SEC and Pac-12 titans Auburn and Oregon ink contract for 2019 season matchup
Written by Ryan Wright
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones continues to draw some of the top non-conference college football games year after year at Dallas Cowboy Stadium – AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and the season opener in 2019 should live up to the hype.
Still four years away but the Tuesday announced matchup of the Oregon Ducks vs. the Auburn Tigers reaches football fans beyond the team’s fan bases and even outside the Pac-12 and SEC. The last and only time the two teams played was in the BCS title game in Glendale, Arizona. Auburn captured the 2010 BCS title beating Oregon 22-19.
Oregon entered the national championship game scoring 49.3 points per game led by quarterback Darron Thomas and running back LeMichael James. Auburn was an offensive juggernaut with then offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn calling plays for Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton and freshman 1,000 yard running back Michael Dyer.
Given the ongoing top recruiting efforts of both programs and the offensive systems head coach Mark Helfrich runs at Oregon and Malzahn executes at Auburn, this game will be one of the more highly anticipated matchups of the 2019 season.
Over the past five years Auburn has been an up and down program winning 8 games in 2011, 3 in 2012, but then bouncing back in 2013 losing to Florida State in the BCS National Championship Game. In 2014 the Tigers struggled to an 8-win season.
Oregon, like Auburn, has made a transition at the head coaching position but has maintained a winning formula averaging 12 wins a season over the past five college football seasons including a runner-up finish in to Ohio State in the first ever FBS College Football Playoffs last season.
Alabama kicks off the 2015 season at Dallas Cowboys Stadium playing Wisconsin and then returns in 2016 to play USC. Florida and Michigan open the 2017 season in Jerry World and LSU will take on the Miami Hurricanes in 2018.
Photo credit: belleofthebleachers.com; 2011 BCS National Championship Game – No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Oregon.