Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks to reporters during the conference's spring meetings, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Destin, Fla. (AP Photo/Ralph Russo)

SEC Decides on 8-Game Conference Schedule

Thursday, the Southeastern Conference announced each school will play eight conference games and one opponent from another Power Five conference beginning in 2024. Additionally, the East and West divisions will be eliminated. When Texas and Oklahoma join, the top two teams in the conference will face off in the SEC Championship. This design is set to be in place only for the 2024 college football season.

The Impacts of Texas and Oklahoma Joining the SEC

Texas and Oklahoma have been set to come to the SEC for the past few years now. This is a huge move because these are two programs that bring in talent, viewership and revenue. The SEC will be loaded with some of the nations largest and historic programs.

Adding the two teams to an established division was highly opposed because of the difficulty of schedules. There were discussions of 4-team pods being implemented based on geographical location. This could still be the long term solution, but the SEC will hold off on an announcement until next season.

FILE – In this Oct. 10, 2020, file photo, The Red River Showdown logo is displayed on the field of the Cotton Bowl, prior to an NCAA college football game between the University of Texas and Oklahoma, in Dallas. Texas and Oklahoma made a request Tuesday, July 27, 2021, to join the Southeastern Conference — in 2025 —- with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey saying the league would consider it in the “near future.” (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth, File)

How the Gators are Affected by the Division Change

Although it hasn’t been announced yet, the Gators will most likely play their annual rivalry game against Georgia. Other than that, there are no confirmed conference games that will be locked in each season. It is unknown if the team will face off with Texas or Oklahoma when they join the SEC.

The Gators will come into the 2024 season with, as it stands now, one of their best recruiting classes ever. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the 2024 class and highly talented pieces committed to come play football at Florida. If the Gators are matched up with an SEC juggernaut or one of the new teams, expect a highly competitive conference, as usual.

About Daniel Haviv

Hello, my name is Daniel Haviv and I'm a junior sports journalism student at the University of Florida. As a sports writer, I have published content on a multitude of different sports across all levels. Additionally, I was a beat reporter for the Gators Men's Basketball team for the 2022-2023 season. Game-day previews and post-game articles are featured.

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