Auburn’s season opener status, date, location, and opponent are now up in the air.
SWAC announced a decision Monday to postpone all scheduled fall sports, including soccer, amid the coronavirus pandemic after a vote by conference presidents and chancellors. SWAC plans to play a seven-game conference schedule in the spring, but that means Auburn’s scheduled start to the season against Alcorn State is off the 2020 schedule.
Auburn was set to play against Alcorn State on September 5 at Jordan-Hare Stadium, with the Tigers paying the Braves $ 475,000 for the game, according to a copy of the game contract obtained by AL.com through a request from open records. That amount was due on March 1, 2021.
Although the game will not be played this season, a force majeure clause in the contract between the two programs could require the two sides to make “all reasonable efforts” to reschedule the contest for a future date. Since SWAC will not play soccer this fall, the earliest possible date for rescheduling is 2023, as Auburn’s off-conference hours are fully set until 2022.
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The Tigers have just three non-conference opponents for the 2023 season, with Auburn hosting UMass on September 2 of that year, traveling to Cal on September 9 and hosting the State of New Mexico on November 18. Other Future Seasons to Open Places on Auburn’s calendar include the 2024-28 seasons. Auburn has yet to schedule any games outside of the conference beyond the 2028 season.
Under that force majeure clause, which can be enacted in case of fire; flood; hurricane; twister; earthquake; war; invasion; rebellion hostilities; insurrection; confiscation by order of the government, military or public authority; or prohibitive or governmental authority, including that of the SEC or NCAA, if scheduling a future meeting between the two parties becomes “impossible or impractical … pursuant to the terms and conditions of the mutual agreement,” both parties will be exempt. of each and every one of the obligations under The contract, which was signed on December 19, 2018.
The cancellation of Auburn’s Week 1 game is just the first domino to fall on the Tigers’ schedule, which remains in limbo and begins a crucial stretch in late July. That’s when the SEC, as well as the ACC, are expected to make decisions about this fall’s schedule, whether it is played as planned, postponed to a later date, or restricted to a conference-only schedule.
With Alcorn State off schedule for this season, Auburn’s current schedule will begin Sept. 12 in Atlanta against North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, though the status of that game is also up in the air as Conferences weigh his options for the 2020 season. It is currently unclear whether Auburn will attempt to add a new Week 1 opponent, similar to how Alabama is getting closer by adding BYU to its schedule after the cancellation of its first game against USC.
AL.com will update this publication.
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.
