Conference realignment takes effect ahead of the 2024 college football season, and in the SEC, the additions of Texas and Oklahoma expand the league to 16 members and strengthen its claim as the nation’s premier conference. The first football schedule of the SEC’s new era is here, with the league unveiling dates for every matchup in its Wednesday evening release.
Attention turns to the Longhorns and Sooners in particular as they gear up for their first season against new competition. As College Football Playoff contenders, many of their games are among the most high-stakes and highly-anticipated contests on the league slate. The rekindling of old rivalries and beginning of new series against elite programs makes for a thrilling welcome to the SEC.
In addition to the games featuring new members, existing frontrunners go head-to-head in similarly monumental showdowns such as Georgia-Alabama, LSU-Alabama and others. These games will play integral roles in determining the league champion and CFP contenders but are known commodities in comparison to the new, exciting matchups.
In the last 72 hours, the Sooners were the beneficiaries of two monumental decisions from their two best defensive players, with safety Billy Bowman Jr. announcing Friday night his decision to return for his senior season and linebacker Danny Stutsman following suit Monday afternoon. Bowman’s announcement came four days after he sent many OU fans into a panic by brushing aside a question about his future during an appearance on Sooner Sports Talk, while Stutsman’s announcement — replete with a minute-long video featuring Brian Bosworth, a private jet and a pair of white Corvettes — came a week after reports surfaced that the linebacker was expected to declare for the NFL Draft.
Leave a Reply