SEC to play an 8-game conference schedule and remove divisions for the 2024 season

The SEC has announced a new scheduling format for the 2024 season. This comes as the league transitions to 16 teams with next year’s addition of the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners.

In the one-year schedule, SEC teams will play eight conference games, plus one opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, or major independent in 2024. The Kentucky Wildcats will meet that requirement with the annual Governor’s Cup series with the Louisville Cardinals.

However, it is still possible the league eventually moves to a nine-game schedule after 2024.

In addition, the SEC will eliminate divisional standings in 2024. The SEC Championship Game will feature the two top teams in the standings at the end of the regular season, so no more East vs. West.

This new format will allow every school to play each other a minimum of two times in a four-year period, regardless of whether the SEC utilizes an eight-game or nine-game format for future conference schedules.

“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,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey in a press release.

“Creating a one-year schedule will provide a longer on-ramp to manage football scheduling around existing non-conference commitments of our members. 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.”

Finally, Sankey also announced that each school’s opponents for the 2024 season will be announced on June 14th on a special primetime show on the SEC Network, so that’s when we’ll learn Kentucky’s full 2024 slate.

Go here to read the full announcement.