Staples: How SEC Football Opponents Should Be Decided If Oklahoma, Texas Joins

Official word that Oklahoma and Texas will join the SEC in 2024 means the real backroom brawl can begin — though it likely started months ago. The conference will introduce a new planning format when the two new members join and this new format will require considerable debate provided schools choose the right format.

And let’s be clear: there is only one right format. Several schools last year pushed for the league to stay at eight conference games. Each team would have a permanent rival and the other 14 schools would rotate through the remaining seven spots twice every four years. That would be a massive mistake, and I don’t expect the SEC schools to make that mistake.

In case I didn’t make myself clear enough, I’ll repeat what I wrote in a column on Saturday about the new version of college football coming in 2024:

If you have Texas and Texas A&M in your league and you don’t let them play football every year, you’re stupid. If you hijack the league schedule for nearly 20 years to make sure Alabama and Tennessee play every season, and then stop playing that series annually only when it’s fun again, you’re stupid. If you stop playing the Deep South’s oldest rivalry (Auburn-Georgia) annually so Mississippi State can plot another easy win, you’re stupid.

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Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get to the task of setting up the actual schedule. There will be nine conference games and each team will have three annual opponents. The other 12 teams rotate through the remaining six spots twice every four years. This will fix the massive flaw in the division-based schedule that has been in effect since Missouri and Texas A&M joined the league in 2012. What error is this? Remember that awesome Georgia-Texas A&M game in College Station? Of course not. The Bulldogs haven’t visited Kyle Field for a conference game, even though the Aggies have been in the SEC since ELF FREAKING SEASONS.

The start to nine conference games has two goals. First of all, the sporting directors wanted to refresh their home game plans. The divisional format had grown old-fashioned—particularly in the East—and the aforementioned lack of variety made it difficult to sell season tickets on programs that don’t frequently compete for national titles. Second, it creates more blockbuster matchups for television.

The SEC wants to squeeze some more money out of ESPN for a lineup that now includes Oklahoma and Texas. ESPN doesn’t necessarily have to do more than its contracts with the SEC require (which predated the additions of the Sooners and Longhorns), but since ESPN plans on this being a long-term relationship with the SEC, it likely would would do well to remember how long SEC leaders held a grudge against CBS. This network refused to make more money when Missouri and Texas A&M joined the league, and now it will overpay for the second best Big Ten game instead of broadcasting the best SEC game.

But selecting these opponents is difficult. Some are simply due to long-established rivalries. Some are more difficult because it’s difficult to balance competitive balance with a desire to make the best games possible. One thing the SEC should definitely consider? Don’t write them in stone. When an annual streak doesn’t work out, or when a new rivalry arises between teams that don’t play every year, don’t be afraid to stir things up. You work in the entertainment industry. Make the most fun product.

The OU-Texas rivalry is sure to continue in the SEC. (Aaron E. Martinez / Austin American-Statesman / USA Today Network)

Let’s start with the school that’s easiest to measure against three rivals: Texas.

Anyone who isn’t a Texas fan loves to hate the Longhorns, and there are three schools in the new SEC that despise Texas with the fire of a thousand suns. Oklahoma and Texas A&M are obvious choices. But so is Arkansas, a longtime rival of Texas’ Southwest Conference. The Razorbacks joined the SEC in 1992 but never found anyone they hated like the Longhorns did. Now they can hate her again.

Texas: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Now let’s add the most obvious annual rivalries:

These are non-negotiable. The Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia rivalries were the games that kept the game plans from turning more heavily during division play. Now they won’t cause everyone else to miss a chance to see other schools.

This leaves Alabama, Auburn and Georgia with two solid opponents. We need to add one for each of these schools.

Before we do that, let’s examine a list of some of the most-played series in SEC history:

• Kentucky-Tennessee: These frontier opponents have played 118 times since 1893. Tennessee leads the series with an 83-26-9 record.

• Tennessee-Vanderbilt: These two can’t agree on whether the 1918 game happened. Tennessee claims it didn’t field a varsity team that year, but Vanderbilt dominated every team Tennessee fielded, and the Commodores are counting. If we go by Vandy’s math, the teams have played 118 times and Tennessee leads with a 79-34-5 record.

• LSU-Mississippi State: The Tigers and Bulldogs have met 116 times. LSU leads the series with a 77-36-3 record.

• LSU-Ole Miss: The Tigers and Rebels have met 110 times. LSU leads the series with a record of 65-41-4.

• Alabama-Mississippi State: These are the two closest SEC campuses (83 miles on US Highway 82) and the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have played 106 times. Alabama leads the series with an 85-18-3 record.

• Ole Miss-Vanderbilt: The Rebels and Commodores have played 95 times. Ole Miss leads the streak (closer than you probably thought) with a 53-40-2 record.

• Missouri-Oklahoma: This wasn’t an SEC rivalry, but the Tigers and Sooners — who played in the Big Eight and Big 12 together — have met 96 times. Oklahoma leads the series with a 67-24-5 record.

Before we bow to tradition and schedule these games, let’s look at some series that have been made better by division play:

• Florida-Tennessee: Although charter members of the conference, the Gators and Volunteers only met 21 times before the league split into divisions in 1992. In the early years of division play, Steve Spurrier’s Gators and Phillip Fulmer’s Volunteers were so good that the annual September matchup became the de facto title game of the conference. This led to a fierce rivalry – although Florida has won the most meetings since division play began. For a younger generation of Gators and Vols fans, this is a must-play rivalry.

• Alabama-LSU: These two teams met 87 times, but Nick Saban’s interference in the rivalry that began at LSU in 2000 made this perhaps the best SEC series of the 21st century.

• LSU-Texas A&M: These two have clashed on the recruiting path for decades, but the 2018 seven-overtime classic at Kyle Field turned it into a rivalry. It would be fun to continue playing this year.

• Georgia-South Carolina: The Bulldogs often played the Gamecocks when South Carolina was either in the ACC or on an independent team, but that streak has had its moments since the Gamecocks joined the SEC in 1992. Georgia is now 21-10 – and I’m sure someone would want to play the Bulldogs annually in their current form – but the Gamecocks could be a good third annual opponent for the Bulldogs.

Now let’s examine some rivalries eliminated by division play:

• Auburn-Florida: With the exception of two missed years during World War II, the Tigers and Gators played annually from 1927-2002. Both sides miss the game a lot.

• Auburn-Tennessee: The Tigers and Vols played annually from 1956-91. Then the splitting of the divisions made the series much rarer. It says something about the hospitality of Auburn fans that the people of Tennessee would love to see that rivalry restored.

It would be easy to compile the longest-running rivalries, but just because teams have been playing for a while doesn’t mean everyone wants to watch those games. I also originally thought that competitive balance should be the goal. For example, Auburn should get Vanderbilt because they already have to play Alabama and Georgia.

But after discussing these matchups on the podcast with colleagues Ari Wasserman and Seth Emerson, I’ve come to a different conclusion. The SEC is in the entertainment business. So while it should respect tradition – partly because exciting traditions get ratings – it should also try to create as many blockbuster matchups as possible.

Suggested SEC Protected Matchups

For that reason, I think Alabama and LSU should keep playing every year. This series has produced some of the most dramatic, highest-stakes matchups in the league this century. When CBS got a prime-time game every year, which game did they usually pick? Alabama-LSU.

Arkansas-Texas A&M hasn’t been as nationally relevant, but the Razorbacks and Aggies have played some thrillers since Texas A&M joined the league. This is not necessarily a nod to the Southwest Conference legacy of schools. If they stop playing interesting games, switch it up in four years. But for now, count on them to keep playing Nail Biters.

Also, Florida-Tennessee has become a popular rivalry. Why not keep playing? If the programs can get back to a point where both are on, this series would attract a lot of national interest.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma has Texas and Missouri. But why not team the Sooners with a different brand program for their third? Auburn and Florida each have one spot left. Let’s give the Sooners to the Gators because we have something spicy planned for the Tigers.

The storylines drive the drama, and Lane Kiffin vs former Ole Miss trainer Hugh Freeze feels pretty compelling. So let’s measure Kiffin’s Rebels against Freeze’s Tigers annually. If the games aren’t as fun as we hoped, switch it up in four years.

Kentucky, Missouri, and Vandy fans may find their trios boring, but these matchups will provide some balance. Additionally, the powerhouses will fill some of the other six spots on the conference schedule.

And if in four years one of them has emerged as a force, the league can shuffle the cards again and create new blockbusters.

GO DEEPER

What could the SEC schedule format, opponent structure with Oklahoma, Texas look like?

(Top Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images)