The SEC has officially announced the two additional conference opponents for all 14 of their football teams in 2020.
As a result of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, each SEC school will play a 10-game conference-only schedule in 2020. SEC teams will not play any non-conference games this season.
Each team’s schedule consists of their eight originally scheduled opponents with six teams from their division, one crossover opponent, and one permanent annual crossover opponent.
The additional two opponents announced by the SEC on Friday are, of course, opponents from the opposite division.
“We made every effort to create a schedule that is as competitive as possible and builds on the existing eight Conference games that had already been scheduled for 2020,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “This schedule is a one-year anomaly that we have developed under unique circumstances presented by the impact of COVID-19.”
Below are the opponents for each SEC team in 2020. The revised 2020 SEC football schedule with dates is expected to be released in the next two weeks.
Original opponents: Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, at Arkansas, at LSU, at Ole Miss, at Tennessee
Additional opponents: Kentucky, at Missouri
Original opponents: Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, at Auburn, at Mississippi State, at Missouri, at Texas A&M (in Arlington)
Additional opponents: Georgia, at Florida
Original opponents: Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, Texas A&M, at Alabama, at Georgia, at Mississippi State, at Ole Miss
Additional opponents: Tennessee, at South Carolina
Original opponents: Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, at Georgia (in Jacksonville), at Ole Miss, at Tennessee, at Vanderbilt
Additional opponents: Arkansas, at Texas A&M
Original opponents: Auburn, Florida (in Jacksonville), Tennessee, Vanderbilt, at Alabama, at Kentucky, at Missouri, at South Carolina
Additional opponents: Mississippi State, at Arkansas
Original opponents: Georgia, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, at Auburn, at Florida, at Missouri, at Tennessee
Additional opponents: Ole Miss, at Alabama
Original opponents: Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, at Arkansas, at Auburn, at Florida, at Texas A&M
Additional opponents: Missouri, at Vanderbilt
Original opponents: Arkansas, Auburn, Missouri, Texas A&M, at Alabama, at Kentucky, at LSU, at Ole Miss
Additional opponents: Vanderbilt, at Georgia
Original opponents: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, at Florida, at Mississippi State, at South Carolina, at Tennessee
Additional opponents: Alabama, at LSU
Original opponents: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State, at Arkansas, at LSU, at Texas A&M, at Vanderbilt
Additional opponents: South Carolina, at Kentucky
Original opponents: Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M, at Florida, at Kentucky, at LSU, at Vanderbilt
Additional opponents: Auburn, at Ole Miss
Original opponents: Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, at Arkansas, at Georgia, at South Carolina, at Vanderbilt
Additional opponents: Texas A&M, at Auburn
Original opponents: Arkansas (in Arlington), LSU, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, at Alabama, at Auburn, at Mississippi State, at South Carolina
Additional opponents: Florida, at Tennessee
Original opponents: Florida, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, at Georgia, at Missouri, at Kentucky, at Texas A&M
Additional opponents: LSU, at Mississippi State
Yes, Arkansas got hosed but if you look at all 10 games for everyone else it’s really balanced. Everyone has 4, 5 or 6 games against teams ranked in the preseason top 25 Coaches Poll plus one (Tennessee is #26). Mizzou looks bad when you see the two added but it all equals out, same for Tennessee. If you stretch it out a little more, Kentucky is #29 in the Coaches Poll which makes it even more balanced.
Perhaps I have SECDS, but it looks to me at first blush like playoff contenders drew opponents less likely to give them a loss.