SEC Announces Game Time, TV Network for South Carolina at Mizzou

Missouri's SEC opener will be played under the lights.

Nov 16, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks running back Raheim Sanders (5) rushes for the game-winning touchdown with 15 seconds left in the game against the Missouri Tigers in the fourth quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

The No.25-ranked Missouri Tigers' Southeastern Conference opener against the No. 11-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks in Week 4 will be played under primetime lights on national television.

The game will either kick off at 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. local time, and be broadcast on either ABC or ESPN, the conference announced Monday morning.

The game was previously only given a "flex" designation, giving the conference the option to schedule it in either the afternoon or night slot. After both ranked teams have started their seasons undefeated, the conference placed it in the primetime spot.

The conference's other primetime game for Week 4 is between Florida and Miami. The conference will choose between that in-state rivalry and the Mayor's Cup to determine which game gets the ESPN or ABC broadcast.

If the Tigers' match up with the Gamecocks is anything like it was in 2024, it will be well-worth the primetime slot. After Missouri trailed 6-21 midway through the third quarter, a combined 37 points were scored in the final 20 minutes of play. Missouri put together an eight-play, 65-yard touchdown drive to take a 30-27 lead over the Gamecocks with just over a minute left. But South Carolina had an answer to seal the game, scoring the game-winning touchdown in just 47 seconds.

With the night-time designation, the game also stands out as a candidate for the "College Gameday" show. The pre-game show has not visited Missouri since 2010 when the Tigers hosted No. 1 Oklahoma. The game between No. 9 Illinois and No. 22 Indiana is also a likely option.

Missouri's win over Kansas in Week 2 in front of a sold-out crowd was a good representation of what "College Gameday" could capture. It's also what head coach Eli Drinkwitz hopes becomes the standard at Missouri.

"This is the Missouri that I've always dreamed of and believed in," Drinkwitz said after the win, "I'm going to encourage our fans to continue to do this. It shouldn't be about a team that we just played once. It should be the expectation of our program moving forward."

Here's the full SEC schedule for Week 4 with the announced times and broadcast designations.

SEC Week 4 Schedule

Arkansas at Memphis - 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN or ESPN2
UAB at Tennessee - 11:45 a.m., SEC Network
Tulane at Ole Miss - 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Auburn at Oklahoma - 2:30 p.m., ABC
Northern Illinois at Mississippi State - 3:15 p.m.
Florida at Miami - 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m., ABC or ESPN
South Carolina at Missouri - 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m., ABC or ESPN
Georgia State at Vanderbilt - 6:30 p.m., ESPNU
Southeastern Louisiana at LSU - 6:45 p.m., SEC Network
Sam Houston State at Texas - 7 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+