SEC football schedule guide: Mapping out your best possible experience for 2024

The new SEC is here with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, and so is the new SEC TV viewing experience. The conference is no longer linked to CBS after 20-plus years and is now exclusively on ESPN Networks for the next 10 years. The kickoff times/windows for every single conference game were announced Tuesday.

Under CBS, 3:30 p.m. ET was seen as the golden time slot, and there’s been some dedication to prioritize that on ESPN, most notably moving the Red River Rivalry, which had been played previously at noon, to 3:30 p.m. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party between Georgia and Florida, appointment television in that 3:30 p.m. slot, will remain there Nov. 2 … on ABC.

ABC will air an SEC game every week, including that 3:30-4:30 p.m. kickoff slot, and will have the option to feature an SEC game on ABC’s “Saturday Night Football” for the first time.

The conference previously announced some bold moves to increase interest in certain weeks such as moving the Georgia-Georgia Tech and Egg Bowl rivalry games to Black Friday. Now with the full slate, we can somewhat see how the network plans to market one of the two premier conferences in the sport.

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There are four windows in the new TV format: early (Noon-1 p.m. kickoff); afternoon (3:30-4:30 p.m. kickoff); night (6-8 p.m. kickoff) and flex (option of afternoon or night kickoff).

Tuesday’s release is far from the full picture due to the number of flex options in weeks 4-14, but given that freedom, there’s a chance to explore game combinations that would maximize Saturdays in the South. Here would be the ideal “noon to night” slate for the ultimate SEC fan from Week 1 to Week 14. Here are the rules: one game per time slot in the early and afternoon windows and two night games.

Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs open their season against Clemson in Atlanta. (Dale Zanine / USA Today)

Weeks 1-3 were announced previously with times and TV slots, so the flex schedule comes into play in weeks 4-14, and that’s where things get interesting.

Note: All game times listed are ET; any games with TV/time slots in weeks 4-14 were announced previously.

Thursday, Aug. 29: Murray State at Missouri (7:30 p.m., SEC Network)

Friday, Aug. 30: Temple at Oklahoma (7 p.m., ESPN)

Saturday, Aug 31:

Early: Clemson vs. Georgia (noon, ABC)

Afternoon: Miami at Florida (3:30 p.m., ABC)

Night: Western Kentucky at Alabama (7 p.m., ESPN)/Notre Dame at Texas A&M (7:30 p.m., ABC)

Sunday, Sept. 1: USC vs. LSU (7:30 p.m., ABC)

It’s hard to imagine a better debut weekend for the new SEC-ESPN partnership than this. Beginning Saturday, there are high-stakes games at every turn: Georgia and Clemson, followed by Miami–Florida and College Football Playoff hopeful Notre Dame meeting first-year Texas A&M coach Mike Elko in College Station at night. Oh, and the Kalen DeBoer era begins at Alabama that night. Then the next day USC and LSU kick off from Las Vegas in a huge nonconference game.

How will ESPN’s branding of the SEC evolve? Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. ET window on CBS was must-see TV, the iconic high-pitched horns, drums and melodies that were the “SEC on CBS” theme song marked one of the South’s most recognizable tunes, and the pregame buildup packages set the stage for big games so well. What are we to expect from ESPN in this new era? We’ll find out in the opening week.

Missouri-Murray State gets the nod over Arkansas-Pine Bluff-Arkansas on Thursday as the Tigers have one of the sexy trending teams entering 2024. Oklahoma is the lone SEC team playing that Friday night.

Early: McNeese State at Texas A&M (12:45 p.m., SEC Network)

Afternoon: South Carolina at Kentucky (3:30 p.m., ABC)

Night: South Florida at Alabama (7 p.m., ESPN)/Tennessee vs. NC State (7:30 p.m., ABC)

Yes, Texas plays at Michigan, but that game will be on Fox, and for the purpose of this exercise, we’ll stick with ESPN networks.

McNeese State at Texas A&M is the lone early game in Week 2 and gets that slot. There are options for the afternoon slot, but none can top the first SEC game of the year between Kentucky and South Carolina, which could be an important swing game for bowl eligibility.

Remember last season when South Florida pushed Alabama to the brink in Week 3? That team ended up winning seven games and returned 72 percent of its production this year, which stands out among a group of lackluster night games. The headliner is Tennessee and NC State, which has sneaky College Football Playoff implications.

Early: LSU at South Carolina (noon, ABC)

Afternoon: Texas A&M at Florida (3:30 p.m., ABC)

Night: Georgia at Kentucky (7:30 p.m., ABC)/Toledo at Mississippi State (7:30 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNU)

Alabama at Wisconsin is the biggest game of the week but has been slated for Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff”; within the SEC, this is a potential pitfall week for Playoff hopefuls that need to avoid upsets. LSU is in that group, traveling to South Carolina, along with Georgia traveling to Kentucky for its first true road game of the year. Former Georgia players Brock Vandagriff and Jamon Dumas-Johnson will be key players for the Wildcats this season which adds another layer of intrigue.

Florida’s schedule is a gantlet, but there’s a huge opportunity to start 1-0 in SEC play against Texas A&M in the Aggies’ first road game.

Early: Florida at Mississippi State (noon, ABC or ESPN)

Afternoon: Arkansas at Auburn

Night: UCLA at LSU/Tennessee at Oklahoma

Now we get into the flex games and some projections. Florida at Mississippi State is the lone noon game of the week and a big spot for the Gators and first-year MSU coach Jeff Lebby, who could have his team at 3-0 at this point. Arkansas and Auburn is a flex game that gets the 3:30 p.m. time slot with Auburn likely being 3-0 to this point and Arkansas having a lot of early-season intrigue. UCLA-LSU gets flexed to night, showcasing the always dangerous Death Valley at night.

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Tennessee-Oklahoma is the highlight of the week: Josh Heupel is returning to Norman to welcome his alma mater to the SEC.

Early: Kentucky at Ole Miss (noon, ABC or ESPN)

Afternoon: Oklahoma at Auburn

Night: Georgia at Alabama (7:30 p.m., ABC)

This is a lighter slate with only six games, but one of those is the biggest game of the season to this point. Georgia, which presumably will be No. 1 or No. 2, will make its first trip to Tuscaloosa in four years, and it’s the first SEC game for Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer. The expanded Playoff will soften the blow for the loser, but it doesn’t get much bigger than this one.

Oklahoma making its first trip to Auburn gets the nod as the best afternoon game, although Arkansas-Texas A&M has produced good games recently. And after four weeks of lesser opponents, projected top-10 Ole Miss begins SEC play against Kentucky.

Early: Missouri at Texas A&M (noon, ABC or ESPN)

Afternoon: Ole Miss at South Carolina

Night: Auburn at Georgia/Central Florida at Florida

Auburn-Georgia usually was a shoo-in for the 3:30 p.m. slot on CBS, but this is the SEC flex era, so the rivals will get a night game, which should be on ABC. That accompanied by the scheduled night game between Florida and UCF is a solid pairing for ABC/ESPN.

Missouri-Texas A&M is the lone noon game as the teams will renew their rivalry (they’ve only faced off once since 2014). Ole Miss at South Carolina gets flexed to the afternoon slot, a sneaky spot for Ole Miss traveling to Columbia with the Gamecocks coming off a bye.

Early: South Carolina at Alabama (noon, ABC or ESPN)

Afternoon: Oklahoma vs. Texas (3:30 p.m., ABC or ESPN)

Night: Ole Miss at LSU/Florida at Tennessee

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This Saturday will be historic: the first Red River Rivalry game in SEC history. Usually a noon kickoff, this game will move into the 3:30 p.m. showcase. It’ll be different, but it’s going to be awesome.

Then at night, we get a pair of strong rivalry games. Ole Miss-LSU is prone to shootouts (see last season), and Florida has dominated Tennessee as of late, but the Volunteers likely will be favorites this fall.

Early: Auburn at Missouri

Afternoon: Alabama at Tennessee

Night: Georgia at Texas/LSU at Arkansas

The thought of Alabama and Tennessee playing under the Neyland Stadium lights with Playoff implications looming sounds enticing, but there’s no denying that Georgia and Texas is the marquee matchup of the week. There could be a chance both of those games are at night on ABC and ESPN, but Alabama and Tennessee getting flexed to the afternoon slot is familiar as this game was a mainstay in the 3:30 p.m. CBS slot. LSU-Arkansas, a scheduled night game, gets the other nighttime slot.

And keep an eye on the noon game featuring Missouri, which very well could be 7-0 entering that one.

Early: Oklahoma at Ole Miss

Afternoon: LSU at Texas A&M

Night: Missouri at Alabama/Auburn at Kentucky

There are two possible noon games to choose from: Oklahoma-Ole Miss and Arkansas at Mississippi State. Oklahoma has never been to Ole Miss, so that makes this an easy choice. LSU-Texas A&M gets flexed to the afternoon slot and is the better viewing option instead of Texas at Vanderbilt. LSU and A&M, which have split the past six matchups, should serve as a nice precursor to what’s expected to be a nationally relevant game between Alabama and Missouri.

Early: Ole Miss at Arkansas

Afternoon: Florida vs. Georgia (3:30 p.m., ABC)

Night: Kentucky at Tennessee/Texas A&M at South Carolina

Matching tradition, Florida and Georgia in the 3:30 p.m. slot is the premier game. But what will Florida be? That’s a question that could determine where the Gators are flexed as the season unwinds. Ole Miss-Arkansas is the better noon game over Vanderbilt at Auburn, and at night, Kentucky-Tennessee and Texas A&M-South Carolina could carry bowl eligibility. In Tennessee’s case, SEC championship and Playoff implications could be on the line.

Early: Florida at Texas (noon, ABC or ESPN)

Afternoon: Alabama at LSU

Night: Georgia at Ole Miss/Oklahoma at Missouri

Like Week 8, this week features several big games that could be flexed to the afternoon or night. The decision to flex Oklahoma-Missouri to night is an easy one. These old rivals started playing in 1902 but haven’t since 2011, so it’s time to renew it in prime time. Alabama-LSU vs. Georgia-Ole Miss for the second night game is a tough one. If Georgia and Ole Miss live up to the hype, the opportunity to feature Ole Miss in prime time in a potential top-five matchup is hard to pass on even if it’s for Alabama-LSU in Baton Rouge at night.

For that reason, the Rebels get the prime-time nod and Alabama-LSU flexes to a familiar 3:30 p.m. slot. At noon, big-time brands like Florida vs. Texas at noon is a great early game.

Early: Texas at Arkansas (noon, ABC or ESPN)

Afternoon: Missouri at South Carolina

Night: LSU at Florida/Tennessee at Georgia

Arkansas-Texas just feels like a game that should be played later, but it’s already set for a noon slot. Believe it or not, Arkansas has won the past two matchups. Elsewhere, LSU-Florida and Tennessee-Georgia get flexed to the night slots, and the Tennessee-Georgia game could be an SEC championship game eliminator by this point.

Early: Ole Miss at Florida (noon, ABC or ESPN)

Afternoon: Texas A&M at Auburn

Night: Kentucky at Texas/Alabama at Oklahoma

In what usually has been dubbed the “week off” before rivalry weeks in the SEC, this year’s Week 13 has several SEC matchups to watch. The flex options allow for something new: Texas and Oklahoma will host night games under the SEC banner. Without question, Oklahoma’s matchup with Alabama is the premier game of the week.

The two teams met in the early 2000s when Bob Stoops beat Dennis Franchione and then Mike Shula. My, how things have changed.

Friday, Nov. 29: Mississippi State at Ole Miss (3:30 p.m., ABC); Georgia Tech at Georgia (7 p.m., ESPN)

Saturday, Nov. 30:

Early: Tennessee at Vanderbilt (noon, ABC or ESPN)

Afternoon: Oklahoma at LSU

Night: Texas at Texas A&M/Auburn at Alabama

Rivalry weekend kicks off with a bang with in-state battles within Georgia and Mississippi. Good on the SEC for exploiting Black Friday, a day that typically has been dominated by the Big Ten. And Saturday, there’s an opportunity for something epic.

Two rivalries are available for a flex: the Iron Bowl and Texas and Texas A&M renewing a 13-year rivalry hiatus. The latter deserves a night game, but it’s about time for another prime-time Iron Bowl. Why not start one at 7 p.m. on ESPN and the other at 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. on ABC and completely dominate the night slate? Get your split screens ready.

Tennessee/Vanderbilt is the only noon game on the docket, and Oklahoma-LSU playing for just the fourth time ever feels like a strong flex opportunity to the afternoon window.

(Top photos of Carson Beck and Kalen DeBoer: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images; Gary Cosby Jr. / USA Today)