Throughout the years of Auburn football, the Tigers have had many rivalries with other Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools. Here are some of the most notable football rivalries, inactive or current, in Auburn history:
Alabama Crimson Tide
Auburn's only in-state rivalry has been raging since 1893 (minus a pause from 1907 to 1948), and the two teams have played 90 times since. The annual rivalry football game, coined the Iron Bowl in 1964 by Shug Jordan, is the highlight of every football season in the South and the pinnacle of college school spirit in the state of Alabama. The Iron Bowl has led to some of the best plays in both schools’ histories, and playoff seeding or selection often rides on the game’s outcome. This rivalry is the most well-known of Auburn's, and transcends football, with meetings between the two schools often dubbed the Iron Bowl of the respective sport.
Georgia Bulldogs
Known as the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, Georgia is another one of Auburn’s SEC rivals. The two teams played each other for the first time in 1892 when Auburn football was first created. It was at this first Auburn-Georgia game that the War Eagle cheer was first proclaimed. Since then, the two schools have played almost every year, totaling 130 games. Of those 130 times, Georgia has won 66 times, and Auburn has won 56 times, with the remaining eight declared ties.
LSU Tigers
The rivalry between LSU and Auburn has been described by famed commentator Brad Nessler as one "where anything can happen." Dubbed the Tiger Bowl, the two teams had their first meeting in 1901 and met annually as conference opponents from 1992 to 2023. With notable games like the Earthquake Game in 1988 or the Barn Burner in 1996, this matchup was highly competitive for many years. LSU leads all-time 33-24-1.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
This intense rivalry between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Auburn Tigers is best known for its legendary prank in 1896 and Auburn’s Wreck Tech Pajama Parade before every meetup. Coach John Heisman also served as the coach for both teams at different points during the rivalry. Auburn played the Yellow Jackets every year from 1944 until 1987, even after Georgia Tech left the SEC. Auburn leads the series 47-41-4, and the teams haven’t played each other since 2005.
Florida Gators
While no longer an active rivalry, the Gators were once a big-time rival of the Tigers. The teams were annual opponents from 1927 until 2002 and have only met on the field a handful of times since then. Especially in the '90s, when the Gators were coached by Steve Spurrier and the Tigers by Terry Bowden, the annual meeting between the two teams was a highly contested and electric matchup. With these two SEC powerhouses, the head-to-head outcome often impacted the SEC rankings, making it a high-stakes, high-intensity rivalry for decades.
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Jackie is a senior majoring in Psychology. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2024.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @jackie_domingun
