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Locked On Auburn -  Daily Podcast On Auburn Tigers Football & Basketball

WOW: Auburn will play Baylor in Atlanta, not at home, and people are MAD about it

Locked On Auburn - Daily Podcast On Auburn Tigers Football & Basketball

Locked On Podcast Network

Auburn Tigers Football, War Damn Eagle, Sports, Auburn Basketball, College Football Recruiting, Basketball, Auburn Football, Sports Podcast, Podcast, Football, Tigers Football, Auburn Tigers, Auburn Tigers Basketball, Tigers Basketball, College Basketball Recruiting, College Recruiting, Daily Podcast, War Eagle

4.6 • 652 Ratings

🗓️ 7 October 2025

⏱️ 20 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this bonus episode of Locked On Auburn, host Zac Blackerby is joined by Ben Taylor of Auburn Opelika This Morning to break down Auburn's controversial decision to move its highly anticipated home game against Baylor to Atlanta. The duo discusses the fallout from the move, including the overwhelming frustration among local Auburn businesses, die-hard fans, and season ticket holders who feel blindsided and disappointed. Zac and Ben dive into the financial motivations behind the decision, with Auburn estimating a $5 million NIL windfall for student-athletes, but question if the athletic department overlooked the damaging impact to the Auburn-Opelika community—potentially costing local businesses millions during one of the year's biggest weekends. They share firsthand insights from conversations with local hotel and tourism leaders, highlight the lack of communication from Auburn’s administration, and debate whether the move sets a new precedent for neutral-site games in college football's NIL era. Is this the new normal, and what does it mean for fan loyalty and local economies moving forward? Tune in for an honest, candid conversation about the changing landscape of college football, the balance between supporting athletes and honoring loyal fans, and what might come next for Auburn’s scheduling decisions. Don’t miss this must-listen episode for Auburn fans, local business owners, and anyone interested in the intersection of college sports, community, and big-money decisions.

Transcript

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0:00.0

So Auburn isn't hosting Baylor this upcoming season.

0:12.8

You are locked on Auburn, your daily podcast on the Auburn Tigers.

0:17.9

Part of the Locked on podcast Network, your team every day.

0:23.9

Yes, welcome on into Locked-on Auburn, your daily Auburn Tigers podcast.

0:28.3

I'm your host, Blackerbie, and thank you so much for making Locked-on-Auburn.

0:31.0

Your first listen every single day.

0:32.8

It's a bonus edition of the show today, Ben Taylor of Auburn Opelika this morning hanging out with us part

0:40.8

of the Auburn Network family of stations. Due to the timing of recording and all that,

0:45.7

I haven't really been able to attack this topic yet. And Ben, I'm glad I'm doing it with you

0:50.4

because you talk to these business owners that are going to be impacted by this

0:54.3

every single day on your show.

0:56.6

So the Auburn half of the home and home they announced yesterday will not be played

1:02.9

at Jordan Hare Stadium.

1:04.1

It will be played in Atlanta and it's going to offer, you know, a bunch of NIL opportunities

1:10.1

for players.

1:10.6

They're estimating $5 million for NIL opportunity for Auburn student athletes, which is great.

1:18.5

I want all the Auburn athletes to make all the money in the world.

1:21.0

I love that.

1:21.9

No issue with that at all.

1:23.7

But this is sending a message that if you look at anything

1:28.4

Auburn's posted about it,

1:29.5

they're posting about it loud and proud and then you look at all the comments

...

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