SEC releases 2016 football schedule

The Southeastern Conference has released the game day schedule for the 2016 college football season.

Next season will be the first to included a strength-of-schedule component to the the schedule. All 14 SEC schools now will be required to play an ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 or Major Independent team.

Each team’s schedule is made up of eight conference games, which includes six games against division opponents and two games against non-division opponents.

The South Carolina Gamecocks will take on the Vanderbilt Commodores on Sept. 1 to open the season. It will be the 10th time that South Carolina has opened on the first Thursday of the season since 2005.

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The 2016 SEC Championship game will take place on Dec. 3 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The full 2016 schedule can be viewed here.

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