The move Oklahoma and Texas made to the SEC created a schedulemaker’s dream come true. The Red River Rivals added to a group of teams that move the needle on the national scale.
Though the schedule is challenging for the Sooners, there are a number of matchups on the schedule to get excited about week-to-week in the new-look SEC. There is a marquee matchup nearly every week that will have fans across college football glued to their televisions (or mobile devices).
With the assumption Oklahoma fans will be excited for every game the Sooners play, we’re going to (mostly) take them out of the equation when we look at the SEC games of the week. So, here’s a look at the SEC game to watch each week of the 2024 season.
Week 1: Clemson at Georgia
With what Georgia did to Florida State at the end of last season, the Bulldogs took being left out of the College Football Playoff personally. They’ll host a Clemson team looking to return to contender status. This has the potential to be a top-12 matchup to start the season.
Prediction: Georgia
Honorable Mention: Notre Dame at Texas A&M Aggies, USC vs. LSU Tigers in Las Vegas
Week 2: Texas at Michigan
Week 2 features a matchup of what could have been the national title game had Quinn Ewers been able to complete a pass at the end of a semifinal loss to Washington. Texas traveling to Ann Arbor to face the defending national champion will be must-see television. The Wolverines are facing a lot of turnover, but so are the Longhorns.
Prediction: Michigan
Honorable Mention: South Carolina at Kentucky, Arkansas at Oklahoma State, Tennessee at N.C. State
Week 3: Alabama at Wisconsin
It’s the first big test of the Kalen DeBoer era as the Alabama Crimson Tide go on the road to face the Wisconsin Badgers. It’s Luke Fickell’s second season in Madison. If he can earn a major upset, it’ll solidify belief in what he’s building with the Badgers.
Prediction: Alabama
Honorable Mention: LSU at South Carolina, Texas A&M at Florida
Week 4: Tennessee at Oklahoma
OK, we cheated here. But this is easily the game of the week for Week 4.
Oklahoma’s first game in the SEC. Josh Heupel’s return to Norman. Jackson Arnold and Nico Iamaleava are each making their first SEC start. So many storylines, so little time. This has the chance to be a top-10 game.
Prediction: Oklahoma
Honorable Mention: UCLA at LSU
Week 5: Georgia at Alabama
We’ll find out a lot about each side when the Georgia Bulldogs visit Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide in a rematch of last year’s SEC title game.
Prediction: Georgia
Honorable Mention: Oklahoma at Auburn, Kentucky at Ole Miss
Week 6: Auburn at Georgia
The “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry,” Auburn and Georgia are a little more than three hours apart and have played 128 times dating to 1892, according to Winsipedia. It’s one of the oldest rivalry games in the sport and has been played annually since 1944. If there’s an out-of-state rivalry that resembles OU-Texas in the SEC, this is one of them.
Prediction: Georgia
Honorable Mention: Missouri at Texas A&M
Week 7: Ole Miss at LSU
Of course, you’ll be watching OU-Texas, so let’s go with another matchup that will have SEC title race and College Football Playoff implications. Last year’s matchup between LSU and Ole Miss featured very little defense. Both teams made splashes this offseason to course correct. If this one is at night, it’s going to be LSU, but if it’s during the day, I’ll go with the Rebels. Overall, I’ll lean LSU at home.
Prediction: LSU
Honorable Mention: Florida at Tennessee, Mississippi State at Georgia
Week 8: Alabama at Tennessee
When you’re looking for college football games of intrigue, rivalries move the needle. The Third Saturday in October between Alabama and Tennessee is one of those games that is worth your attention. Tempting as it would be to focus on Georgia traveling to face the Longhorns, we’re going to go with one of the more historic rivalry games in the sport.
Prediction: Alabama
Honorable Mention: Georgia at Texas, LSU at Arkansas (things get weird in this game)
Week 9: LSU at Texas A\u0026amp;M
This one has the potential for all kinds of chaos when the LSU Tigers travel to College Station. Both on the field and in the stands. These two teams could be fighting for playoff relevancy, and Kyle Field will be rocking.
Prediction: Texas A&M
Honorable Mention: Oklahoma at Ole Miss, Missouri at Alabama.
Week 10: Florida vs. Georgia in Jacksonville, Florida
![Georgia Bulldogs running back Daijun Edwards (30) rushes for yards against the Florida Gators during the fourth quarter of an NCAA Football game Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Georgia defeated Florida 43-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/OVEFc3cjcQriCniey7em5g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/sooners_wire_usa_today_articles_466/8d64c4831c6b278789d911ec08aa4100)
This one is easy. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is a site to behold even if the Florida Gators aren’t going to be good this year. Anything can happen in a rivalry game.
Prediction: Georgia
Honorable Mention: Kentucky at Tennessee
Week 11: Alabama at LSU
There are several really good games on the schedule for Week 11, but Alabama-LSU seldom disappoints. The last time these two faced off in Baton Rouge, the Tigers picked up the one-point win in overtime to end Alabama’s SEC and national title aspirations.
Prediction: Alabama
Honorable Mention: Georgia at Ole Miss, Florida at Texas
Week 12: Texas at Arkansas
This week may not have a game among teams with playoff aspirations, but Texas traveling to Fayetteville takes you back to the days of the Southwest Conference.
Prediction: Texas
Honorable Mention: Tennessee at Georgia
Week 13: Alabama at Oklahoma
We’ve tried to focus on games other than the ones the Sooners are playing in, but there’s no bigger game in Week 13 than Alabama at Oklahoma. A battle of crimson on Owen Field is a matchup of two of the most successful programs in the sport. Though Alabama will still be pretty good, the Sooners should be humming at this point of the season.
Prediction: Oklahoma
Honorable Mention: Texas A&M at Auburn, Ole Miss at Florida
Week 14: Texas at Texas A\u0026amp;M
All eyes will be on College Station on the final weekend of the season when Texas A&M and Texas renew their historic rivalry on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This game is going to have a ton of heat behind it when the old foes meet on the gridiron.
Prediction: Texas A&M
Honorable Mention: Oklahoma at LSU, Auburn at Alabama (Iron Bowl), Florida at Florida State, South Carolina at Clemson.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: SEC Game to watch each week of the 2024 season
