The 2015 football schedules for Alabama and Auburn were released last night, along with every other SEC school — and it answered some questions.
With the addition of Middle Tennessee State and Charleston Southern, Alabama now has a game for every week and its bye week is set. Each team in the SEC has only one bye week next season. Alabama’s falls on Nick Saban’s birthday, which also happens to be Halloween, and each team has two division crossover games, where a team from the East plays a team from the West.
The Tide begin the year with what has become a yearly occurrence, a “neutral site” test against a tough opponent. Alabama will kickoff the 2015 season against Wisconsin in Cowboys AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
After Alabama returns home, it faces the non-conference home schedule of MTSU, ULM and Charleston Southern. With that lineup of games, the fans won’t have too much to cheer for during those weeks.
Some of the traditional rivalries cycle back to Tuscaloosa next year, with Tennessee and LSU coming to town. The games against Texas A&M and Auburn are on the road, as is Alabama’s cross-division game at Georgia, the first time the two teams will have played since the 2012 SEC Championship and the first time Alabama has traveled to Athens since the famous 2008 “Blackout” game.
With the resurgence of Arkansas and Tennessee, and the emergence of the state of Mississippi, Alabama’s schedule doesn’t look as easy on paper as it has in the past.
As for Auburn, the Tigers will square off against Louisville for just the second time in history in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta. In 1974, the last time the two teams met, Auburn won 16-3 in Legion Field in Birmingham. Scheduling Louisville continues a recent run of Auburn playing at least one major non-conference opponent each season, as they did with Kansas State this year.
Jacksonville State, San Jose State and Idaho make up the rest of the non-conference schedule, which will provide some breathing room during what promises to be another tough run through the SEC.
The Tigers have the advantage of playing Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia and Mississippi State in Jordan-Hare Stadium, but a week 3 trip to Death Valley and a mid-season trek to Texas A&M will be dates to circle on the calendar.
What do you think about the 2015 schedules for the Yellowhammer State’s two SEC powerhouses? Who has an easier path to the SEC Championship? Let us know in the comment section below.
Follow Jonathan on Twitter @Jonathan_Biles
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.