ATHENS -- The SEC released the 2013 football schedule Thursday afternoon, and it contained a few big developments for Georgia.

Most notably, LSU will visit Georgia on Sept. 28. The identity of Georgia’s eighth SEC opponent for next year was the biggest mystery for the Bulldogs’ schedule, as they knew they would play six division games and that the annual Georgia-Auburn game would be preserved.

LSU is currently quarterbacked by Zach Mettenberger, a junior who was dismissed from Georgia after spring practice in 2010. Mettenberger is in his first year as LSU’s starter, and his mother still works in the Georgia football team offices.

The other big news for Georgia was that it will have to visit Auburn for a second straight year. The Bulldogs will visit Auburn on Nov. 16. The move was made to accommodate numerous other scheduling snags across the SEC.

“The 2013 schedule will obviously be very challenging,” Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity said in a statement. “Our number one priority throughout this process was to protect our long-standing rivalry game against Auburn, and in order to keep this series intact, it necessitated a return to Auburn in 2013. We will start working on the 2014 rotating SEC schedule this spring, and we can confirm that Auburn will be returning to Athens in 2014.”

Two other games will have “repeat hosts” as the SEC put it: Mississippi at Alabama and Texas A&M at Ole Miss.

“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,” SEC commissioner Mike Slive said in a statement.

There was one other piece of news for Georgia. The annual game with South Carolina returned to early in the season as the Gamecocks will visit Athens on Sept. 7.

The game traditionally has been the first or second weekend in September. But it was moved to October this year to accommodate Georgia’s game at Missouri, as part of Missouri’s debut as an SEC member.

Georgia’s 2013 schedule

Aug. 30: at Clemson

Sept. 7: South Carolina

Sept. 14: Bye

Sept. 21: North Texas

Sept. 28: LSU

Oct. 5: at Tennessee

Oct. 12: Missouri

Oct. 19: at Vanderbilt

Oct. 26: Bye

Nov. 2: vs. Florida (Jacksonville)

Nov. 9: Appalachian State

Nov. 16: at Auburn

Nov. 23: Kentucky

Nov. 30: at Georgia Tech