SEC Elects To Play Eight-Game Schedule, Rid Divisions In 2024
The wait is finally over and Southeastern Conference has its answer on future football.
According to Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger, the SEC will play eight in-division games for the 2024 season once Texas and Oklahoma arrive from the Big 12. Athletic directors and team presidents met this past week to determine if the arrival of the two new schools would lead to either an eight- or nine-game future schedule.
As expected, the SEC will also rid itself of divisions starting July 1, 2024. The top two teams in the standings at the end of the season will meet in Atlanta, Ga., to play for the conference title at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The case of a tiebreaker has not been determined as of this time.
Regarding rivalries, the SEC will keep every team's primary rival and secondary rival for the start of the 2024 season. For instance, Ole Miss' primary rival is Mississippi State while its secondary rival would likely be Vanderbilt or LSU. For a program like Texas, its primary rival would be fellow Big 12 newcomer Oklahoma, while its secondary rival would be in-state foe Texas A&M.
Texas and Oklahoma were always expected to keep the Red River Showdown in the Cotton Bowl at the State Fair of Texas a part of the terms when joining the SEC. According to reports, both schools are in talks to upgrade specific amenities inside the Cotton Bowl for fan experience but are expected to sign a new deal.
According to Dellenger, votes remained in favor of an eight-game schedule despite several athletic directors' vocalness to expand to nine during SEC Meetings this week in Destin, Fla.. For expansion to occur, at least eight schools must have voted in favor of the notion. The five schools that publicly expressed their support for a nine-game format were: Texas A&M, LSU, Georgia, Florida and Missouri.
“We want to play (Texas) every year,” Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork told reporters earlier this week about expanding the schedule to nine games. “But in an eight-game model, that’s not guaranteed. In a nine-game model it would be guaranteed. That’s another reason we’re in favor of nine is we want to play Texas every year and we made that clear.”
Neither Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte nor Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione — both of whom were in attendance — were unable to cast a vote due to their respective programs playing in the Big 12 for the 2023 season.
Part of the reason several schools expressed support for the current eight-game schedule was due to the latest contract signed with ESPN. Based on the new deal signed by the conference that will go into effect next season, additional revenue will not be added to the agreed eight-game format, meaning programs won't receive compenstation if moving to a nine-game schedule.
Another major concern was future opponent schedules. Several programs have scheduled Power 5 nonconference games out for a decade. Some even have two Power 5 games already on the schedule due to the thought that the schedule would remain playing eight league games.
With the switch several schools would playing 11 Power 5 games in a season. Many athletic directors would prefer to then cancel one of those in hopes of bettering the program's chances of making the expanded College Football Playoff beginning in 2024.
In terms of how next season's eight games will be decided, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said that games would be determined based on "expectation of fairness and balance" & "honor our traditional rivalries." The SEC's 2024 schedule will be announced on June 14 on a special primetime show on SEC Network.
Only matchups will be announced while dates and times will come at a later time. According to Dellenger, the eight-game schedule will be a short-term format and be discussed for further expansion soon, and that constant dialogue for a nine-game schedule will continue past 2024.
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