead. Since that game is in Provo, ESPN controls the rights to the Big 12-hosted matchup and moved it into primetime. NBC only carries Notre Dame home games, so the Fighting Irish were available for a national window.
And when Notre Dame is available, the networks are going to use it. The Irish’s opener against Wisconsin drew more than seven million viewers in Week 1.
Still, the choice stings in a place like Alabama, where college football viewing is practically a civic habit. Birmingham was the No. 1 highest-rated college football market in the country for 11 of the last 12 seasons.
So between the awkward SEC kickoff times and the ABC slot going elsewhere, the state keeps getting squeezed. And with the UFL having already ditched Protective Stadium, the Yellowhammer State doesn’t seem to be getting much help from the people in charge.
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Steven Pearls Auburn Promise Comes With One Big Year 2 Question
Auburns annual Pro Day practice brought NBA scouts into Neville Arena on a day that was as much about evaluation as it was about anticipation. Steven Pearl spent part of the session reflecting on the Tigers offseason and roster development, pointing to the ways the group has added size and shooting while getting ready for a stretch that now includes upcoming exhibition games and, soon enough, the season opener against Southeastern Louisiana.
The bigger question around this team is how the new look translates once the games count. Auburn feels good about its offensive potential and the shot-making it can bring to the floor, but Pearl also made it clear the next step has to come on the defensive end. With scouts watching and expectations building, the Tigers are trying to show they can pair that upgraded skill with the kind of stop-making that travels in the SEC. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn's Bye Week Just Put Golesh's Offense Under Real Pressure
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Alex Golesh now has a stretch to evaluate whether he wants a more active hand in directing the offense, and the conversation only gets louder after the fourth-down gamble late against Tennessee. Auburn went for it on fourth-and-inches from its own 24-yard line and came up short, a decision that quickly swung more momentum the other way and fed into a frustrating second half. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Bowl Path Suddenly Feels Much Tougher Than Fans Wanted
Auburns road back to bowl eligibility is getting tighter by the week. At 3-2, the Tigers still need three more wins to lock up a postseason berth, and the calendar ahead does them few favors. ESPNs Football Power Index has already signaled plenty of difficulty in the remaining schedule, with matchups against heavyweight opponents like Georgia and Alabama looming as the kind of games that can quickly reshape the season.
For Auburn, the cleanest path may now run through one statement win against a top opponent. Analysts around the program view that kind of breakthrough as the most realistic way to steady the chase and put the Tigers on track for their first bowl appearance since 2023. The margin for error is shrinking, and every remaining Saturday now carries a little more weight than fans probably wanted this early in the fall. [Read more 🡒]