LSU schedule for Texas, Oklahoma debut SEC season
LSU’s 2024 SEC schedule has been released and with it is some fascinating matchups as Texas and Oklahoma join to shake up the conference.
With the addition, the SEC moves to 16 teams and will get rid of divisions and division champions playing in the SEC title game for 2024, instead simply taking the top two records. Therefore, scheduling is a significant point of discussion.
For the 2024 season, LSU will have home games against Oklahoma, as well as Alabama, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
The Tigers will go on the road to face Arkansas, Florida and Texas A&M, as well as South Carolina.
LSU will travel to Las Vegas to face Southern Cal in the opener, then host non-conference games against UCLA, South Alabama and Nicholls.
Dates and times for all kickoffs will be revealed at a later date.
A glimpse into Brian Kelly and the SEC’s approach to the future
The Tigers reached the SEC championship game in head coach Brian Kelly’s first year at the helm, going 6-2 in conference with a tiebreaker over Alabama in the head-to-head.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, along with the university presidents and athletic directors, reached an agreement for an eight-game SEC schedule in the coming years, despite initial excitement over a nine-game conference schedule from everyone involved. Eventually, the voting left the schedule at eight games, but maintaining two traditional rivals for each team with divisions gone.
“Again, when you think about the focus, we’ve had institutions emphasize the importance of some key games on both sides, but whether it’s the amount of change, onboarding, who’s going to play what, inserting new people into games, this provides us really an opportunity for a healthy transition.”
The transition from 14 teams to 16 teams is the top priority for Sankey, who has had plenty on his plate over the past few months as he positions the conference for 2024 and beyond.
“I think I’ve been clear about honoring traditional rivals so I’m excited about that, but I’m not going to give my schedule away right now. We understand the priorities. (We will) definitely to the extent we can (schedule secondary rivals).
“Over time, we won’t be shying away from anything. We just didn’t add another game during a period of transition. If you’re that impatient, I’m glad you’re not running a conference. We’re going to use the ability to look deeply at how we walk through issues, how we deal with change around the (College Football) Playoff, how we impact our media partner in a positive way, how we think about non-conference scheduling”
As for Brian Kelly, there was an initial support for a nine-game schedule with three yearly rivals, even vocalizing that support during the spring.
“I’ve been in this for three decades, and no disrespect to any of the other schools that we play outside of the SEC, but they just don’t excite me,” Kelly told ESPN. “I want to play the best. I came down here to the SEC because I wanted to play against Alabama. I want to play A&M. I want to play Auburn, the great teams.”
