Just in time for the start of the 2013 season, the SEC has looked ahead to next year and unveiled its slate of games for the 2014 season.
Highlighting that schedule release are several cross-division matchups, beginning with Texas A&M traveling to South Carolina Aug. 28 to open the 2014 regular season. Another must-see game includes the Aggies, with LSU taking a trip into College Station Thanksgiving weekend. That Thursday night matchup will be the first football game televised on the new SEC Network.
The final crossover games to note -- aside from the protected ones -- next season involve Florida, and it’s brutal: Alabama hosting the Gators Sept. 20, with UF hosting LSU three weeks later.
“The SEC Presidents and Chancellors have committed to a review of football scheduling to be completed in time for preparation of the 2016 schedule,” commissioner Mike Slive said at the spring meetings. “The objective of this review is to develop a scheduling format for the 2016 season and beyond, which will be in the best interests of the conference. The conference’s current 6-1-1 scheduling format will continue until a new format is approved by the conference membership.”
Other notes from the schedule release before getting to the full slate of games:
-- A&M will have just three conference games in College Station in 2014 (Ole Miss, Missouri and LSU). The fourth will be played in Dallas against Arkansas.
--For the first time in over two decades, Tennessee and Florida won’t meet on the third Saturday in September. In 2014, the Vols-Gator matchup will take place Oct. 4 in Knoxville.
-- Georgia will avoid playing Alabama in the regular season -- the teams squared off in the 2012 SEC championship game -- for the sixth year in a row, having last played the Tide in 2008 (41-30 loss).
-- A&M-USC and Missouri-Arkansas are the other permanent crossover games beginning with this schedule release.
-- The in-state Kentucky-Louisville rivalry game will be played on the final weekend of the regular season beginning in 2014. That will be the Cardinals first year in the ACC.
After the jump is the complete list of 2014 conferences games, both week-to-week and team-by-team.
Week-by-Week
Aug. 28
Texas A&M at South Carolina
Aug. 30
Arkansas at Auburn
Sept. 6
Ole Miss at Vanderbilt
Sept. 13
Kentucky at Florida
Georgia at South Carolina
Sept. 20
Florida at Alabama
Mississippi State at LSU
South Carolina at Vanderbilt
Sept. 27
Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (Dallas)
Tennessee at Georgia
Vanderbilt at Kentucky
Missouri at South Carolina
Oct. 4
Alabama at Ole Miss
LSU at Auburn
Florida at Tennessee
Vanderbilt at Georgia
South Carolina at Kentucky
Texas A&M at Mississippi State
Oct. 11
Alabama at Arkansas
Auburn at Mississippi State
LSU at Florida
Georgia at Missouri
Ole Miss at Texas A&M
Oct. 18
Texas A&M at Alabama
Georgia at Arkansas
Missouri at Florida
Kentucky at LSU
Tennessee at Ole Miss
Oct. 25
Alabama at Tennessee
South Carolina at Auburn
Mississippi State at Kentucky
Ole Miss at LSU
Vanderbilt at Missouri
Nov. 1
Arkansas at Mississippi State
Auburn at Ole Miss
Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)
Kentucky at Missouri
Tennessee at South Carolina
Nov. 8
Alabama at LSU
Texas A&M at Auburn
Florida at Vanderbilt
Georgia at Kentucky
Nov. 15
Mississippi State at Alabama
LSU at Arkansas
Auburn at Georgia
South Carolina at Florida
Kentucky at Tennessee
Missouri at Texas A&M
Nov. 22
Ole Miss at Arkansas
Vanderbilt at Mississippi State
Missouri at Tennessee
Nov. 27
LSU at Texas A&M
Nov. 29
Auburn at Alabama
Arkansas at Missouri
Mississippi State at Ole Miss
Tennessee at Vanderbilt
2014 SEC Football Schedule (Conference Games Only)
Team-By-Team
ALABAMA
Sept. 20 - FLORIDA
Oct. 4 - at Ole Miss
Oct. 11 - at Arkansas
Oct. 18 - TEXAS A&M
Oct. 25 - at Tennessee
Nov. 8 - at LSU
Nov. 15 - MISSISSIPPI STATE
Nov. 29 - AUBURN
ARKANSAS
Aug. 30 - at Auburn
Sept. 27 - vs. Texas A&M (Dallas)
Oct. 11 - ALABAMA
Oct. 18 - GEORGIA
Nov. 1 - at Mississippi State
Nov. 15 - LSU
Nov. 22 - OLE MISS
Nov. 29 - at Missouri
AUBURN
Aug. 30 - ARKANSAS
Oct. 4 - LSU
Oct. 11 - at Mississippi State
Oct. 25 - SOUTH CAROLINA
Nov. 1 - at Ole Miss
Nov. 8 - TEXAS A&M
Nov. 15 - at Georgia
Nov. 29 - at Alabama
FLORIDA
Sept. 13 - KENTUCKY
Sept. 20 - at Alabama
Oct. 4 - at Tennessee
Oct. 11 - LSU
Oct. 18 - MISSOURI
Nov. 1 - vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)
Nov. 8 - at Vanderbilt
Nov. 15 - SOUTH CAROLINA
GEORGIA
Sept. 13 - at South Carolina
Sept. 27 - TENNESSEE
Oct. 4 - VANDERBILT
Oct. 11 - at Missouri
Oct. 18 - at Arkansas
Nov. 1 - vs. Florida (Jacksonville)
Nov. 8 - at Kentucky
Nov. 15 - AUBURN
KENTUCKY
Sept. 13 - at Florida
Sept. 27 - VANDERBILT
Oct. 4 - SOUTH CAROLINA
Oct. 18 - at LSU
Oct. 25 - MISSISSIPPI STATE
Nov. 1 - at Missouri
Nov. 8 - GEORGIA
Nov. 15 - at Tennessee
LSU
Sept. 20 - MISSISSIPPI STATE
Oct. 4 - at Auburn
Oct. 11 - at Florida
Oct. 18 - KENTUCKY
Oct. 25 - OLE MISS
Nov. 8 - ALABAMA
Nov. 15 - at Arkansas
Nov. 27 - at Texas A&M
OLE MISS
Sept. 6 - at Vanderbilt
Oct. 4 - ALABAMA
Oct. 11 - at Texas A&M
Oct. 18 - TENNESSEE
Oct. 25 - at LSU
Nov. 1 - AUBURN
Nov. 22 - at Arkansas
Nov. 29 - MISSISSIPPI STATE
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 20 - at LSU
Oct. 4 - TEXAS A&M
Oct. 11 - AUBURN
Oct. 25 - at Kentucky
Nov. 1 - ARKANSAS
Nov. 15 - at Alabama
Nov. 22 - VANDERBILT
Nov. 29 - at Ole Miss
MISSOURI
Sept. 27 - at South Carolina
Oct. 11 - GEORGIA
Oct. 18 - at Florida
Oct. 25 - VANDERBILT
Nov. 1 - KENTUCKY
Nov. 15 - at Texas A&M
Nov. 22 - at Tennessee
Nov. 29 - ARKANSAS
SOUTH CAROLINA
Aug. 28 - TEXAS A&M
Sept. 13 - GEORGIA
Sept. 20 - at Vanderbilt
Sept. 27 - MISSOURI
Oct. 4 - at Kentucky
Oct. 25 - at Auburn
Nov. 1 - TENNESSEE
Nov. 15 - at Florida
TENNESSEE
Sept. 27 - at Georgia
Oct. 4 - FLORIDA
Oct. 18 - at Ole Miss
Oct. 25 - ALABAMA
Nov. 1 - at South Carolina
Nov. 15 - KENTUCKY
Nov. 22 - MISSOURI
Nov. 29 - at Vanderbilt
TEXAS A&M
Aug. 28 - at South Carolina
Sept. 27 - vs. Arkansas (Dallas)
Oct. 4 - at Mississippi State
Oct. 11 - OLE MISS
Oct. 18 - at Alabama
Nov. 8 - at Auburn
Nov. 15 - MISSOURI
Nov. 27 - LSU
VANDERBILT
Sept. 6 - OLE MISS
Sept. 20 - SOUTH CAROLINA
Sept. 27 - at Kentucky
Oct. 4 - at Georgia
Oct. 25 - at Missouri
Nov. 8 - FLORIDA
Nov. 22 - at Mississippi State
Nov. 29 - TENNESSEE