LSU will have bye weeks both before and after their trip to Tuscaloosa to battle Alabama in 2013.

HOME GAMES AGAINST FLORIDA, A&M, AUBURN AND ARKANSAS HEADLINE 2013 LSU SCHEDULE

BATON ROUGE – Seven home games, including Southeastern Conference contests against Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M and Arkansas in Tiger Stadium, highlight LSU's 2013 football schedule, which was released by the conference office on Thursday.

The 2013 LSU schedule features eight conference games – four at home and four on the road – as well as four non-conference contests beginning with the season-opener against TCU in the Cowboys Classic in Arlington, Texas on Aug. 31.

Other non-conference games for the Tigers in 2013 include the home opener against Kent State on Sept. 7, UAB on Sept. 14 and Furman on Oct. 26. LSU has never faced Kent State and Furman in football, while the UAB game will be the first between the teams since the 2000 season.

LSU opens SEC play on Sept. 21 against Auburn in Tiger Stadium. LSU hosts Florida on Oct. 12, Texas A&M on Nov. 23 and Arkansas on Nov. 30 to round out the SEC home schedule in 2013. The Texas A&M game will be the Aggies' first visit to Tiger Stadium since 1994.

The Tigers replace South Carolina on the 2013 schedule with Georgia as LSU travels to Athens, on Sept. 28. It will be the first regular season meeting between LSU and Georgia since 2009. LSU also faces Mississippi State (Oct. 5) and Ole Miss (Oct. 19) on the road in 2013.

After an open date on Nov. 2, the Tigers return to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the first time since the 9-6 overtime victory during the 2011 season on Nov. 9. Another open date follows the Alabama contest on Nov. 16 before the Tigers close out the regular season with back-to-back home games against Texas A&M and Arkansas.

MORE FROM THE SEC OFFICIAL RELEASE:

The first conference game of the 2013 season will be during the first weekend of the regular season when Ole Miss visits Nashville to take on Vanderbilt.

The 2013 schedule is considered a “bridge” schedule and not based on any other previous or future scheduling formats. The SEC Athletics Directors will convene in Spring 2013 to begin formulating schedules for the 2014 season and beyond.

“As we began working on the 2013 football schedule, it became apparent that the conference would need another year of the ‘bridge’ schedule to make everything work,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. “I appreciate the SEC transition team and our athletics directors, who came together to put this schedule in place. We look forward to starting with our new scheduling rotation in 2014.”

The eight-game conference schedule consists of six games played inside the division and two games against teams from the opposite division. The cross-divisional common opponents that were previously announced by the conference will not take place until 2014.

In order to maintain a balanced schedule for the 2014 season and beyond, there are three games that will have repeat hosts from the 2012 schedule. Those games are Ole Miss at Alabama, Texas A&M at Ole Miss and Georgia at Auburn.

"There were so many variables in dealing with conference games, and the three repeat venue games, while not desired, provided the only solution to the complex scheduling issues,” said Slive.

• The 2013 schedule has 14 playing weekends which provides for two open dates for each institution.
• The 2013 SEC Championship Game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
• The 2013 conference schedule can be found on the SEC’s official website, SECDigitalNetwork.com.

2013 SEC Football Schedule (Conference Games Only)

Week-by-Week

Aug. 31

Ole Miss at Vanderbilt

Sept. 7

South Carolina at Georgia

Sept. 14

Alabama at Texas A&M

Mississippi State at Auburn

Vanderbilt at South Carolina

Sept. 21

Auburn at LSU

Tennessee at Florida

Sept. 28

Ole Miss at Alabama

Texas A&M at Arkansas

Florida at Kentucky

LSU at Georgia

Oct. 5

Arkansas at Florida

Ole Miss at Auburn

Georgia at Tennessee

Kentucky at South Carolina

LSU at Mississippi State

Missouri at Vanderbilt

Oct. 12

Alabama at Kentucky

South Carolina at Arkansas

Florida at LSU

Missouri at Georgia

Texas A&M at Ole Miss

Oct. 19

Arkansas at Alabama

Auburn at Texas A&M

Florida at Missouri

Georgia at Vanderbilt

South Carolina at Tennessee

LSU at Ole Miss

Oct. 26

Tennessee at Alabama

Kentucky at Mississippi State

South Carolina at Missouri

Vanderbilt at Texas A&M

Nov. 2

Auburn at Arkansas

Georgia vs. Florida (Jacksonville)

Mississippi State at South Carolina

Tennessee at Missouri

Nov. 9

LSU at Alabama

Arkansas at Ole Miss

Auburn at Tennessee

Vanderbilt at Florida

Missouri at Kentucky

Mississippi State at Texas A&M

Nov. 16

Alabama at Mississippi State

Georgia at Auburn

Florida at South Carolina

Kentucky at Vanderbilt

Nov. 23

Mississippi State at Arkansas

Kentucky at Georgia

Texas A&M at LSU

Missouri at Ole Miss

Vanderbilt at Tennessee

Nov. 30

Alabama at Auburn

Arkansas at LSU

Tennessee at Kentucky

Ole Miss at Mississippi State

Texas A&M at Missouri

* - Saturday dates listed / Subject to change based on television selections

2013 SEC Football Schedule (Conference Games Only)

Team-By-Team

ALABAMA

Sept. 14 at Texas A&M

Sept. 28 OLE MISS

Oct. 12 at Kentucky

Oct. 19 ARKANSAS

Oct. 26 TENNESSEE

Nov. 9 LSU

Nov. 16 at Mississippi State

Nov. 30 at Auburn

ARKANSAS

Sept. 28 TEXAS A&M

Oct. 5 at Florida

Oct. 12 SOUTH CAROLINA

Oct. 19 at Alabama

Nov. 2 AUBURN

Nov. 9 at Ole Miss

Nov. 23 MISSISSIPPI STATE

Nov. 30 at LSU

AUBURN

Sept. 14 MISSISSIPPI STATE

Sept. 21 at LSU

Oct. 5 OLE MISS

Oct. 19 at Texas A&M

Nov. 2 at Arkansas

Nov. 9 at Tennessee

Nov. 16 GEORGIA

Nov. 30 ALABAMA

FLORIDA

Sept. 21 TENNESSEE

Sept. 28 at Kentucky

Oct. 5 ARKANSAS

Oct. 12 at LSU

Oct. 19 at Missouri

Nov. 2 vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)

Nov. 9 VANDERBILT

Nov. 16 at South Carolina

GEORGIA

Sept. 7 SOUTH CAROLINA

Sept. 28 LSU

Oct. 5 at Tennessee

Oct. 12 MISSOURI

Oct. 19 at Vanderbilt

Nov. 2 vs. Florida (Jacksonville)

Nov. 16 at Auburn

Nov. 23 KENTUCKY

KENTUCKY

Sept. 28 FLORIDA

Oct. 5 at South Carolina

Oct. 12 ALABAMA

Oct. 26 at Mississippi State

Nov. 9 MISSOURI

Nov. 16 at Vanderbilt

Nov. 23 at Georgia

Nov. 30 TENNESSEE

LSU

Sept. 21 AUBURN

Sept. 28 at Georgia

Oct. 5 at Mississippi State

Oct. 12 FLORIDA

Oct. 19 at Ole Miss

Nov. 9 at Alabama

Nov. 23 TEXAS A&M

Nov. 30 ARKANSAS

OLE MISS

Aug. 31 at Vanderbilt

Sept. 28 at Alabama

Oct. 5 at Auburn

Oct. 12 TEXAS A&M

Oct. 19 LSU

Nov. 9 ARKANSAS

Nov. 23 MISSOURI

Nov. 30 at Mississippi State

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Sept. 14 at Auburn

Oct. 5 LSU

Oct. 26 KENTUCKY

Nov. 2 at South Carolina

Nov. 9 at Texas A&M

Nov. 16 ALABAMA

Nov. 23 at Arkansas

Nov. 30 OLE MISS

MISSOURI

Oct. 5 at Vanderbilt

Oct. 12 at Georgia

Oct. 19 FLORIDA

Oct. 26 SOUTH CAROLINA

Nov. 2 TENNESSEE

Nov. 9 at Kentucky

Nov. 23 at Ole Miss

Nov. 30 TEXAS A&M

SOUTH CAROLINA

Sept. 7 at Georgia

Sept. 14 VANDERBILT

Oct. 5 KENTUCKY

Oct. 12 at Arkansas

Oct. 19 at Tennessee

Oct. 26 at Missouri

Nov. 2 MISSISSIPPI STATE

Nov. 16 FLORIDA

TENNESSEE

Sept. 21 at Florida

Oct. 5 GEORGIA

Oct. 19 SOUTH CAROLINA

Oct. 26 at Alabama

Nov. 2 at Missouri

Nov. 9 AUBURN

Nov. 23 VANDERBILT

Nov. 30 at Kentucky

TEXAS A&M

Sept. 14 ALABAMA

Sept. 28 at Arkansas

Oct. 12 at Ole Miss

Oct. 19 AUBURN

Oct. 26 VANDERBILT

Nov. 9 MISSISSIPPI STATE

Nov. 23 at LSU

Nov. 30 at Missouri

VANDERBILT

Aug. 31 OLE MISS

Sept. 14 at South Carolina

Oct. 5 MISSOURI

Oct. 19 GEORGIA

Oct. 26 at Texas A&M

Nov. 9 at Florida

Nov. 16 KENTUCKY

Nov. 23 at Tennessee

* - Saturday dates listed / Subject to change based on television selections