Sankey, SEC announce eight-game conference schedule for 2024

DESTIN, Fla. — The Southeastern Conference on Thursday approved an eight-game conference scheduling model for the 2024 season when the league expands to 16 teams with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma.

The format was approved Thursday by a vote of SEC presidents and chancellors.

“We have been engaged in planning for the entry of Oklahoma and Texas into the SEC since the summer of 2021, but the change of the membership date from 2025 to 2024 creates scheduling complexities that can better be managed with a one-year schedule,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said via a news release.

“Creating a one-year schedule will provide a longer on-ramp to manage football scheduling around existing non-conference commitments of our members,” Sankey said. “It will also provide additional time to understand the impact of an expanded College Football Playoff and engage with our media partners as we determine the appropriate long-term plan for SEC football scheduling.

“During this time of change, our fans will continue to enjoy traditional rivalries and begin to see new matchups presented by the addition of two historically successful football programs to the SEC.”

Under this scheduling model, each team is expected to play one permanent opponent. The other seven conference opponents will be rotated each year. Teams will still play four non-conference games.

Each team is also required to play a non-conference game against a Power 5 opponent.

Texas A&M is expected to face LSU as its permanent rival. The Aggies have non-conference games scheduled against Notre Dame in 2024 and 2025.

The league will no longer be separated into divisions beginning in 2024.

Sankey said Texas A&M would also play Texas in 2024, though the site has not been determined. A&M Director of Athletics Ross Bjork has previously indicated the first game against Texas would be played at Kyle Field.

The 2024 schedule of opponents will be announced on June 14 on the SEC Network. No playing dates will be announced at that time.

Athletic Directors and head coaches converged this week at the Sandestin Hilton Resort to debate whether to adopt a nine-game model or the eight-game model.

Texas A&M favored a nine-game model that would have allowed for teams to play three permanent opponents and six that would rotate each year.

Bjork said a nine-game model could be implemented in 2025, but the eight-game model was prudent for 2024.

“There’s a lot of dynamics at play,” Bjork said. “It’s not just a linear decision. I think, for now, it’s the right decision for the short term. We need to keep working for a long-term solution, given that the (College Football Playoff) expands in 2024. We will also have expanded TV partners coming on board. There’s a lot of moving parts, so this is the right decision for now.”

But Bjork reiterated the nine-game model could be adopted as early as 2025.

“That’s still our desire to play nine games,” Bjork said. “I’ve been in the league for 12 years, and every single athletic directors’ meeting I ever attended, we’ve talked about football scheduling. We’re going to keep talking about football scheduling. This is not going to sit here and just simmer. It will be an ongoing discussion to keep the nine-game model alive.”