Alabama Football: On SEC 2023 schedule and SOS comparisons

Alabama football fans can now munch on the 2023 SEC Football Schedule. It was released on Tuesday and includes all games from week zero through week 13.

Making schedules must be a tricky business. I am not saying the SEC does a poor job. But balancing all the competing factors each season must be extremely difficult because the results are so often called into question.

For example, ESPN’s Chris Low pointed out that again in 2023, the Georgia Bulldogs will not play the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies joined the SEC in 2012. Georgia has never played an SEC game against them. I guess that is a scheduling quirk and Georgia has not lobbied to avoid the Aggies (or vice versa) but it does not seem right. Without changes, such a scheduling quirk will be more common when the SEC is at 16 or more teams.

The SEC, in my opinion, was never better than when COVID caused it to play 10 regular-season, conference games. Now some of the SEC’s football programs oppose increasing the conference schedule to nine games when Texas and Oklahoma join.

As in many things, Alabama football coach, Nick Saban knows what is best. He has long lobbied for a nine or ten-game SEC schedule. Saban has also argued FBS teams should only play other FBS teams. Too many of his fellow coaches disagree, preferring easy wins to buttress job security.

So in another year, Alabama Football will be derided nationally for playing FCS Chattanooga, along with FBS teams, MTSU and South Florida. Ohio State claims a high road on this issue. The Buckeyes, to their credit, do not play FCS teams.

Alabama Football Strength of Schedule stands out

But there is more to the scheduling story. Using the current ESPN FPI, Ohio State has the No. 69 Strength of Schedule (SOS). The SOS for the Crimson Tide is No. 22, edging out Mississippi State for the SEC’s toughest schedule. Along with the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs, a total of eight SEC teams have an SOS more difficult than Ohio State. Five of the eight are SEC West teams.

Will such SOS disparities affect future 12-team, CFB Playoff fields? They might because half the slots go to conference champions. If a new benchmark evolves that an at-large slot cannot go to a three-loss team, in a given cycle, a 3-loss SEC team might miss out to a two-loss team from another conference that played a far easier schedule. The CFB Selection Committee will hopefully be able to choose what it believes to be the six ‘best’ at large teams.

Alabama Football 2023 Schedule

• Sept. 2 – Middle Tennessee State
• Sept. 9 – Texas
• Sept. 16 – at South Florida
• Sept. 23 – Ole Miss
• Sept. 30 – at Mississippi State
• Oct. 7 – at Texas A&M
• Oct. 14 – Arkansas
• Oct. 21 – Tennessee
• Oct. 28 – Open
• Nov. 4 – LSU
• Nov. 11 – at Kentucky
• Nov. 18 – Chattanooga
• Nov. 25 – at Auburn

Further complicating any scheduling conversation, and in fairness to FCS teams, some of them are better than FBS teams.