Pros, cons and verdict on SEC football 8- or 9-game conference schedule dilemma

What the SEC should do about its SEC football schedule in 2024, and beyond

While I can understand why some schools would prefer to keep it an eight-game schedule, it has to be a nine-game schedule with three annual rivals and six rotating opponents for so many reasons. The single biggest reason why you have to do it is the eight additional conference games you are getting every season. What are they taking the place of? Exactly! You have to have them!

I would still argue that Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina will still schedule Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Clemson annually, and will be encouraged to do so. It probably serves the SEC to require two Power Five games in the non-conference annually, in addition to a nine-game schedule. Again, it is about creating some level of Power Five parity to save the sport.

I find the 4-5/5-4 home/road split to be a moot point because it resolves itself every other year. You don’t see NFL teams falling to pieces over their 8-9/9-8 dilemma. They understand this is a business! If you want to keep games on neutral sites, do it. Because let’s be real, you’re going to watch a compelling game, no matter where it is played. TV ratings are the driving factor in all this.

And above all else, I don’t want the SEC to shamelessly kill its high-quality secondary rivalries. Some of my best moments as a Georgia fan have come in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry with Auburn and that border war we have with South Carolina. I love seeing the Dawgs play those games. I’d rather see those played annually than watch Scott Brooks schedule Dawg Water Tech.

Ultimately, the SEC needs to be smart in this and revisit the three permanent rivals every four years. If something gets spicy with a team somebody is only playing every other year, go mix it up. If one team is getting hosed by its three-team allotment, make an adjustment, I suppose. Either way, those eight additional conference games annually should make a huge difference over time.

SEC football is a television product, so you have to take a chance with the eight additional games.

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