Or, to be technically correct and as it will appear on the schedule, Arkansas State vs. Auburn.
In a press release, the Sun Belt school announced Tuesday evening that it will travel to The Plains in 2013 to take on the Tigers. The game will take place at Jordan-Hare Stadium Sept. 7, and will serve as the second contest of the season for both schools.
The school noted in the release that, with this game, the Red Wolves will play have played three times at Jordan-Hare over a seven-year span, the first two coming in 2006 (27-0, AU) and 2010 (52-26, AU).
It was also mark a homecoming for ASU head coach Gus Malzahn (maybe) and running back Michael Dyer (possibly). Malzahn spent three seasons as AU’s offensive coordinator (2009-2011) before accepting his first head-coaching job this past December. Dyer had rushed for more than 1,000 yards each of his two seasons with the Tigers, and was a first-team All-SEC performer in 2011, but transferred from AU to ASU in January.
Malzahn said Monday that Dyer likely won’t be eligible to play for the Red Wolves in 2012, but should (?) be eligible in 2013.
One more note on the ASU-AU match-up, from the release: Arkansas State’s contract for the Auburn game calls for a $1.1-million guarantee, the largest in ASU history and the fourth of at least $1 million. A-State received a $1-million payout for its 2010 season opener at Auburn and its 2011 game at Virginia Tech, while the contract for the Red Wolves’ game in Nebraska in 2012 calls for the same. The contract for A-State’s 2012 season opener at Oregon is $950,000.