Auburn Football 2011: Could Auburn Be Headed East in 2012?

From the information that has come out in the last few days, it is the opinion of this analyst that Missouri is indeed headed for the SEC for 2012. This would bring the conference to 14 teams, and it appears 16 teams might be the eventual goal.

This is only an opinion at this point and should be considered as such.

It is also a good bet that if this happens, Auburn will play ball in the SEC East for 2012 if the conference remains at 14 teams. This would allow for a rekindling of one old rival: Tennessee.

Auburn already plays Florida and Georgia next season. In fact, with Vanderbilt rotating onto the schedule anyway, it would mean that the only real changes would be playing South Carolina again and adding Tennessee with Kentucky.

The fact remains that Auburn is a more traditional fit in the SEC East and was from the beginning.

All-Time Records against SEC East Opponents:

Auburn	Florida	43-38
Auburn	Tennessee	26-21
Auburn	Georgia	50-50-6
Auburn	Vanderbilt	19-17-1
Auburn	Kentucky	25-6-1
Auburn	South Carolina	8-1-1

It is likely that the rivalry with Alabama would be kept in the west due to high TV ratings.

All-Time Records against Other SEC West Teams:

Auburn	Arkansas	11-8
Auburn	LSU	19-24
Auburn	Ole Miss	26-9
Auburn	Mississippi State	56-25-3
Auburn	Missouri	0-1
Auburn	Texas A&M	0-2

This would appear to be a very easy move for Auburn and should restore some power balance between the East and West if it should become necessary. It does appear the longtime rivalry with Mississippi State could be a casualty, and the more modern but historical rivalry with LSU would likely be lost.

The other benefit of this situation is that it makes possible for the Tigers to beat Alabama twice in some years. The series currently stands at 34-40-2, and this split could give Auburn the opportunity to take back command of the series in less time should modern trends continue.

Alabama has made the SEC Championship game at times in the modern SEC. This move could allow Auburn to face them in the SEC Championship at some point. This would make it possible for Auburn to play Alabama twice in a two-week period at some point.

On the down side, it would take longer for Auburn to recapture dominance in the series with LSU.