The SEC won the TV ratings battle in the first year of megaconferences. So why not just run it back?
That’s not quite by design: Before this season, the conference decided to have 2025 repeat the same conference matchups as 2024, and that was mainly for simplicity’s sake, as the conference was unable to decide on a long-term schedule plan. But then this season happened: The SEC had eight of the top 10 regular-season matchups, per data released by Nielsen on Wednesday. Then after threats that tiebreakers would set up a wacky SEC championship, it produced the highest-rated game of the season so far.
Expansion, coupled with the end of divisions, created better and fresher matchups. It allowed the SEC to spread those games around: throughout the season and across three different windows. The conference ended up doing well in prime time, the 3:30 p.m. ET time slot and the noon slot, which had been dominated by the Big Ten.
That’s going to be the strategy again in 2025. The conference on Wednesday announced the dates for conference games — opponents and locations were already known — and there was again a clear distribution to make every Saturday meaningful.
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Here is the week-by-week schedule, including nonconference games, which were announced previously. The SEC filled in the conference game dates on Wednesday night. The game times will be announced later, so they’re listed in order of how interesting they appear to be, at least as we sit here right now. (At least for SEC and power conference matchups. The guarantee games are not in any particular order).
Week 1
Aug. 30
Texas at Ohio State
LSU at Clemson
Tennessee vs. Syracuse (Atlanta)
Alabama at Florida State
Auburn at Baylor
Georgia State at Ole Miss
Toledo at Kentucky Alabama A&M at Arkansas
Long Island at Florida
Marshall at Georgia
Mississippi State at Southern Miss
Central Arkansas at Missouri
Illinois State at Oklahoma
UTSA at Texas A&M
Charleston Southern at Vanderbilt
Aug. 31
South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech (Atlanta)
Week 2: Sept. 6
Michigan at Oklahoma
Kansas at Missouri
Ole Miss at Kentucky
Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech
Arizona State at Mississippi State
South Florida at Florida
Arkansas State at Arkansas (Little Rock)
Louisiana Tech at LSU
Ball State at Auburn
Austin Peay at Georgia
San Jose State at Texas
UL-Monroe at Alabama
South Carolina State at South Carolina
East Tennessee State at Tennessee
Utah State at Texas A&M
Week 3: Sept. 13
Texas A&M at Notre Dame
Georgia at Tennessee
Florida at LSU
Wisconsin at Alabama
Arkansas at Ole Miss
Vanderbilt at South Carolina
South Alabama at Auburn
Eastern Michigan at Kentucky
Alcorn State at Mississippi State
UL-Lafayette at Missouri
Oklahoma at Temple
UTEP at Texas
Texas A&M at Notre Dame
Week 4: Sept. 20
Florida at Miami
Auburn at Oklahoma
South Carolina at Missouri
Arkansas at Memphis
Tulane at Ole Miss
Georgia State at Vanderbilt
UAB at Tennessee
SE Louisiana at LSU
Northern Illinois at Mississippi State
Week 5: Sept. 27
Alabama at Georgia
LSU at Ole Miss
Notre Dame at Arkanas
Auburn at Texas A&M
Tennessee at Mississippi State
Kentucky at South Carolina
UMass at Missouri
Sam Houston at Texas
Utah State at Vanderbilt
Week 6: Oct. 4
Texas at Florida
Vanderbilt at Alabama
Kentucky at Georgia
Mississippi State at Texas A&M
Kent State at Oklahoma
Week 7: Oct. 11
Oklahoma vs. Texas
Georgia at Auburn
Alabama at Missouri
Florida at Texas A&M
South Carolina at LSU
Arkansas at Tennessee
Washington State at Ole Miss
Week 8: Oct. 18
Tennessee at Alabama
Ole Miss at Georgia
Oklahoma at South Carolina
Texas A&M at Arkansas
Missouri at Auburn
Mississippi State at Florida
LSU at Vanderbilt
Texas at Kentucky
Week 9: Oct. 25
Texas A&M at LSU
Alabama at South Carolina
Ole Miss at Oklahoma
Auburn at Arkansas
Tennessee at Kentucky
Texas at Mississippi State
Missouri at Vanderbilt
Week 10: Nov. 1
Georgia vs. Florida
South Carolina at Ole Miss
Oklahoma at Tennessee
Kentucky at Auburn
Mississippi State at Arkansas
Vanderbilt at Texas
Week 10: Nov. 8
LSU at Alabama
Texas A&M at Missouri
Florida at Kentucky
Auburn at Vanderbilt
Georgia at Mississippi State
The Citadel at Ole Miss
Week 12: Nov. 15
Texas at Georgia
Oklahoma at Alabama
Florida at Ole Miss
Arkansas at LSU
South Carolina at Texas A&M
Mississippi State at Missouri
Tennessee Tech at Kentucky
New Mexico State at Tennessee
Week 13: Nov. 22
Tennessee at Florida
Missouri at Oklahoma
Arkansas at Texas
Kentucky at Vanderbilt
Charlotte at Georgia
Eastern Illinois at Alabama
Mercer at Auburn
Western Kentucky at LSU
Coastal Carolina at South Carolina
Samford at Texas A&M
Week 14: Nov. 29
Alabama at Auburn
Ole Miss at Mississippi State
Texas A&M at Texas
Clemson at South Carolina
Georgia at Georgia Tech
Missouri at Arkansas
LSU at Oklahoma
Vanderbilt at Tennessee
Florida State at Florida
Kentucky at Louisville
(Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
