The football season may have already kicked off in Ireland last weekend, but the true Week 1 of the 2024 college football season is right around the corner.
Two SEC teams will play their first game on Thursday, one will play on Friday, 12 will play on Saturday, and one team will close the week out on Sunday. That makes 16 SEC games in four days for all the conference junkies out there.
Twelve SEC programs are set to open the season against an unranked opponent, which means that four SEC teams are set to take on a team in the AP Top 25: No. 1 Georgia will play No. 14 Clemson, Florida takes on No. 19 Miami, No. 20 Texas A&M hosts No. 7 Notre Dame, and No. 13 LSU will play No. 23 Southern California in Las Vegas.
Here’s a look at the Week 1 SEC schedule featuring four straight days of conference football:
Week 1 SEC Football Schedule
*All times in Eastern Standard Time*
Thursday
Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs Arkansas – 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU (Game in Little Rock)
Murray State @ No. 11 Missouri – 8:00 p.m. on SEC Network
Friday
Temple @ No. 16 Oklahoma – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday
Virginia Tech @ Vanderbilt – 12:00 p.m. on ESPN
No. 14 Clemson vs No. 1 Georgia – 12:00 p.m. on ABC (Game in Atlanta)
Chattanooga @ No. 15 Tennessee – 12:45 p.m. on SEC Network
Colorado State @ No. 4 Texas – 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
No. 19 Miami (FL) @ Florida – 3:30 p.m. on ABC
Old Dominion @ South Carolina – 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network
Eastern Kentucky @ Mississippi State – 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+
Western Kentucky @ No. 5 Alabama – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN
Furman @ No. 6 Ole Miss – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+/SEC Network+
Alabama A&M @ Auburn – 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+/SEC Network+
No. 7 Notre Dame @ No. 20 Texas A&M – 7:30 p.m. on ABC
Southern Miss @ Kentucky – 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network
Sunday
No. 23 Southern Cal vs No. 13 LSU – 7:30 p.m. on ABC (Game in Las Vegas)
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The easiest answer to the SEC’s toughest Week 1 opponent has to be Texas A&M’s home opponent of No. 7 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are the No. 7 team in the AP rankings and land at the same spot in ESPN’s FPI rankings. Clemson also has the same ranking in the AP Poll and the FPI, but Georgia should be able to take care of business in their own backyard (Atlanta).
LSU and USC both have higher FPI slots than AP Poll positions, indicating that Southern California could present a tougher challenge than expected for the Tigers this weekend. ESPN has USC five spots higher than their poll position, while LSU is just one spot up. LSU’s travel across the country to Nevada could also make the game a touch tougher.
Florida has a tough opponent of No. 19 Miami this weekend, but the Gators are actually ranked three spots higher than the Hurricanes in ESPN’s FPI. The Gators have a quality roster but a brutal 2024 schedule, so maybe picking up upset here if you’re looking for good value could be a move.
No. 15 Tennessee will open the season against Chattanooga on Saturday afternoon. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for complete Tennessee Football coverage this weekend.
