Alabama Football: Liking the Crimson Tide’s 2024 SEC schedule
By Ronald Evans
The 2024 SEC schedule was released Wednesday evening and Alabama football fans have reasons to be pleased. The SEC did a commendable job with the transition to 16 teams and playing eight SEC games in the 2024 season.
Not every SEC fanbase was pleased. Perhaps the most grumbling came from Georgia Bulldogs fans. Apparently, the back-to-back National Champions are being mistreated by having to play in Tuscaloosa.
It is way too early to calculate any Strength of Schedules (SOS), but fans will do it anyway. Alabama football fans can rightly claim the Crimson Tide will have one of the SEC’s toughest schedules, which will make it one of college football’s toughest as well.
More on SOS below, following a review of the Alabama Football 2024 schedule. The dates of the SEC games will be determined later.
Alabama Football 2024 Football Schedule
- Aug. 31 -Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Alabama
- Sept. 7 – South Florida Bulls at Alabama
- Sept. 14 – Crimson Tide at Wisconsin Badgers
- Nov. 16 – Mercer Bears at Alabama
- TBD – Missouri Tigers at Alabama
- TBD – South Carolina Gamecocks at Alabama
- TBD – Georgia Bulldogs at Alabama
- TBD – Auburn Tigers at Alabama
- TBD – Crimson Tide at Tennessee Vols
- TBD – Crimson Tide at LSU Bengal Tigers
- TBD – Crimson Tide at Oklahoma Sooners
- TBD – Crimson Tide at Vanderbilt Commodores
A quick response from Greg McElroy and other SEC Network commentators was that Georgia’s schedule is “absolutely brutal.” To which every Alabama football fan will respond, that toughening the Georgia schedule was way overdue.
The Bulldogs get Auburn, Mississippi State, and Tennessee at home; Florida at a neutral site and SEC road games against Alabama, Texas, Kentucky, and Ole Miss. Georgia will also play Clemson in Atlanta, plus Tennessee Tech, UMass, and Georgia Tech in Athens.
Bill Bender of The Sporting News defined the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldog as SEC schedule “losers” from having SEC road games against top opponents. Bender also called LSU a schedule “winner” because the Bengal Tigers get Alabama and Oklahoma in Baton Rouge and do not have games against Texas and Georgia.
Returning to why Alabama football fans can like the Crimson Tide’s 2024 schedule, it is because of the 12-team Playoff. A two-loss SEC team will have a very good chance to make the Playoff field. If there is some pushback from the Selection Committee about the SEC sticking to eight conference games, SEC teams with tougher schedules would likely be viewed more favorably. With Alabama’s 2024 schedule, it is conceivable the Crimson Tide could lose two games; fail to make the SEC Championship Game, and still make the Playoffs.
Best and Worst SEC non-conference games. dark. Next
An Alabama Crimson Tide getting a second loss in the SEC Championship game would be a 2024 Playoff lock.