On multiple occasions this offseason, Gus Malzahn has expressed his desire to see a change on Auburn’s annual schedule. The Tiger coach would like to see the annual Alabama and Georgia games staggered on Auburn’s schedule, like they once were.

The way Auburn’s schedule lays out now, the Tigers either host or travel to both of its annual rivals on any given year. The Tigers are scheduled to travel to Athens and Tuscaloosa in 2018. After the SEC welcomed Texas A&M and Missouri to the league, Auburn was forced to move the Georgia game and those games have mirrored the Alabama games ever since.

That’s something Malzahn would like to see changed.

“I think the big thing is having them staggered,” Malzahn said in early May during an appearance on WJOX 94.5 FM radio show 3 Man Front. “One at home and one away would probably be the best… Last year was two at home, here (in 2018) it’s two away. Looking back at 2010, we played Georgia at home and Alabama away. That would be my wish.”

Apparently, Kirby Smart has heard that news and offered up to rotate Georgia’s schedule to accommodate the Tigers — on one condition. Smart wants to host Auburn in back-to-back seasons like the Tigers managed to do with the Bulldogs back in 2012 and 2013 following A&M’s and Missouri’s move to the SEC.

Here’s what Smart had to say on the issue during the 2018 SEC Spring Meetings.

“Yeah, absolutely. If we get a chance to fix that and return the favor that we paid to them,” Smart said according to James Crepea of AL.com. “I hear about that a lot – obviously I wasn’t there – but about the two times there to travel back-to-back. I think if you can make it more consistent, it will balance things out, probably be helpful in the long run, but I got a feeling there’s more to than just us and them. It always affects so many other moving parts, but it would be nice to do that.”

Somehow, it’s hard to imagine Malzahn going for this one but if he really wants things to change, this may be his chance to prove it once and for all.