Chelsea Reinhardt
By Matt Moscona
With the SEC adopting a nine-game conference football schedule starting in 2026, teams around the league are adjusting their future non-conference slates. LSU will likely see a few adjustments in the coming years.
“There’s going to be movement on the schedule,” said LSU executive deputy AD Verge Ausberry.
The series most likely to be effected is LSU’s future home-and-home with Arizona State. The Tigers and Sun Devils are scheduled to play in Baton Rouge in 2029 and Tempe, Ariz., in 2030. This contract was originally signed in 2001 but has been amended several times.
The 2005 game schedule to be played in Tiger Stadium was moved to Tempe after Hurricane Katrina. The series was then pushed to 2029-30. Now, it will likely be moved again.
Under the new scheduling format, each SEC team must play one Power Four non-conference opponent. LSU had to scramble to find an opponent when a series with Oklahoma scheduled for 2027-28 was canceled when the Sooners joined the SEC. Ausberry added SMU in 2028 and 2029, meaning the Tigers now have two Power Four opponents on the 2029 schedule.
The Tigers added a one-time neutral site game against Houston in 2027 to replace the first leg of the Oklahoma series.
Ausberry noted he was cautious not to load up the future non-conference schedule in anticipation of a nine-game SEC schedule. But for the Sooners joining the SEC, the Tigers likely would not have had to make any adjustments. As a result, LSU is in a much more stable position that many other SEC schools who will have to make drastic adjustments in the coming years.
Ausberry also said a Week Zero game in 2026 is possible before LSU hosts Clemson, but they won’t make a decision until they know what SEC opponents they play. Greg Sankey said in at interview on After Further Review at SEC Media Days in July that the conference is planning their football schedule release show in December.
In addition to the Power Four opponent, Ausberry said LSU will fill the remaining non-conference slots with in-state schools. McNeese is scheduled to play in Tiger Stadium in 2026 and there’s a possibility Louisiana Tech could return for a second consecutive season to finalize next year’s schedule. UTSA is on the 2027 schedule with Houston, while an in-state school–possibly ULM–will be added.
“We’re going to keep that money in state,” Ausberry said.
Multiple outlets are reporting Florida is canceling future series with Arizona State, Cal and NC State.
While and expanded SEC schedule will bring more revenue and competitive matchups, it has also created a scheduling headache for many of the league’s teams.
More Top Stories
