Does Alabama's Schedule Actually get Easier With Texas, Oklahoma in SEC? All Things CW

For a lot of people around the Southeastern Conference the immediate reaction when they saw the opponents announced for the 2024 season was the same, and something along the lines of “Whoa!”

That included Alabama Crimson Tide fans, with Georgia listed among the home games, and the road trifecta of LSU, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

But take a second look. Among the divisional programs that Alabama won’t be facing on an annual basis any more are Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Granted, Alabama has largely dominated those opponents under Nick Saban, but they’re better than most realize.

• Arkansas may not have finished ranked in the final AP Top 25 last season, but at one point the Razorbacks were at No. 10. The year before, Sam Pittman’s team hit No. 8, and finished at No. 21.

• Say what you will about Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs have been ranked at some point of the season during nine of the last 13 years. When Dan Mullen was the coach they hit No. 1 for a bit in 2014 (until running into the Crimson Tide).

• Texas A&M has been in the top 10 at some point during nine of the last 13 seasons, and hit No. 12 and No. 16 in two of the other three. Jimbo Fisher has run into the same problem as Kevin Sumlin, not finishing strong, with just one top-10 final ranking.

• Under Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss reached No. 8 in 2021 (and finished No. 11) and No. 7 in 2022. This year’s team could be his best yet as most of the starters return.

On paper, Oklahoma has been better than each individually minus 2022. But is visiting Norman tougher than, say, Kyle Field? Probably not. The Sooners also stumbled during the first year under Brent Venables, finishing 6-7.

Here’s last year’s schedule, this season’s coming up, and the 2024 opponents, broken down into categories:

2022

SEC home: Auburn, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
SEC away: Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee
Non-conference, Power 5: at Texas
Non-conference, non-Power 5: Louisiana-Monroe, Utah State
Non-conference, FCS: Austin Peay

2023

• SEC home: Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee
• SEC away: Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas A&M
• Non-conference, Power 5: Texas
• Non-conference, non-Power 5: Middle Tennessee at South Florida
• Non-conference, FCS: Chattanooga

2024

SEC home: Auburn, Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina
SEC away: LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Non-conference, Power 5: at Wisconsin
Non-conference, non-Power 5: South Florida, Western Kentucky
Non-conference, FCS: Mercer

What can’t be conveyed by such a simple listing is the rivalry factor. Is Jordan-Hare Stadium the same when a team other than Alabama plays there? No. And granted, a lot of schools have opponents they especially like to beat, but it’s a little different for the Crimson Tide, which for years has been playing in college football’s toughest division.

Is visiting LSU the same due to the Nick Saban factor? No.

Was Neyland Stadium the same with the Crimson Tide having a 15-game winning streak in the Third Saturday in October series? No.

Those were Alabama’s two losses last season, both the final play of the game, resulting in fans rushing the field (and gleefully tearing down the goalposts in Knoxville). Both were in settings that were brutally tough.

So yes, Alabama will play Georgia and visit Oklahoma in 2024. But is the overall schedule tougher than what the Crimson Tide faced in 2022, or will play this fall? One could make the argument either way, and some of it will obviously depend on what happens this upcoming season. At minimum, they’re comparable in terms of difficulty.

But with the SEC doing away with divisions and aiming for a more balanced long-term approach everyone else’s schedule was brought up to the same level as Alabama’s, and maybe a couple of other teams in the SEC West. That’s where the real difference lies. 

SEE ALSO: Conspiracy? Backlash? Punishment? Alabama's 2024 Schedule None of the Above