Auburn moving '26 game to Atlanta for NIL gain

Auburn is moving its 2026 location crippled with Baylor to Mercedes-Benz Stadium successful Atlanta arsenic portion of an statement with the Aflac Kickoff Game to supply NIL opportunities for Tigers players, a archetypal successful assemblage shot for neutral-site games.

The Peach Bowl, successful coordination with the Aflac game, volition supply opportunities for promotional appearances for Auburn players promoting summons income and ancillary events.

"Any clip we person the quality to beforehand Auburn student-athletes' quality to gain third-party NIL compensation, we volition instrumentality that opportunity," diversion manager John Cohen said. "The vulnerability of playing connected a nationalist signifier against a Power 4 hostile successful 1 of the premier neutral-site games successful the state volition not lone payment our student-athletes financially, but it volition besides heighten their brands."

Baylor and Auburn met successful this year's play opener for each team, with the Tigers winning 38-24 successful Waco, Texas. Next year's crippled was primitively scheduled to beryllium played astatine Auburn arsenic the 2nd crippled of a home-and-home.

Auburn volition person an allotment of 20,645 tickets for the game, portion Baylor volition person the SEC modular 3,000 tickets held for visiting teams. The Aflac Kickoff Game volition merchantability the remaining inventory.

This crippled volition people conscionable the sixth clip that Baylor and Auburn person met dating to 1954. The bid is presently tied 2-2-1, including the Tigers' triumph this year.