South Alabama doesn’t play Auburn until Week 3 of the 2025 season, but the Jaguars’ trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium is likely to be the most-anticipated game in the program’s short football history.

South Alabama’s Sept. 13 game at Auburn — set for an 11:45 a.m. kickoff on the SEC Network — marks its first against either of the in-state SEC powers. Head coach Major Applewhite certainly recognizes the importance of the game, and said he’s hoping it and similar matchups will happen more often.

“I think it’s huge,” Applewhite said. “I think we should play as much as we can in the state of Alabama, for a lot of different reasons — some of the obvious economic reasons, some of the sentimental reasons. These guys grow up wanting to play in the state, so that their families, their support systems that have helped them get to college can see them play. They don’t want to play 15 hours away where their parents have to spend $2,000 to go see the game.

“The more we can do that, the better. I think it’s great for our guys to be able to play at Jordan-Hare. I’d love to play at (Alabama’s) Bryant-Denny, anywhere in our great state. It’s great for the state of Alabama.”

South Alabama has in the past made trips to LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU, and has future dates scheduled with Kentucky, Florida and Ole Miss. The Jaguars hosted Mississippi State in 2015 and are set to welcome Ole Miss to Mobile in 2029.

In addition to its annual Sun Belt Conference rivalry with Troy, South Alabama has also played home-and-home games with UAB and has hosted both Alabama State and Alabama A&M in the past. Athletics director Joel Erdmann said he would certainly welcome the opportunity to face other in-state programs such as Jacksonville State, North Alabama, Samford and Alabama, which famously hasn’t faced an in-state opponent other than Auburn since 1944.

“The Auburn game is very meaningful,” Erdmann said. “It’s a game with a strong football tradition-filled school right up the road in our state. We have a tangled web of fan bases, where people pull for more than one team many times — some more passionately than others. But we think it’s a great opportunity for our players and our fans to be able to run up the road to Auburn and watch a great football game in a great environment.

“… Scheduling is a little more complex than most people might think, but any time you can play an in-state or regional school, I think that’s a very good thing to consider and do for a lot of reasons.”

South Alabama offensive tackle Jordan Davis, who began his college career at South Carolina before joining the Jaguars in 2023, said he’s also anticipating the opportunity to test himself against SEC competition again.

“We do have a couple games before that, but Auburn is the biggest (name) team on our schedule,” said Davis, a second-team All-Sun Belt pick in the preseason. “I’m a competitor, so I’m always wanting to go against who they say the best is. So I’m looking forward to it.”

South Alabama opens the 2025 season at home on Aug. 30 vs. Morgan State.