ATHENS — The Georgia Bulldogs found out Wednesday they’ll have one of the SEC’s tougher football schedules in 2024.
That was the primary revelation after the league finally released all the dates for the newly expanded, 16-team conference on the SEC Network Wednesday night. The SEC and its teams have known their dates and opponents since settling on an eight-game, non-divisional format last summer. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shared Georgia’s full schedule last week.
But now that league has released everybody’s full slates, comparative perspective illustrates that the Bulldogs received one of the SEC’s tougher draws. Georgia will play only six home games and only one in the first five weeks of the season. The Bulldogs open versus Clemson at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and play Kentucky (Sept. 14), Alabama (Sept. 28) and Texas (Oct. 19) on the road in the first seven games.
“The ‘front-loadedness,’ if that’s a word, of their schedule makes it very, very difficult compared to what they had this past season,” ESPN analyst Greg McElroy observed.
Added co-analyst Joey Galloway: “The thing that stands out is the amount of ‘ats’ early. Their toughest games are all on the road.”
Florida might trade its difficult finish for the Bulldogs’ tough start. The Gators conclude the regular season with a five-game stretch of Georgia in Jacksonville, Texas in Austin, LSU and Ole Miss at home and then Florida State on the road.
Compare that with Auburn, which plays its first five games at home in consecutive weeks before finally going on the road to face the Bulldogs on Oct. 5. Then the Tigers play three games against Missouri, Kentucky and Vanderbilt sandwiched between bye weeks. The Iron Bowl versus Alabama will be played in Tuscaloosa in 2024, but only after Auburn plays its seventh and eighth home games versus Louisiana-Monroe and Texas A&M.
Every existing SEC team was required to play either Oklahoma or Texas in this first year of expansion. Two-time defending national champion Georgia will play Longhorns in Austin on Oct. 19, while 2023 SEC champion Alabama gets Oklahoma in Norman on Nov. 23, the week before it plays Auburn.
The SEC seemed to take it easy on its new members, though every team will have played every other within a four-year span. Texas has one of the biggest out-of-conference games of the season when it travels to Michigan in Week 2. But the Longhorns’ most difficult away game doesn’t come until the final week of the regular season when it faces archrival Texas A&M in College Station on Nov. 30.
Likewise, Oklahoma doesn’t leave Norman until it goes to Auburn in Week 5. The Sooners’ toughest road test won’t come until the season’s 14th week, when it travels to Baton Rouge to face LSU.
Other teams that made out relatively well include Missouri, which won’t play an away game until it goes to College Station on Oct. 5 (and that’s after a bye), and Tennessee, which picks up former West bottom-feeders Arkansas and Mississippi State and hosts Florida and Alabama at Neyland Stadium (though in back-to-back weeks).
In contrast, Georgia’s slate looks more challenging. After dropping annual East opponents Missouri, South Carolina and Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs picked up former West members Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, the first two of which they’ll play on the road. Traditional rivals Auburn, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee remained on the schedule.
A tough draw, for sure, but nothing the two-time national champions shouldn’t be able to handle. And with the 12-team College Football Playoff starting next year, a single loss – and maybe even two – shouldn’t derail any SEC team’s hopes of being a participant.
The SEC will introduce more permanent, rotating schedules sometime before the 2025 season. The league is still debating whether that will feature eight or nine conference games.
2024 FULL SEC SCHEDULE
Alabama Crimson Tide
Aug. 31: vs. Western Kentucky Sept. 7: vs. South Florida Sept. 14: at Wisconsin Sept. 21: Bye Sept. 28: vs. Georgia Oct. 5: at Vanderbilt Oct. 12: vs. South Carolina Oct. 19: at Tennessee Oct. 26: vs. Missouri Nov. 2: Bye Nov. 9: at LSU Nov. 16: vs. Mercer Nov. 23: at Oklahoma Nov. 30: vs. Auburn
Arkansas Razorbacks
Aug 31: vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Little Rock) Sept. 7: at Oklahoma State Sept. 14: vs. Alabama-Birmingham Sept. 21: at Auburn Sept. 28: vs. Texas A&M (Arlington, Texas) Oct. 5: vs. Tennessee Oct. 12: Bye Oct. 19: vs. LSU Oct. 26: at Mississippi State Nov. 2: vs. Ole Miss Nov. 9: Bye Nov. 16: vs. Texas Nov. 23: vs. Louisiana Tech Nov. 30: at Missouri
Auburn Tigers
Aug 31: vs. Alabama A&M Sept. 7: vs. California Sept. 14: vs. New Mexico Sept. 21: vs. Arkansas Sept. 28: vs. Oklahoma Oct. 5: at Georgia Oct. 12: Bye Oct. 19: at Missouri Oct. 26: at Kentucky Nov. 2: vs. Vanderbilt Nov. 9: Bye Nov. 16: vs. Louisiana-Monroe Nov. 23: vs. Texas A&M Nov. 30: at Alabama
Florida Gators
Aug 31: vs. Miami Sept. 7: vs. Samford Sept. 14: vs. Texas A&M Sept. 21: at Mississippi State Sept. 28: Bye Oct. 5: vs. Central Florida Oct. 12: at Tennessee Oct. 19: vs. Kentucky Oct. 26: Bye Nov. 2: vs. Georgia (Jacksonville) Nov. 9: at Texas Nov. 16: vs. LSU Nov. 23: vs. Ole Miss Nov. 30: at Florida State
Georgia Bulldogs
Aug. 31: vs. Clemson (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) Sept. 7: vs. Tennessee Tech Sept. 14: at Kentucky Sept. 21: Bye Sept. 28: at Alabama (7:30 p.m., ABC) Oct. 5: vs. Auburn Oct. 12: vs. Mississippi State Oct. 19: at Texas Oct. 26: Bye Nov. 2: vs. Florida (Jacksonville) Nov. 9: at Ole Miss Nov. 16: vs. Tennessee Nov. 23: vs. Massachusetts Nov. 30: vs. Georgia Tech
Kentucky Wildcats
Aug. 31: vs. Southern Miss Sept. 7: vs. South Carolina Sept. 14: vs. Georgia Sept. 21: vs. Ohio Sept. 28: at Ole Miss Oct. 5: Bye Oct. 12: vs. Vanderbilt Oct. 19: at Florida Oct. 26: vs. Auburn Nov. 2: at Tennessee Nov. 9: Bye Nov. 16: vs. Murray State Nov. 23: at Texas Nov. 30: vs. Louisville
LSU Tigers
Sept. 1: vs. USC (Las Vegas, 7:30 p.m., ABC) Sept. 7: vs. Nicholls Sept. 14: at South Carolina Sept. 21: vs. UCLA Sept. 28: vs. South Alabama Oct. 5: Bye Oct. 12: vs. Ole Miss Oct. 19: at Arkansas Oct. 26: at Texas A&M Nov. 2: Bye Nov. 9: vs. Alabama Nov. 16: at Florida Nov. 23: vs. Vanderbilt Nov. 30: vs. Oklahoma
Miss. State Bulldogs
Aug. 31: vs. Eastern Kentucky Sept. 7: at Arizona State Sept. 14: vs. Toledo Sept. 21: vs. Florida Sept. 28: at Texas Oct. 5: Bye Oct. 12: at Georgia Oct. 19: vs. Texas A&M Oct. 26: vs. Arkansas Nov. 2: vs. Massachusetts Nov. 9: at Tennessee Nov. 16: Bye Nov. 23: vs. Missouri Nov. 30: at Ole Miss
Missouri Tigers
Aug. 31: vs. Murray State Sept. 7: vs. Buffalo Sept. 14: vs. Boston College Sept. 21: vs. Vanderbilt Sept. 28: Bye Oct. 5: at Texas A&M Oct. 12: at Massachusetts Oct. 19: vs. Auburn Oct. 26: at Alabama Nov. 2: Bye Nov. 9: vs. Oklahoma Nov. 16: at South Carolina Nov. 23: at Mississippi State Nov. 30: vs. Arkansas
Oklahoma Sooners
Aug. 31: vs. Temple Sept. 7: vs. Houston Sept. 14: vs. Tulane Sept. 21: vs. Tennessee Sept. 28: at Auburn Oct. 5: Bye Oct. 12: vs. Texas (Dallas) Oct. 19: vs. South Carolina Oct. 26: at Ole Miss Nov. 2: vs. Maine Nov. 9: at Missouri Nov. 16: Bye Nov. 23: vs. Alabama Nov. 30: at LSU
Ole Miss Rebels
Aug. 31: vs. Furman Sept. 7: vs. Middle Tennessee Sept. 14: at Wake Forest Sept. 21: vs. Georgia Southern Sept. 28: vs. Kentucky Oct. 5: at South Carolina Oct. 12: at LSU Oct. 19: Bye Oct. 26: vs. Oklahoma Nov. 2: at Arkansas Nov. 9: vs. Georgia Nov. 16: Bye Nov. 23: at Florida Nov. 30: vs. Mississippi State
South Carolina Gamecocks
Aug 31: vs. Old Dominion Sept. 7: at Kentucky Sept. 14: vs. LSU Sept. 21: vs. Akron Sept. 28: Bye Oct. 5: vs. Ole Miss Oct. 12: at Alabama Oct. 19: at Oklahoma Oct. 26: Bye Nov. 2: vs. Texas A&M Nov. 9: at Vanderbilt Nov. 16: vs. Missouri Nov. 23: vs. Wofford Nov. 30: at Clemson
Tennessee Volunteers
Aug. 31: vs. Chattanooga Sept. 7: vs. N.C. State (Charlotte, North Carolina) Sept. 14: vs. Kent State Sept. 21: at Oklahoma Sept. 28: Bye Oct. 5: at Arkansas Oct. 12: vs. Florida Oct. 19: vs. Alabama Oct. 26: Bye Nov. 2: vs. Kentucky Nov. 9: vs. Mississippi State Nov. 16: at Georgia Nov. 23: vs. Texas-El Paso Nov. 30: at Vanderbilt
Texas A&M Aggies
Aug. 31: vs. Notre Dame Sept. 7: vs. McNeese Sept. 14: at Florida Sept. 21: vs. Bowling Green Sept. 28: vs. Arkansas (Arlington, Texas) Oct. 5: vs. Missouri Oct. 12: Bye Oct. 19: at Mississippi State Oct. 26: vs. LSU Nov. 2: at South Carolina Nov. 9: Bye Nov. 16: vs. New Mexico State Nov. 23: at Auburn Nov. 30: vs. Texas
Texas Longhorns
Aug. 31: vs. Colorado State Sept. 7: at Michigan Sept. 14: vs. Texas-San Antonio Sept. 21: vs. Louisiana-Monroe Sept. 28: vs. Mississippi State Oct. 5: Bye Oct. 12: vs. Oklahoma (Dallas) Oct. 19: vs. Georgia Oct. 26: at Vanderbilt Nov. 2: Bye Nov. 9: vs. Florida Nov. 16: at Arkansas Nov. 23: vs. Kentucky Nov. 30: at Texas A&M
Vanderbilt Commodores
Aug. 31: vs. Virginia Tech Sept. 7: vs. Alcorn State Sept. 14: at Georgia State Sept. 21: at Missouri Sep. 28: Bye Oct. 5: vs. Alabama Oct. 12: at Kentucky Oct. 19: vs. Ball State Oct. 26: vs. Texas Nov. 2: at Auburn Nov. 9: vs. South Carolina Nov. 16: Bye Nov. 23: at LSU Nov. 30: vs. Tennessee
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