Auburn set to move 2026 game vs. Baylor to Atlanta for Aflac Kickoff Game, expects NIL opportunities

Auburn is set to move their 2026 home game vs. Baylor to Atlanta as part of the Aflac Kickoff Game on Sept. 5, 2026, sources told On3’s Brett McMurphy. The move is expected to yield up to $5 million in NIL opportunities for the Tigers student-athletes, per McMurphy’s sources.

The game was originally set to finalize the home-and-home series between the two programs after Auburn traveled to Waco in 2025. Now, Auburn’s originally scheduled home game will move to Atlanta for a neutral-site showdown, instead of being played at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

As McMurphy reported, the showdown moving to Atlanta will allow greater NIL opportunities for the Tigers and their student-athletes. It isn’t hard to see why Auburn would make the move, as it’ll also allow more eyes on their product when the time comes.

Earlier this season, Auburn went into Waco and left victorious over Baylor. The Tigers won by a score of 38-24 in that one, as quarterback Jackson Arnold ran for two touchdowns. It’s anyone’s guess how the Tigers and Bears will look when this game rolls around, especially in college football’s current landscape, but it should be a doozy of a game regardless.

More on the Auburn Tigers

As for what’s going on right now with Auburn, one of the sport’s oldest and most storied rivalries returns to center stage in Week 7. The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is back, as the Tigers hosts No. 10 Georgia under the lights for a primetime SEC showdown on ABC.

Heading into the contest, Auburn is coming off its first bye week of the year and remains in search of its first SEC victory. The Tigers have endured a brutal start to conference play, dropping close road contests to No. 11 Oklahoma (24-17) and No. 9 Texas A&M (16-10). Their schedule doesn’t get any easier — after Georgia, Auburn faces a fourth straight ranked opponent when it travels to Missouri next week.

Dating back to 1892, the Auburn-Georgia rivalry is one of the most historic in college football. The two programs have met annually since 1944, with Georgia holding a 65-56-8 all-time series lead entering this 130th meeting.

Recent history has heavily favored the Bulldogs. Georgia has won eight straight matchups in the rivalry — including the 2017 SEC Championship Game — and 17 of the last 20 meetings since 2006. Another Georgia victory on Saturday would tie the series record for the longest winning streak, matching the Bulldogs’ nine-game run from 1923 to 1931.

— On3’s Alex Byington contributed to this article.