SEC approves scheduling format for seven sports

In just over 470 days, Oklahoma and Texas will join the SEC. To prepare, the conference has worked around the clock to find a scheduling format to accommodate the additions.

On Tuesday, the SEC announced that it had approved scheduling and conference tournament formats for the following sponsored sports:

• Baseball

• Gymnastics

• Indoor Track and Field

• Swimming and Diving

• Volleyball

The SEC has already approved the regular season schedule and championship formats for men’s basketball, women’s basketball, soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, and softball, and adding seven more sports means that the conference is that much closer to sealing a scheduling plan for football.

Here’s a look at what schedules for the seven previously mentioned sports will look like beginning in 2024-25:

Baseball

Taylor Jones/ Auburn Wire

• Regular season: Each season a team will play a three-game series against two permanent opponents and eight rotating opponents, for a total of 30 conference games. Standings will be kept in a single-division format.

• SEC Baseball Tournament:  Format to be determined

Gymnastics

Stew Milne/Getty Images

• Regular season: Each school sponsoring a gymnastics team will meet each other member institution at least once a year on an alternating home and away basis, consistent with the current process.  An additional week will be required to accommodate nine teams.

• SEC Gymnastics Championships: The championship will move from a one-day event to a two-day format. The semifinals will consist of two sessions of four teams each.  The top seed will receive a bye to the championship.  The top seed plus the two session winners in the semifinals and the team with the next highest score in the semifinals will advance to a four-team championship.

Swimming and Diving

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

• Regular season: The Conference Office will schedule two dual meets per program and each institution is responsible for establishing the dates and times of the meets, consistent with the current process.

• SEC Swimming & Diving Championships:  Same as current format with updated facility requirements.

Indoor track and field

Jamie Holt/Auburn Tigers

• Regular season: Each school sponsoring an indoor track and field team will schedule teams from other Conference institutions at its own discretion, consistent with the current process.

• SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships: The championship will move from a two-day event to a three-day format.

Volleyball

Grayson Belanger/ AU Athletics

• Regular season: Format to be determined.

• SEC Volleyball Tournament: A Conference tournament will be conducted for the first time since 2005.  All Conference teams will participate.  Still to be determined is whether the SEC Volleyball Tournament will resume following the 2024 season or following the 2025 season.

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire