It Has Begun! Format Change

SEC LINK



SANDESTIN BEACH, Florida (June 1, 2023) - The Southeastern Conference has established a scheduling format for the 2024 football season as it continues to finalize a long-term strategy as a 16-team conference, it was announced Thursday.

In the one-year schedule, SEC teams will play eight conference games plus one required opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 or major independent during the 2024 season when the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas join the league.

In addition, the SEC will eliminate divisional standings beginning in 2024. The SEC Championship Game will feature the two top teams in the Conference standings at the end of the regular season. The single-standings format will allow every school to play every other school a minimum of two times in a four-year period, regardless of whether the SEC utilizes an 8-game or 9-game format for future Conference competition.

"We have been engaged in planning for the entry of Oklahoma and Texas into the SEC since the summer of 2021, but the change of the membership date from 2025 to 2024 creates scheduling complexities that can better be managed with a one-year schedule," said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.

"Creating a one-year schedule will provide a longer on-ramp to manage football scheduling around existing non-conference commitments of our members," Sankey said. "It will also provide additional time to understand the impact of an expanded College Football Playoff and engage with our media partners as we determine the appropriate long-term plan for SEC football scheduling.

During this time of change, our fans will continue to enjoy traditional rivalries and begin to see new matchups presented by the addition of two historically successful football programs to the SEC," Sankey said. Each school's opponents for the 2024 season will be announced June 14 on a special primetime show on the SEC Network, and dates of games will be announced at a later date.

The schedule format was approved by a vote of the SEC Presidents and Chancellors following a recommendation from the league's Athletics Directors during the annual SEC Spring Meetings in Sandestin Beach, Florida.

With our luck Bama will remain one of our permanents. I hope like hell they arent and they pick LSU for them instead.

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Originally Posted by Coach34

With our luck Bama will remain one of our permanents. I hope like hell they arent and they pick LSU for them instead.

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I fear you're right. They aren't going to give Bama all "tough" opponents, they'll get a "cupcake" too. And we're closest and have played them more times than anyone else. We're the easy lazy pick.

There's too many SEC rivalries and traditions though to make it work out for everyone to keep who you'd think they'd keep. I assume we'd get Bama, OM, Kentucky, but who knows. It's toom any variables for me to play out, plus Bama will probably just get whatever they want regardless of logic.

Bama is getting Auburn and Tennessee for sure. Do they go with us or LSU for them?

What works in our favor is that Bama/LSU is the highest rated SEC game every season. I dont see the SEC giving that up. TV pressure will want that game

Might as well give us Bama, Georgia, and Texas.

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Originally Posted by Coach34

Bama is getting Auburn and Tennessee for sure. Do they go with us or LSU for them?

What works in our favor is that Bama/LSU is the highest rated SEC game every season. I dont see the SEC giving that up. TV pressure will want that game

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Rumors I've heard is a tier system. You get 2 permanents in your tier, 1 that's not. So for us, we'd get say a Kentucky, OM, then maybe Bama as out upper tier.

So for Bama, the question would be... are TN and Aubie "top half" teams? They're borderline. Bama, UGA, LSU, Texas, Oklahoma are clearly above them. I'd put Auburn next. Then A$M. Then Florida. That puts TN has a bottom half program in a 16 team conference and LSU is on the table. You could have UGA keep TN, Auburn, and UF too if TN is a low tier team.

No idea what they'll actually do though

Team tiers will be based on the last 10 year records- and that puts Tenn in a lower tier. Something Bama is pissed about

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Originally Posted by Coach34

Team tiers will be based on the last 10 year records- and that puts Tenn in a lower tier. Something Bama is pissed about

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Glad to hear it

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Originally Posted by Coach34

Team tiers will be based on the last 10 year records- and that puts Tenn in a lower tier. Something Bama is pissed about

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WAIT we're #7 in wins the last 10 years, would we be the top tier? We've got more wins than Texas, less than OU, so their addition doesn't change anything in that regard.

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Originally Posted by the_real_MSU_is_us

WAIT we're #7 in wins the last 10 years, would we be the top tier? We've got more wins than Texas, less than OU, so their addition doesn't change anything in that regard.

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conference wins? Saw something earlier today that will be what its based on

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Originally Posted by the_real_MSU_is_us

WAIT we're #7 in wins the last 10 years, would we be the top tier? We've got more wins than Texas, less than OU, so their addition doesn't change anything in that regard.

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I believe we are #8, but regardless, Texas and Oklahoma are going to the top tier with 1-6, so we'll be in the second tier.

It's pretty likely that the SEC will do 8 games in 2024 and then start with 9 games in 2025, because games like Alabama-Tennessee and Georgia-Auburn aren't going to go unplayed.

And our 3 permanents will most likely be Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Texas A&M, although the last one could be Auburn instead. We aren't on Alabama's radar at all.

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Originally Posted by Quaoarsking

I believe we are #8, but regardless, Texas and Oklahoma are going to the top tier with 1-6, so we'll be in the second tier.

It's pretty likely that the SEC will do 8 games in 2024 and then start with 9 games in 2025, because games like Alabama-Tennessee and Georgia-Auburn aren't going to go unplayed.

And our 3 permanents will most likely be Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Texas A&M, although the last one could be Auburn instead. We aren't on Alabama's radar at all.

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If this comes to fruition the football gods have smiled upon us. I'd take it in a heartbeat!

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Originally Posted by Coach34

With our luck Bama will remain one of our permanents. I hope like hell they arent and they pick LSU for them instead.

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I've thought from the beginning that we'd get stuck with Bama.

I thought I read only one rival per team (Ole Miss for us), everything else is a rotation. Is that not correct?

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Originally Posted by Coach34

Team tiers will be based on the last 10 year records- and that puts Tenn in a lower tier. Something Bama is pissed about

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This is the whole reason Bama threw a fit and axed the 9 game schedule. It was headed towards 9 until Bama changed direction and supported staying at 8 for now. They want to wait 2 more years while TN is very good and moves into the upper tier. But auburn could also move to the lower tier over that time.

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Originally Posted by Coach34

conference wins? Saw something earlier today that will be what its based on

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It is based on conference record only. And I'm assuming on the field record, not counting for probation losses.

No divisions means Ole Miss will never see an SEC CG, ever.

Glad I was alive to watch 1998.