Nine rivalries safest from disruption when SEC football schedule format changes in 2024
The countdown to the Southeastern Conference's spring meetings in Destin, Florida, is now at about 60 days, which likely means 60 days, at most, before football scheduling drama comes to an end.
Or, more accurately, a new beginning.
Some rivalries that heretofore have been annual will be relegated to rotational matchups, and anticipation is high for an unveiling of the three annual opponents for each school. All this, of course, hinges on the league switching, as expected, to a nine-game conference schedule, and ending divisional play for a format that would rotate six opponents.
STAY UP-TO-DATE: Subscribe to our Sports newsletter now!
Which rivalries are least likely to be disrupted? Here are nine that, for varying reasons, are on the safest ground:
Alabama-Auburn
If ice melted under the feet of every other matchup in the league, the Iron Bowl would be the last one standing. The phrase "cold day in Hell" comes to mind.
Texas-Oklahoma
You don't bring these two into the fold only to take a hammer to the Red River Showdown. It remains to be seen how many throwback rivalries the SEC restores for these two newcomers, but their battle with one another is a no-brainer.
Florida-Georgia
Maybe it doesn't stay in Jacksonville long-term. And maybe its Halloweenish date − it's been played around that time almost without fail for decades − can't hold either. But there isn't a more intense border war in the league, and that brings staying power.
Alabama-Tennessee
Last year's game, which both teams entered with a top-10 ranking and delivered a thriller to end UT's 15-year drought in the series, served as the perfect reminder that this game is too much a part of SEC lore to mess with.
Texas-Texas A&M
There's a bitterness between these two that will drive TV ratings all over the Lone Star State. And it didn't exactly dissipate when the series was dropped after the Aggies bolted the Big 12 in 2012.
Georgia-Auburn
The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, as it's called, would be a hard one to let go. From a competitiveness standpoint, the Bulldogs have taken nine of the last 10 and 15 of the last 18, counting an SECCG matchup in 2017. That might make it a tempting cut, but there's too much history here.
Alabama-LSU
If there was any thought that this matchup was in jeopardy, it was vanquished when UA coach Nick Saban revealed that it was part of the league's preliminary proposal for Alabama's three permanent opponents. It's a can't-miss when both are contenders.
Ole Miss-Mississippi State
These two wouldn't know what to do if they didn't have Magnolia State bragging rights to battle over. The SEC isn't going to fool with a rivalry this natural, even if it's not the biggest TV draw.
Tennessee-Vanderbilt
Hey, we're picking the nine rivalries safest from disruption here, not the nine most competitive. The league isn't about to break up one of its four in-state rivalries (counting the return of Texas-Texas A&M, and all listed here). Plus, every school deserves the preservation of at least one natural rival, and without UT, the Commodores don't really have one.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: SEC football schedule 2024 format: Rivalries safest from disruption
