New ’24 schedule sets up some SEC monster clashes

The arrival of Texas and Oklahoma may have people fuming about the teams voting not to go to a nine game schedule, but this hasn’t stopped the SEC from putting together some monster clashes for the 2024 year, which will lack divisions.

THE ‘WE JUST WALKED INTO A CAULDRON’ TEAM

Texas will play Georgia and Florida at home, while going on the road to Arkansas (who hate their guts) and Texas A&M (who hate them even more). There’s also the Red River Rivalry to boot. Oh, and they also travel to the Big House to play Michigan (Home dates with Kentucky and Mississippi State and a road game at Vanderbilt make it a bit palatable, but STILL).

Oklahoma gets Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina at home, and Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss and Missouri on the road, with Texas in the Red River Rivalry. The Sooners had to vacate two non-conference games for 2024, so we’re expecting them to schedule two FCS teams and expect fans to put up some serious wallet numbers to get into Norman.

THE POWER HOUSES

Georgia will go on the road to Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss, which is a nasty road schedule by anyone’s measure. They’ll play the Cocktail Party in Jacksonville, and have home dates with Auburn, Tennessee and Mississippi State. Oh, and they get the made-for-TV clash with Clemson in Atlanta, too.

Alabama will get Georgia at home, as well as Auburn, South Carolina and Missouri. Tennessee will get played on the road, alongside LSU, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. The Tide also go to Wisconsin in September, which should be a monster of a match-up (maybe for the fun level, rather than the game itself!).

LSU‘s back to ‘powerhouse’ status after going to the SEC Championship Game, and the team could be a fully-fledged juggernaut by 2024. Sadly, the powers-that-be decided to shell the craziest match-up in college football in Auburn, but they will keep their hosting of Alabama and Ole Miss, and Vandy have been thrown into Death Valley for good measure. The Tigers will go to Texas A&M, Arkansas, South Carolina and Florida. And they also play USC and UCLA too. The Tigahs will be required viewing.

THE ‘LET’S ALL GET VERY EXCITED’ TEAM 

No program has gotten more tongues wagging than Tennessee. While we don’t know what they are gong to be like without world-beating wild receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman and the great Hendon Hooker, the offense under Josh Heupel will always be a lot of fun to watch. The Vols will host Florida and Alabama (as well as Kentucky and Mississippi State), and they will travel to Georgia, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Vanderbilt. They also have one of those awful neutral-site-in-a-NFL-stadium games against NC State, which I’m already not going to be watching.

 

THE UP-AND-COMERS TEAMS

South Carolina: Shane Beamer had his team on fire by the end of 2022, so 2023 promises to be even better. In 2024, the SEC’s gotten rid of the Georgia rivalry (which if we’re honest, no-one cared about until Steve Spurrier got to town), but there will still be the hosting of LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri and Texas A&M, as well as trips to Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and, er Alabama. Oh, and there’s also the end-of-season trip to Clemson. Thank God Georgia wasn’t on the sked, eh?

Arkansas: The Razorbacks get home dates with LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and a renewal of their former Big 12 rivalry with the hated Texas Longhorns, while they go on the road Auburn, Mississippi State and Missouri. Oh, and they have a wild game with Texas A&M in Jerryworld. They’ve also got to go on the road to Oklahoma State, which ought to be fun too.

THE ‘I DON’T KNOW WHAT IN THE HELL TO CALL IT’ TEAM

We don’t quite know how to describe Texas A&M, because they’ve had such a seesaw time during their SEC career, so we’re just calling them a ‘thing’. Anyway, they are hosting Texas at Kyle Field, as well as the bonkers fanbases Notre Dame and LSU, and then an ‘easier’ one in Missouri. They will travel to Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State and South Carolina, and JerryWorld will host the usual crazy game against Arkansas, where no-one can be trusted to play any defense or kick a field goal.

THE ‘FINE AND SHRUG YOUR SHOULDERS’ TEAM

Kentucky: The Wildcats have been the model of consistency in recent years, and Mark Stoops is well-liked, because he’s on an even keel – a dimetric opposite to what’s happening to the basketball with John Calipairi. Anyway, Kentucky hosts Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina and Vanderbilt, and visits Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas and Louisville.

THE COACHING WEIRDNESS TEAM

Will Lane Kiffin be at Ole Miss by 2024? Probably not. He failed to get the job in Oxford. If a bigger job comes up, will he be able to resist? Anyway, Ole Miss plays Mississippi State at home (the SEC ain’t gonna destroy that one!) and gets Georgia, Kentucky and Oklahoma in Oxford. They travel to Arkansas, LSU, Florida and South Carolina. They also go on the road to Wake Forest.

On the other side of the state, the death of Mississippi State‘s Mike Leach had everyone in tears. Zach Arnett’s taken over. His 2023 is not expected to be very good, and it’s very possible that the school – and Arnett – decide that it’s better for all parties if Arnett escapes the ghost. Regardless of all that, Mississippi State travels to Ole Miss in 2024, as well as Arizona State, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. Name me an easy team on that away schedule. Please. And at home the Cowbellers play Arkansas, Florida, Missouri and Texas A&M. Geez, it’s possible they might not make a bowl game with that schedule.

THE ‘DYING FOR AN UPLIFT’ TEAM

Florida had one of the most unwatchable seasons in recent Gators history. Anthony Richardson overthrew everybody, the offense didn’t really do very much, and the defense was – at best – mediocre. Florida will play in-state rivalries Miami and Florida State, while also playing Georgia at the Cocktail Party. There are home dates with LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Kentucky, while they also go to Texas, Tennessee and Mississippi State. Eeesh.

We hope that Auburn has fired Hugh Freeze by 2024, but that’s because Hugh Freeze is an asshole. But he’ll probably be the CEO next year, and the War Eagle Tigers play Alabama and Georgia on the road alongside Kentucky and Missouri, and host Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. Cal also comes along to The Grove at the start of the season, too.

THE ‘FEELING BETTER, PERENNIALLY’

Vanderbilt under Clark Lea have been improving and improving and improving, while not getting the results that they want. Still, the 5-7 record – which included two wins in the SEC – was markedly better than predicted, and they could be bowl-expectant for the second year in a row in 2024. But in 2024, the excitement should be tempered a little, because of a tough schedule that features Alabama, South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee (home) and Auburn, LSU, Kentucky and Missouri on the road. They also play a stupid Neutral-Game-That-Nobody-Asked-For-Or-Will-Attend clash with Virginia Tech in Nashville (WHY DIDN’T THEY JUST HAVE THE GAME AT HOME???).

THE ‘COULD BE REALLY BAD’ TEAM

Missouri: At this point, I’m expected Eli Drinkwitz to be gone by the end of the 2023 season. It’s just not working in Columbia. He’s the type of guy who talks a lot of crap, but has nothing to back it up. Missouri’s bowl game ambitions are going to be helped by an easy 4 game non-conference schedule (‘highlighted’ by the visit of Boston College). They also get Arkansas, Auburn, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt at home (the OU one could be fun due to their rivalry in the old Big 8), and play Alabama, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and South Carolina on the road.