Auburn, Baylor to play in 2026 Aflac Kickoff Game

The Auburn Tigers and Baylor Bears will play in the 2026 Aflac Kickoff Game, it was announced Monday.

Auburn and Baylor will square off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, and the game will be televised by ABC or an ESPN network. The two schools were previously scheduled to complete their home-and-home series at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The nation’s longest-running neutral-site game remains on the cutting edge of college athletics with a first-of-its-kind opportunity for Auburn student-athletes to participate in name, image and likeness (NIL) activations promoting ticket sales, the Aflac Kickoff Game, and the game’s ancillary events.

In the multi-million-dollar arrangement, Peach Bowl, Inc., through the Aflac Kickoff Game, will utilize third-party entities to secure marketing assets and promotional appearances by Auburn student-athletes.

“As college football adapts to the new NIL world, we have to find creative ways to make sure everyone gets a win in games like these,” said David Epps, Peach Bowl, Inc. chief operating officer. “We worked in partnership with Auburn to create a new model for neutral-site games – one that moves the chains financially for the universities and student-athletes.”

Auburn will be playing in its fourth Aflac Kickoff Game, which was previously named the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. The Tigers are 2-1 in the contest, with wins over Louisville in 2015 and Washington in 2018 and a loss to Clemson in 2012.

“Any time we have the ability to advance Auburn student-athletes’ ability to earn third-party NIL compensation, we will take that opportunity,” said Auburn Athletics Director John Cohen. “The exposure of playing on a national stage against a Power Four opponent in one of the premier neutral-site games in the country will not only benefit our student-athletes financially, but it will also enhance their brands. This is not only a win for Auburn student-athletes but for Auburn Athletics.”

Auburn and Baylor will play for the sixth time in the schools’ history. The Tigers traveled to Waco, Texas, to kickoff the 2025 season and defeated the Bears, 38-24. The series is now all square at 2-2-1.

Per the release, Auburn will receive an allotment of 20,645 tickets for the game, while Baylor will receive the SEC standard 3,000 tickets as the visiting team. The remaining ticket inventory will be sold by the Aflac Kickoff Game.

Football Schedules

• Future Auburn Football Schedules
• Future Baylor Football Schedules