Auburn, Oklahoma Game Time Announced

The game time for the Auburn Tigers’ highly anticipated SEC opener has been officially released.

No. 24 Auburn will face the No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners on Sept. 20 at 2:30 p.m. CST on ABC, the league office announced Monday afternoon. This will be the Tigers’ first afternoon kickoff of the season, as the first two games have been at night and this Saturday’s matchup currently set for 11:45 a.m. CST.

📺 #SECFB on TV: Sept. 20

Updates: https://t.co/CDfCTc4jGi pic.twitter.com/dxaX2QBf89
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) September 8, 2025

Many expected Auburn’s clash with Oklahoma to earn the primetime slot on ABC with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call, but instead, it will likely feature Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy, who are normally assigned to the afternoon game on ABC.

Sept. 20 will mark the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs, with the first two coming in the 1976 and 2016 Sugar Bowls. The most recent meeting resulted in a heartbreaking 27-21 loss to the Sooners last season, after Auburn collapsed in the fourth quarter and surrendered a 21-10 lead, propelling the Tigers to an 0-3 all-time record against Oklahoma.

Assuming the Tigers take care of business and beat South Alabama on Saturday, this matchup will be Auburn’s first ranked-versus-ranked game since November of 2021. Auburn cracked the AP Poll at No. 24 in the most recent rankings, and Oklahoma could be a top-10 team after its game at Temple this weekend.

BREAKING: College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/tJG9HZsTML pic.twitter.com/J0Qv4jkQuc
— On3 (@On3sports) September 7, 2025

Even after just two weeks of action, both teams boast impressive non-conference wins against quality opponents. Obviously, Auburn knocked off Baylor to open the season, while Oklahoma defeated No. 15 Michigan, 24-13, last Saturday.

There are numerous storylines surrounding this conference opener, but possibly the most prominent is Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold’s return to Norman in the orange and blue.

A former five-star and one of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 recruiting class, Arnold spent two years as a Sooner, but it didn’t exactly pan out the way he had envisioned.

He was benched last season for freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. after committing three turnovers in the first half against Tennessee.

Additionally, Arnold’s supporting cast certainly didn’t help. The Sooners’ offensive line was one of the worst in college football, and their top five wide receivers were all out with an injury at one point in the year. Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables even went as far as to say Arnold had “no chance” to succeed due to the undesirable circumstances.

Now, with a fresh start on the Plains, Arnold seems to have newfound confidence and is surrounded by elite playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Behind a heavily improved offensive line and one of the nation’s best wideout rooms to complement Arnold’s strong arm, the junior signal-caller is in a prime position for a breakout season.

All of that to say, Arnold will undoubtedly be the main storyline of Auburn’s trip to Oklahoma, and his first test against a talented SEC defense will serve as the first true assessment of Arnold’s ceiling in the new system.

Considering the magnitude of the matchup, Arnold’s opportunity for revenge against his former team, and two likely undefeated teams on the rise, this will be the most talked-about game of Week 4.

And if Auburn could pull off an enormous victory in Norman, the Tigers will officially find themselves back on the national stage.