Alabama Football: Easiest path to 2024 SEC Championship Game
By Ronald Evans
It is 14 months until the Alabama Football 2024 season. Perceptions of 2024 schedules will change enough that whatever assessment is made now is temporary. Reputations of teams will rise and fall during the 2023 season. The changes will be significant enough, that currently ranking the schedule toughness for every SEC team seems almost pointless.
What we can do is look at SEC teams in terms of tiers, with the highest tier designating what teams appear to have the easiest paths to the SEC Championship. For discussion purposes, let’s define the top tier of SEC teams as Georgia, LSU, Texas, Tennessee, and, of course, the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Projecting the 2024 season, two of the five teams are most likely to meet in Atlanta in December. Getting to play for an SEC Championship is no small milestone. Also getting to Atlanta should make both teams winners of CFB Playoff slots. SEC Championships are great achievements but making the Playoff has become more valuable
In the 2024, 12-team format, it is possible the SEC could get three teams. It would not be impossible for the SEC could get four. For sure, the SEC will get two teams and the odds will favor the loser of the SEC Championship having a better chance than a team that does not make it to Atlanta.
Alabama Football 2024 schedule compared to other top-tier SEC teams
- Alabama Crimson Tide – Home games against Auburn, Missouri, South Carolina and Georgia; Road games at Oklahoma, Tennessee, LSU and Vanderbilt.
- Georgia Bulldogs – Home games against Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee; Neutral site versus Florida; Road games at Alabama, Texas, Kentucky and Ole Miss.
- LSU Bengal Tigers – Home games against Alabama, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt; Road games at Arkansas, Texas A&M, Florida and South Carolina.
- Tennessee Vols – Home games against Florida, Alabama, Mississippi State and Kentucky; Road games at Georgia, Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.
- Texas Longhorns – Home games against Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Georgia; Neutral site versus Oklahoma; Road games at Arkansas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
From a not Alabama football fan source, the schedules of the five teams are toughest (in order) Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, LSU and Texas. From this Alabama Crimson Tide fan, I’ll add the LSU and Texas schedules appear to be a couple of the easiest schedules among the 16, 2024 SEC teams.
For SEC, expansion on back-burner. dark. Next
There is no reason for Alabama fans to overreact, but a long way out from 2024, the Bengal Tigers appear to have a schedule advantage to reach Atlanta.