This story has been updated to include new information.
AUBURN -- The future of the SEC's nine-game conference schedule model got some clarity Monday, Sept. 22, a day before the league was scheduled to announce each of its 16 member's three permanent conference opponents.
Auburn football now knows it officially: Alabama, Georgia and Vanderbilt will be on the schedule year-in, year-out moving forward, a source with knowledge of the schedule confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. Chris Low of On3 first reported the news.
The SEC is still expected to announce the remainder of its 2026 conference matchups at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Sept. 23, airing on SEC Network and ESPN2.
The draw the Tigers received was largely unsurprising, as the Iron Bowl and the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry are two of the league's more notable rivalries. When the move was first announced, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a release that this format "protects rivalries," and "increases competitive balance."
With Alabama and Georgia's success in recent years, Auburn had several options that made sense for a third opponent. But with competitive balance in mind, it seemed the two likeliest options were the Commodores or Mississippi State.
Here's a deeper dive into Auburn's now-annual SEC foes.
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. To support Adam's work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.