SEC to Use 8-Game Conference Schedule for 2024 CFB Season; Divisions to Be Eliminated

The SEC has made a big change for the 2024 college football season, though the number of conference games each team plays will remain the same.

The SEC will continue to use an eight-game conference scheduling format for 2024, according to Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated.

Teams will still be required to play against one Power Five nonconference opponent. But the one big change is that divisions will be eliminated, and the result is that the conference's top two teams will play in the conference title game.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement:

"We have been engaged in planning for the entry of Oklahoma and Texas into the SEC since the summer of 2021, but the change of the membership date from 2025 to 2024 creates scheduling complexities that can better be managed with a one-year schedule.

"Creating a one-year schedule will provide a longer on-ramp to manage football scheduling around existing nonconference commitments of our members," he continued. "It will also provide additional time to understand the impact of an expanded College Football Playoff and engage with our media partners as we determine the appropriate long-term plan for SEC football scheduling.

"During this time of change, our fans will continue to enjoy traditional rivalries and begin to see new matchups presented by the addition of two historically successful football programs to the SEC."

According to Emily Adams of the Greenville News, the 14 SEC university presidents voted unanimously in favor of the eight-game conference schedule in 2024, which is when Texas and Oklahoma will officially join the conference.

The additions of Texas and Oklahoma will expand the SEC from 14 to 16 teams.

The only other Power Five conference to preserve an eight-game conference schedule for 2024 is the ACC. The Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 voted for a nine-game schedule.

The SEC is expected to reevaluate switching to a nine-game conference schedule before the 2025 season.

Eliminating the East and West divisions, which had been intact since 1992, will also allow for the two best programs overall to square off in the SEC title game. Last season, Tennessee would have held the tiebreaker over LSU and Alabama for second in the conference, but LSU faced Georgia in the title game as the top team in the West division.

The college football landscape is always evolving, though it feels like more changes have come in recent years. The sport is about to get far more exciting in 2024, especially with the College Football Playoff expanding from four to 12 teams.