SEC Network Commemorates New-Look SEC with Comprehensive 2024 College Football Slate

SEC Network kicks off the first season of a new era of the SEC with an expansive schedule of college football showdowns, starting on Thursday, Aug. 29. SECN's season opener is one of 38 matchups featuring Southeastern Conference squads across ESPN platforms in the first four weeks of the season, including 10 televised on SEC Network.

New this year is the debut of a new scheduling format for SEC games across all ESPN platforms, with the opportunity for teams and fans to know approximate start times for the entire season. Television windows (i.e., Early 12 to 1 p.m. ET start, Afternoon 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET start, or Night 6 to 8 p.m. ET start) will be announced for all remaining SEC-controlled games on Tuesday, June 11, with select games tagged as Flex games between the Afternoon and Night windows. SEC Now: Inside the 2024 Schedule premieres at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 11 to break down the full SEC schedule. Following The Paul Finebaum Show that day, the show will re-air at 7 p.m.

SEC Network kicks off the season in CoMo on Thursday, Aug. 29, with Missouri hosting Murray State at 8 p.m. for a Thursday tussle. The first full Saturday of the season showcases a new timing format for games on SECN, with start times now set for 12:45 p.m., 4:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. SECN is set for a trio of tripleheaders to kick off 2024, including the SECN debut for the Oklahoma Sooners on SEC Saturday Night in Week 2 (Sept. 7 | 7:45 p.m.). Kentucky (Aug. 31 | 7:45 p.m.) and Tennessee (Sept. 14 | 7:45 p.m.) round out the first three weeks for the SEC Saturday Night franchise.

SEC squads Auburn, Mississippi State and Ole Miss open their seasons on ESPN+ on Saturday, Aug. 31, with Week 2 welcoming Florida, Georgia, LSU and Missouri to the platform. These ESPN+ matchups will also be simulcast on SEC Network+, with both streams accessible in the ESPN App via connected devices.

Kickoff Week

A 70-game slate is set for Week 1, beginning Thursday, Aug. 29 through Labor Day Monday. As previously announced, ESPN kicks off Week 1 with a pair of two-time College Football Playoff champions clashing at the home of the 2025 CFP National Championship on Saturday, Aug. 31. Clemson will take on Georgia in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at noon on ABC.

At 3:30 p.m., the new SEC on ABC franchise will debut as the Florida Gators play host to Sunshine State foe Miami (Fla.) in The Swamp. In primetime, ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One will finish out the first full Saturday of the season with Notre Dame taking on Texas A&M and new head coach Mike Elko at 7:30 p.m. Labor Day Sunday spotlights a stunner from Sin City, as USC and LSU clash in ESPN Events' Vegas Kickoff Classic at Allegiant Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.

Several teams will be making their home debuts on ESPN in 2024 as members of new conferences. Oklahoma and Texas host home games as newcomers to the SEC: the Sooners welcome Temple at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30 before the Longhorns play host to Colorado State at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31. In addition to Elko's debut for Texas A&M, new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer will lead the Crimson Tide for the first time against Western Kentucky at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31 on ESPN. Last year, DeBoer guided Washington to an historic CFP runner-up finish.

Weeks 2 and 3

Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One returns to the Duke's Mayo Classic, this time featuring a matchup between Tennessee and NC State at 7:30 p.m. from Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium. At 3:30 p.m., SEC on ABC features its first all-SEC showdown between South Carolina and Kentucky from Kroger Field. Kicking off Week 2 in the noon ABC window is a renewed rivalry between Arkansas and Oklahoma State from Stillwater. The teams met nearly 50 times between 1912 and 1980 but haven't faced off in more than four decades. Week 2 on ESPN also features Alabama in primetime for the second straight week as they host South Florida at 7 p.m., followed by Mississippi State on the road against Arizona State at 10:30 p.m.

Week 3 ushers in an SEC on ABC tripleheader, the first of the new conference rights agreement. LSU travels to South Carolina for a noon matchup from Williams-Brice Stadium. At 3:30 p.m., Florida plays host to Texas A&M in The Swamp. In primetime on ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One, Kentucky hosts a showdown against perennial powerhouse Georgia at 7:30 p.m.

Schedules are subject to change. Please continue to check @ESPNPR and ESPN Press Room for more information. The 40-game Bowl Season schedule will be revealed on Thursday, June 6. Additional scheduling details, including talent assignments for each matchup, will be announced later this summer.

ESPN Platforms - 2024 Early Season SEC Football Schedule: SEC-Controlled Games and Neutral Site Games

Date Time (ET) Matchup Platform
Thu, Aug 29 7:30 p.m. Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Arkansas (from Little Rock) ESPNU
Thu, Aug 29 8 p.m. Murray State at Missouri SEC Network
Fri, Aug 30 7 p.m. Temple at Oklahoma ESPN
Sat, Aug 31 12 p.m. Aflac Kickoff: Clemson vs. Georgia (from Atlanta) ABC
Sat, Aug 31 12 p.m. Virginia Tech at Vanderbilt ESPN
Sat, Aug 31 12:45 p.m. Chattanooga at Tennessee SEC Network
Sat, Aug 31 3:30 p.m. Miami at Florida ABC
Sat, Aug 31 3:30 p.m. Colorado State at Texas ESPN
Sat, Aug 31 4:15 p.m. Old Dominion at South Carolina SEC Network
Sat, Aug 31 7 p.m. Western Kentucky at Alabama ESPN
Sat, Aug 31 7 p.m. Furman at Ole Miss ESPN+/SECN+
Sat, Aug 31 7:30 p.m. Notre Dame at Texas A&M ABC
Sat, Aug 31 7:45 p.m. Southern Miss at Kentucky SEC Network
Sat, Aug 31 7:30 p.m. Alabama A&M at Auburn ESPN+/SECN+
Sat, Aug 31 6 p.m. Eastern Kentucky at Mississippi State ESPN+/SECN+
Sun, Sep 1 7:30 p.m. Vegas Kickoff Classic: USC vs. LSU (from Las Vegas) ABC
Sat, Sep 7 12:45 p.m. McNeese at Texas A&M SEC Network
Sat, Sep 7 3:30 p.m. South Carolina at Kentucky ABC
Sat, Sep 7 3:30 p.m. California at Auburn ESPN2
Sat, Sep 7 4:15 p.m. Middle Tennessee at Ole Miss SEC Network
Sat, Sep 7 7 p.m. South Florida at Alabama ESPN
Sat, Sep 7 7 p.m. Samford at Florida ESPN+/SECN+
Sat, Sep 7 7:30 p.m. Duke's Mayo Classic: Tennessee vs. NC State (from Charlotte) ABC
Sat, Sep 7 7:30 p.m. Alcorn State at Vanderbilt ESPNU
Sat, Sep 7 7:30 p.m. Nicholls at LSU ESPN+/SECN+
Sat, Sep 7 7:45 p.m. Houston at Oklahoma SEC Network
Sat, Sep 7 2 p.m. Tennessee Tech at Georgia ESPN+/SECN+
Sat, Sep 7 7 p.m. Buffalo at Missouri ESPN+/SECN+
Sat, Sep 14 12 p.m. LSU at South Carolina ABC
Sat, Sep 14 12:45 p.m. Boston College at Missouri SEC Network
Sat, Sep 14 3:30 p.m. Texas A&M at Florida ABC
Sat, Sep 14 3:30 p.m. Tulane at Oklahoma ESPN or ESPN2
Sat, Sep 14 4:15 p.m. UAB at Arkansas SEC Network
Sat, Sep 14 7 p.m. UTSA at Texas ESPN
Sat, Sep 14 7:30 p.m. Georgia at Kentucky ABC
Sat, Sep 14 7:30 p.m. New Mexico at Auburn ESPN2 or ESPNU
Sat, Sep 14 7:30 p.m. Toledo at Mississippi State ESPN2 or ESPNU
Sat, Sep 14 7:45 p.m. Kent State at Tennessee SEC Network
Sat, Sep 28 7:30 p.m. Georgia at Alabama ABC
Sat, Oct 12 3:30 p.m. Allstate Red River Rivalry: Texas vs. Oklahoma (from Dallas) ABC or ESPN
Sat, Nov 2 3:30 p.m. Florida vs. Georgia (from Jacksonville) ABC
Fri, Nov 29 3:30 p.m. Mississippi State at Ole Miss ABC
Fri, Nov 29 7:30 p.m. Georgia Tech at Georgia ABC
Sat, Dec 7 4 p.m. SEC Championship (from Atlanta) ABC

-30-