December 7, 2024. The Podium after Georgia defeated Texas 22-19 in overtime to capture the 2024-25 SEC championship, with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey (above) on stage.
Q. ‘Kirby (Smart) what does the bye week before the Sugar Bowl mean to you and the team?’
A. ‘Well, it means a rest for a team that Greg Sankey and his staff sent on the road all year long …’
2025 means Georgia will play the same SEC opponents it played in 2024; however, in 2025, Georgia hosts The Sporting News Top 25 Composite (11 rankings used) Ranked Teams: No. 1 Texas; No. 9 Alabama; and No. 20 Ole Miss. The Dawgs visit No. 10 Tennessee, an always competitive Auburn, and play No. 15 Florida in Jacksonville. Whew!
As calculated by 247 Sports, based on the record of Georgia’s 2025 opponents in 2024, finished with a .585 win percentage. This includes eight in-conference games and four out-of-conference games. This gauntlet is the Ninth most difficult schedule in the SEC. Seven SEC teams have more Dawg Gone difficult schedules in 2025 than our friends in Athens. Have Mercy!
In 2026, perhaps Kirby should use a bullhorn aimed in Sankey’s direction? Mr. FishDuck discussed this crazy SEC scheduling with me after taking advantage of the DraftKings Promo Code and having some gaming fun.
Ten SEC teams are ranked in the TSN Composite Top 25! Only 62.5% of the Conference: 1. Texas; 4. Georgia; 8. LSU; 9. Alabama; 10. Tennessee; 12. South Carolina; 15. Florida; 20. Ole Miss; 23. Texas A+M, and 25. Missouri. Which is nice; however, these teams will play one another in 2025, and impact their number of wins.
The in-conference SEC schedules in 2025 will see the games played in different venues but the schedules are again unbalanced to say the least.
Texas has a dream schedule versus the brutal one the Bulldogs have. (Screenshot from ESPN Video)
I will go in-depth on the schedules of the teams ranked No. 1 through No. 23. Half of the conference will not be in contention for a playoff seed when the field is seeded on December 7, 2025. The 2025-26 field will be seeded a day earlier than in 2024 but the championship game will be played in Miami five days later than in 2024-25, on January 25th.
Ranking of 2025 SEC Schedules: Tied at 15. Missouri .500; 12. Auburn .563; 10. Vanderbilt .578; 5. Oklahoma .601; 4. Texas A+M .604; 3. Kentucky .655; 2. Mississippi State .660; Arkansas .680.
The SEC Contenders –
Tied at 15, Tennessee .500. The Vols play Georgia at home and visit Alabama. Do Not Play – Texas, LSU, South Carolina, and Ole Miss.
14. Ole Miss .535. The Rebels play at Georgia. LSU, South Carolina, and Florida visit Oxford. – Do Not Play – Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee.
How’s this for a rugged out-of-conference schedule: Georgia State; Tulane; The Citadel; Washington State? All cupcakes will be swallowed at home.
11. Alabama .564. Out-of-conference, Bama opens the season at FSU where The Tide will be ‘welcomed’ by a Seminoles team Bama knocked out of the 2023-24 playoff. Bama plays Wisconsin at home.
Alabama plays at Georgia and South Carolina, draws Tennessee and LSU at home as well as a Sooners team that shocked Bama in 2024. Will this team finish in the top 10 in 2025? A stellar roster, again, but will a new QB come through?
9. Georgia .585 – See above. I like Georgia to repeat as the SEC champ in 2025.
8. South Carolina .594. The Gamecocks open the season versus Virginia Tech and host Clemson in the final regular season game. Kentucky is the only SEC team on the schedule that did not go bowling in 2024-25.
Lots of 2024-25 playoff love for three-loss South Carolina before this SC lost to 9-3 Illinois. With this schedule and with no sneaking up on any opponent this season, I think a preseason of No. 12 for USC(E) is optimistic.
7. Florida .597 A repeat of the brutal 2024 SEC schedule and both Miami and FSU will be difficult out-of-conference games. The only contenders Florida misses are Texas and Alabama.
LSU still has a lot to prove in spite of their schedule. (Screenshot from ESPN Video)
6. LSU .600 The Tigers open at the Clemson Tigers in the other Death Valley and close with what could be a difficult game at Oklahoma. LSU misses Texas and Tennessee. With his QB back, the No. 1 portal class, and Notre Dame playing in last season’s champ game, this is a prove-it year for Brian Kelly. Another four-loss season without a playoff invite means bye-bye Baton Rouge.
Yes, I have saved Greg Sankey’s best buddy, the Texas Longhorns for last. Number 1 ranked Texas will play the 13th easiest schedule in the SEC in 2025, .554. Texas plays at Georgia and Florida and that’s all folks.
Texas’ .554 opponents record is goosed by opening at No. 2 ranked Ohio State. In addition to TOSU out-of-conference, Texas has to go against San Jose State, the UTEP Miners, and THE Sam Houston Bearkats. (Not a typo; possibly an abbreviation for Bear Skat?) No wonder SEC ADs want to take a Bowie Knife to this repeat of an SEC gift schedule for the Longhorns. (Especially the Oklahoma AD.)
My prediction, the SEC was Playoff-Hoist on its own Scheduling Petard of a Plan in 2024, and when it happens again in 2025, I want to hear no whining from the architect, Greg Sankey, and from the under performing Lame Kitten.
The B1G’s scheduling office gets a scheduling ‘A+’ compared to this solid SEC ‘F’ repeat. Why do you want to do this to the Dawgs and The Tide, again? Discuss with me in the only free, civilized Oregon Football Message Board, the Our Beloved Ducks forum about this SEC schedule.
It’s Only ‘Too Many Days’ before the Bobcats come calling!
Jon Joseph
Aiken, South Carolina
Top Screenshot from Hit That Line Video
Related Articles:
Jon Joseph grew up in Boston, Massachusetts but has been blessed to have lived long enough in the west to have exorcised all east coast bias. He played football in college and has passionately followed the game for seven decades. A retired corporate attorney Jon has lectured across the country and published numerous articles on banking and gaming law. Now a resident of Aiken South Carolina, Jon follows college football across the nation with a focus on the Conference of Champions and the Ducks.