SEC Football To Stick With 8-Game Conference Schedule in 2024
The SEC will reportedly stick with eight conference games during the 2024 football season when Texas and Oklahoma join the conference next summer.
During SEC spring meetings this year in Miramar Beach, Florida, no movement has been made by the SEC presidents on expanding to a nine-game conference schedule as the conference itself is on the brink of expansion.
The proposal of a nine-game SEC schedule would have reportedly included three permanent opponents, preserving long-standing rivalries within the conference, along with six rotating opponents.
According to CBS Sports, only five of the SEC's 14 current members voted in support of a nine-game conference schedule, with Mississippi State voting against it. Florida, Georgia, LSU, Missouri and Texas A&M all voted in support of a nine-game conference schedule. A simple majority of eight schools is required for the conference to take any action.
One of the obstacles in getting a nine-game SEC schedule off the ground is if ESPN is willing to pay for an extra conference game, especially when Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC, as the network is under no contractual obligation to provide more money for another game.
Another obstacle is how it will affect teams' postseason berths, including bowl eligibility and contention into the College Football Playoff. There is uncertainty within the conference on how an increased schedule would have an impact on deciding at-large bids when the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams in 2024.
With a lot of moving parts and uncertainty in regards to expanding the conference schedule, the SEC, for now, will remain at eight games in 2024, with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey telling reporters that the matter will be reevaluated in 2025.
The SEC will release its 2024 football schedule on June 14.
With Texas and Oklahoma joining the mix, the conference will eliminate divisions and send the top two teams in the 16-team standings to the SEC Championship starting in 2024. Meanwhile, teams are still required to play at least one non-conference opponent from another Power 5 league.
