LSU confirmed Monday that it has moved its 2017 game with Georgia Southern to 2019, and will likely replace the Sun Belt team with one from the FCS level.
The hole in GSU’s schedule didn’t last long, though, as the program announced in a press release that it has replaced LSU with SEC West rival Auburn. The game will be played in Jordan-Hare Stadium Sept. 2 and will serve as the season opener for both schools.
“Playing Auburn provides us a great opportunity to play on a national stage and gives our fans an opportunity to travel to a close non-conference game to watch us play,” athletic director Tom Kleinlein said in a statement.
The game will mark just the second football meeting ever between the two programs, with the first coming in 1991. That game, a 32-17 win for the Tigers, was played when the Eagles were still an FCS team.
GSU will face a team from the SEC in each of the next three seasons, with Auburn in 2017 joining Georgia in 2015 and Ole Miss in 2016.