SEC football schedule: Creating the perfect matchups for each team when Texas, Oklahoma join in 2024 season

Now that we all know Texas and Oklahoma will depart the Big 12 and join the SEC in 2024, not 2025 because it was initially introduced, the situation of figuring out the league’s football schedule has develop into a bit extra urgent. The SEC has been mulling totally different fashions ever since the transfer — which kicked off this most up-to-date wave of convention realignment — was first introduced in July of 2021. Commissioner Greg Sankey and the league workplace have been ready to finalize the schedule, nevertheless, till after the conclusion of the Big 12’s negotiations with Texas and Oklahoma. 

How the league will method its football schedule is predicted to be one in every of the most pivotal points at the convention’s upcoming spring conferences. Just do not anticipate school football followers to attend till then to start out imagining an SEC schedule with a whopping 16 groups, now that includes two of the sport’s iconic applications. 

During Monday’s episode of the Cover 3 Podcast, we put ourselves in the board room of the SEC league workplace to find out the perfect convention schedule with Texas and Oklahoma in the fold. Before we may begin pairing everlasting companions, we needed to begin with some floor guidelines — or, a minimum of, agree upon the common scheduling format: 

• No divisions 
• 9-game convention schedule 
• 3-6 scheduling mannequin with three annual rivals 

It’s necessary to notice the distinction between having three annual rivals and a pod; it is extensively believed the SEC just isn’t in a real pod format in which each team in the pod performs each different, just like a division. This scheduling mannequin is enticing as a result of it units up a faculty to play each different SEC program over a two-year cycle, with each dwelling and away video games in opposition to each different faculty over a four-year cycle. Year 1 may have a team’s three annual rivals plus six different SEC opponents. Those six are then rotated out for the remainder of the convention in Year 2, permitting for video games in opposition to all 15 convention foes. 

Long droughts between cross-division opponents who aren’t annual rivals are a typical grievance of the division format. Alabama and Georgia, for instance, have performed simply two regular-season, on-campus video games in the final 15 years. This mannequin eliminates that situation, however comes with the value of an extra convention sport. The SEC has held on to its eight-game schedule as the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12 have all moved to 9 convention video games, however creating extra connection between colleges in this huge league — to not point out the further stock for the league’s TV companions — may spark the choice to broaden the convention schedule. 

Now, we come to the situation of building the three annual rivals for each faculty, a logic puzzle that may trigger complications and damaged hearts. Some of the items on the board are simple: Florida will play Georgia yearly, as will Alabama and Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee, and the league’s newcomers Texas and Oklahoma. Pairing colleges will get troublesome since you should think about not solely historic rivalries however aggressive steadiness, journey and (as soon as once more) the pursuits of these TV companions. Some SEC convention video games which might be performed yearly now will not be as soon as the league expands to 16 groups. At least in this format, each matchup is performed each two years. 

Check out the outcomes of the train in the desk under, plus takeaways with what we realized from taking up the problem the SEC faces in the coming months. 

Return of Texas vs. Texas A&M

Like Georgia and Alabama, Texas shortly established a majority of its everlasting rivals. The Longhorns will get Oklahoma as the SEC lands one other iconic neutral-site rivalry so as to add to Florida-Georgia, and Texas A&M is added again to the schedule as a everlasting rivalry. The in-state rivals performed each season for almost a century from 1915 to 2011, then stopped when Texas A&M made its transfer to the SEC. There have been state legislators who’ve tried to drive the resumption of the rivalry by legislation, campus-wide referendums of each scholar our bodies and even public assist from a number of sitting athletic administrators, however in the end no sport was added to the books. 

When we first began the debate, I used to be the lone dissenter who figured that Texas vs. Texas A&M was not assured to be everlasting rivalry — believing Oklahoma takes precedence No. 1 and there would possibly different shifting items — however by the conclusion of the train my place had modified. The resumption of Texas and Texas A&M is a top-five headline from the SEC’s growth, and the league can be smart to place that sport in the highlight each single season. 

Tennessee has so many rivals 

Tennessee was one in every of the colleges that routinely popped up in dialog as we paired companions. The Vols are fairly clearly going to get Alabama as one in every of their rivals and sure stay cemented for the third Saturday in October for eternity. However, there are a number of groups in the SEC East that Tennessee followers would name a rival … and solely two extra spots. Plus, there is no assure that Tennessee is a top-two rivalry for these faculty and a few aggressive steadiness have to be considered. 

The Georgia-Tennessee rivalry was the first to go since the Bulldogs are already paired with Auburn and Florida. The Florida-Tennessee rivalry almost made it, however was in the end minimize to make the items match with Vanderbilt and Kentucky, which joined the Crimson Tide as Tennessee’s everlasting companions. 

Echoes of division play stay 

There’s most likely some bias concerned in how we paired present SEC groups which might be annual rivals in the division format, however the identical concerns that helped set up these divisions are additionally going to energy this new format. Proximity, for the groups however particularly for the households and followers, is a sexy motive to have colleges play each single season. Plus, taking part in in the identical division for the final 30 years has helped construct trendy SEC rivalries which might be going to be considered when pairing everlasting companions. 

Division play is not sensible for a 16-team league, nevertheless. Seven division video games and only one or two cross-division video games would once more create the scheduling conundrum of groups taking part in solely twice in 15 years. Still, it has performed a key function in shaping the identities of the trendy SEC. Of the 14 groups that make up the present SEC, 5 are slated to play present division rivals yearly as annual companions: Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State and South Carolina. 

3-6 mannequin stays finest format 

We had a couple of disagreements alongside the means that needed to be settled by a vote, however at the conclusion it is fairly clear that this format — with three everlasting companions and 6 rotating opponents — is the finest strategy to schedule a 16-team SEC. There are going to be some rivalries that get relegated to every-other-year standing, however a minimum of this manner you continue to are assured to see these groups each different yr. 

Getting rid of divisions additionally ensures the SEC will get its two finest groups in the SEC Championship Game yearly. Having extra aggressive steadiness in the schedule ought to assist the league’s energy of schedule rankings and higher place extra groups to make the expanded College Football Playoff. There’s no assure the SEC will select a 3-6 scheduling mannequin like we did, and even much less of an opportunity it makes the very same choices we did for everlasting companions, however think about it the official suggestion of the Cover 3 Podcast.