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Auburn's Hugh Freeze clarifies Georgia comment: 'I have no idea what future scheduling is'

Craig Meyer, USA TODAY NETWORK
·5 min read

For a moment, it appeared as though the future of the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” was in peril after video of Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze suggested it would no longer be an annual affair.

The first-year Tigers coach — speaking Monday at the Monday Morning Quarterback Club in Birmingham — said “I’ll miss playing Georgia every year” as he discussed SEC scheduling changes with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma in 2024.

“I just got to experience it for my first time,” Freeze said. “I loved every minute of it other than the outcome. I love competing against those types of teams. There are some changes coming.”

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After video of Freeze’s comments gained traction on social media Monday afternoon, Freeze retweeted a post from Ryan Brown on X (formerly known as Twitter) that indicated such worries are premature, at least for now.

Brown, a co-host of The Next Round, reported he had been informed there is no reason to believe anything has been set with the SEC schedule beyond 2024 — meaning that the future of the Auburn-Georgia rivalry has yet to be determined.

Shelly Poe, Auburn’s assistant AD for football communications, also responded to a request for comment from USA TODAY Network: She said Freeze does not have the final schedule for next season and, even beyond that, the scheduling format for the league is unknown.

Poe added that, if asked, Freeze would likely clarify his earlier comments Monday night at an event he is attending.

Hugh Freeze clarification on Georgia comment

Update: Freeze clarified his statement during an appearance in Mobile, Alabama, saying he had "no idea what the future scheduling is." He said he merely meant to say in his earlier comment that any scheduling model that kept historic rivals from playing every year would be disappointing to some fans.

Via Simone Eli of WKRG-TV in Mobile, Alabama:

History of the Auburn-Georgia rivalry

Auburn and Georgia have played every year since 1944, meaning the rivalry between the Tigers and Bulldogs has survived far worse — the end of World War II, the COVID-19 pandemic — than scheduling tweaks made necessary by conference expansion.

Georgia’s 27-20 come-from-behind victory last Saturday was the 128th all-time meeting between the programs. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 64-56-8.

“The game has changed,” Freeze said Monday in Birmingham. “I don’t know that we coaches have the power to do anything to really slow the changes down. Obviously, the conference realignment has happened within our conference. I’m pretty confident the SEC is pretty solid on where we are. I think they’ll enjoy the new rivalries when they get to see Texas and Oklahoma among the great rivalries we already have in our conference.”

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The SEC schedule in 2024 and beyond

In June, the SEC approved a scheduling format for the 2024 season that features an eight-game conference slate for each team and the elimination of divisions following the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma.

It’s a temporary measure, though, as the conference evaluates how it will want to proceed beginning with the 2025 season and into the future. Possible changes include the move to a nine-game conference schedule.

Indeed, Freeze's comments on Monday suggested the SEC would instead stick with an eight-game scheduling model, one that sees one permanent opponent every year, and seven rotating. Auburn's one permanent rival would presumably be Alabama, not Georgia, in an eight-game model. In a nine-game model (three permanent opponents plus six rotating), the Bulldogs almost assuredly would be among Auburn's three permanent rivals.

Part of that delay comes from the College Football Playoff’s expansion to 12 teams, which will begin in 2024. The league wants to see how the CFP selection committee will weigh win-loss records versus strength of schedule and other factors before committing to a long-term scheduling model.

Auburn 2024 SEC opponents

Below are the SEC opponents Auburn has been confirmed to face in 2024:

Home

Away

The Tigers will also face Cal at home on Sept. 7, 2024 as part of the SEC's mandate to play at least one Power Five opponent as part of the 2024 college football schedule.

Kevin Skiver of the USA TODAY Network contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Auburn's Hugh Freeze clarifies Georgia comment, future SEC schedule