Sometimes, a conversation with friends can spark a thought or idea. The banter among our Last Word on College Football writers is rich. We have strong conference allegiances and stronger opinions. One of our conversations this week centered on scheduling and how to improve it among the conferences. Since this article carries the banner for the SEC, we thought we would take our shot at the idea. Over the next two weeks, we will put on our conference commissioner hat and look at how to reshape the SEC games for our 16 teams. The first installment to the 2025 SEC schedule adjustment will include adding a ninth conference game for each team and creating an ACC vs. SEC challenge.
SEC Tailgate Talk: 2025 SEC Schedule Adjustments
Why the ninth game?
Eight or nine is the modern-day “to be or not to be” question for the SEC. The SEC does not play nine conference games, (neither does the ACC). We’ve heard the arguments. The SEC is a gauntlet; the schedule is a meat grinder. It will wear you down and spit you out. Nick Saban was a fan; he even argued during the COVID season of 2021 that the league should stay at 10 conference games. Teams in the middle or bottom tier of the league have fought the addition of another conference game. They would rather play the likes of Akron or Old Dominion than travel to Missouri or Florida.
Times change, and the conversations are evolving. Greg Sankey told Paul Finebaum that expansion could be coming but would not come easy. “I’m one who said I really think we ought to be trying to move towards a nine-game conference schedule,” Sankey said. “I think that can be positive for a lot of reasons. You watch the interest around conference games. But not if that causes us to lose opportunities.”
Sankey speaks of the loss of opportunities related to bids to the College Football Playoff. Finebaum and the rest of the SEC were hot after Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina were left on the outside looking in after last season. The Playoff is likely expanding and may come with automatic bids. These assurances make an additional ninth game more palatable.
2025 SEC Schedule Adjustments: Additional SEC Conference Game
So, what math did we use to add another conference game to our 2025 SEC Schedule adjustments? This is an easy fix and could add some fluidity to schedule releases. We kept intact the two-year home and away agreements for 2024 and 2025. Then, we used the 2024 conference standings to match up the highest-seeded teams against one another. The only criterion is the teams could not already be playing. That is why No. 1 Texas would play No. 3 Tennessee instead of No.2 Georgia. The Longhorns are scheduled to travel Between the Hedges to face the Bullgods on November 15.
Take a look at the eight additional games listed below. Most of these games involve bad blood between the two schools—see Ole Miss vs. Alabama or South Carolina vs. Florida. We also have an old Southwest Conference clash between Arkansas and Oklahoma. Whether Texas vs. Tennessee is in Austin or Knoxville, that television number is almost guaranteed to exceed 10 million. It seems so easy, so why won’t we just make the switch?
- Texas vs. Tennessee
- Georgia vs.Missouri
- Ole Miss vs. Alabama
- LSU vs. Auburn
- South Carolina vs. Florida
- Texas A&M vs. Vanderbilt
- Arkansas vs. Oklahoma
- Kentucky vs. Mississippi State
Why Pick the ACC to Challenge?
The SEC and ACC already have a longstanding history. Georgia, South Carolina, and Kentucky already have traditional rivalries against their in-state ACC opponents. We liked the idea of adding another P4 game against the SEC teams. When selecting the conference though, we went with media rights over what may have made the most sense, initially.
Sure, everyone wants to see an SEC vs. B1G challenge. These are the two biggest and strongest conferences in college football. The challenge is that these two conferences have competing media rights deals. The SEC just inked a new deal with ESPN that paid big dividends with plenty of eyeballs in 2024. The B1G’s primary deal is with Fox, and its rights are shared with NBC and CBS. Mixing media rights adds another layer neither this writer nor the conference probably wants to get into. So, we made what made the most sense. The SEC would partner with the ACC since they both hold ESPN media deals. The B1G and Big 12 could get together since both have media deals with Fox.
SEC vs. ACC Challenge
The SEC vs. ACC challenge could add some spice to the 2025 SEC schedule readjustment. We did not touch the existing rivalries. Instead, we focused on placing teams together based on their standings. The results provide some intriguing matchups. Texas and SMU battle for bragging rights in the Lone Star state. Georgia and Clemson can continue their rivalry, hopefully not in Atlanta but in Athens or at the foot of Howard’s Rock.
Looking at the matchups, you could reason that the SEC would likely be favored in 12-13. But these are why the games are played. They not only add another opportunity to brag and a measuring contest at the water cooler but also provide another quality data point that would make the need for AQs for either conference irrelevant. Let the arguments be settled on the field.
- Texas vs. SMU
- Georgia vs. Clemson
- Tennessee vs. Miami (Fl.)
- Missouri vs. Syracuse
- Ole Miss vs. Louisville
- Alabama vs. Georgia Tech
- LSU vs. Duke
- South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech
- Texas A&M vs. Boston College
- Florida vs. NC State
- Arkansas vs. Pittsburgh
- Vanderbilt vs. Virginia
- Oklahoma vs. UNC
- Auburn vs. California
- Kentucky vs. Wake Forest
- Mississippi State vs. Stanford
Flordia State gets left out of the mix (Shame), but that kinda sums up its 2024 season. Tune in next week, as we add another conference challenge and also pick what non-conference game each team can keep.
Main Image: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
The post SEC Tailgate Talk: 2025 SEC Schedule Adjustments Part 1 appeared first on Last Word on College Football.