Auburn A-Day 2015
Auburn linebacker Kris Frost takes the field for the spring A-Day game Saturday, April 18, 2015, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)
Auburn doesn't have a big-name opponent scheduled for 2018 and 2019, but it's not for a lack of trying.
Auburn, which reportedly watched discussions with Florida State recently crumble as the Seminoles eye games against Notre Dame and Alabama, is welcoming all challengers.
"Anybody in the Power 5 that wants to play Auburn, we're in," athletics director Jay Jacobs said. "We're a prospect for them."
Auburn will face Louisville (2015), Clemson (2016, 2017) and Cal (2020, 2021) to fulfill the SEC's requirement to schedule at least one non-conference opponent from a Power 5 conference. That leaves two big holes to be filled by a premier opponent in 2018 and 2019.
Auburn is open to a home-and-home series or a neutral-site game during those years, which would be similar to the one-year deal with Louisville at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Sept. 5 in Atlanta.
"We have a bunch of ideas," Jacobs said. "We're talking to a lot of people."
Jacobs expressed interest in attempting to discuss games with Notre Dame, Michigan and Florida State in an interview with AL.com in the summer of 2014. He remains open to scheduling a premier opponent, but believes there are some road blocks because of the SEC and coach Gus Malzahn's hurry-up offense.
"Gus' high-tempo offense, people are reluctant to play it," Jacobs said. "People are reluctant to come into the SEC and play. We'll do whatever is necessary. If it's a neutral site game, a home-and-home, whatever it may be. We want to play the best people we can for our student-athletes and for our fans."
Auburn's schedule over the last two seasons has been ranked in the top 10 nationally.
"The challenge is four years from now, who is going to be good?" Jacobs said. "You can schedule them today and in four years they may not have the strength of schedule or RPI you'd like, but that's what we're going to do. That's the situation we're in but we're talking to anyone who would talk to us."