With minimal fanfare, the SEC released its conference scheduling rotation for the next 12 seasons on Monday afternoon.
Every SEC team's rotating opponent through 2025: pic.twitter.com/xSVQoC4eef
— SB Nation CFB (@SBNationCFB) May 19, 2014
Considering we've gotten used to trickles of scheduling information, this is a firehose. Let's dissect.
Year | Home SEC Opponents | Road SEC Opponents |
2015 | Florida Mississippi State South Carolina Tennessee |
Arkansas Georgia Kentucky Vanderbilt |
2016 | Arkansas Georgia Kentucky Vanderbilt |
Florida LSU South Carolina Tennessee |
2017 |
Auburn Florida South Carolina Tennessee |
Arkansas Georgia Kentucky Vanderbilt |
2018 | Arkansas Georgia Kentucky Vanderbilt |
Alabama Florida South Carolina Tennessee |
2019 | Florida Ole Miss South Carolina Tennessee |
Arkansas Georgia Kentucky Vanderbilt |
2020 | Arkansas Georgia Kentucky Vanderbilt |
Florida Mississippi State South Carolina Tennessee |
2021 | Florida South Carolina Tennessee Texas A&M |
Arkansas Georgia Kentucky Vanderbilt |
2022 | Arkansas Georgia Kentucky Vanderbilt |
Auburn Florida South Carolina Tennessee |
2023 | Florida LSU South Carolina Tennessee |
Arkansas Georgia Kentucky Vanderbilt |
2024 | Arkansas Georgia Kentucky Vanderbilt |
Florida Ole Miss South Carolina Tennessee |
2025 |
Alabama Florida South Carolina Tennessee |
Arkansas Georgia Kentucky Vanderbilt |
Quick reactions:
- So basically, the rotation is Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt on one side (home or away), with Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Random SEC West Opponent on the other. In terms of competitive balance, that isn't bad, though for perfect historical balance one would prefer having a home game against either Kentucky or Vanderbilt in a given year instead of both or neither.
- I'm relieved to see that the league didn't choose home-and-homes in back-to-back years. That would result in an awkward situation in which Missouri didn't play West opponents for 10 years at a time. Instead, the Tigers will play all six (along with annual rival Arkansas) within six years, then play the back end of home-and-homes over the next six years. While that means LSU doesn't come to town until 2023, it at least means Missouri and LSU play before 2023. (Actually, Maty Mauk's senior season will coincide with a trip to Death Valley, which is fun.)
- I still enjoy the thought of keeping some permanent rivalries and making others simply more prevalent (but not annual), like what I advocated a couple of years ago. That said, playing everybody within six years is still pretty good, as is developing an annual rivalry with Arkansas. I'm easy to please.
- If the 2015 Arkansas State road game is indeed moved to St. Louis as rumored, that means Missouri will have road trips to St. Louis, Memphis, Fayetteville, Lexington, and Nashville (and, yes, Athens), all of which are easily within a day's drive. (A trip to Jonesboro is, too, obviously.) In fact, that's perhaps as doable as any road slate Mizzou ever had in the Big 12.