SEC sticking with 8-game conference schedule in 2025; were the Longhorns wrong about seeing Texas A&M football every year?
A new report has emerged that has potentially huge consequences for Texas A&M football’s schedule in 2025. There’s been a lot made of the 2024 schedule for the Aggies, specifically the favorable setup, but the model that led to such a setup has—up until now—seemed to be more of a band-aid solution than a long-term plan.
Apparently, such thought might have been too hasty. An announcement came down today that the 8-game scheduling model is here to stay for at least one more year in the SEC. That means the current 1-7 model will be here for 2025… possibly.
NEWS: The SEC is sticking with 8-conference games for 2025 schedule, sources tell @ByScarborough and I for @247Sports. Changes are coming to start times, though, that fans will appreciate: https://t.co/aB837xJiZe
— John Talty (@JTalty) March 20, 2024
So, okay—what’s the big deal here? Well, first of all, this could all but confirm the schedule that the Aggies will be playing next year—with one very important question mark. Let me explain
The 1-7 model was made so that, within the confines of only 8 conference games, teams would play every other school in the conference at least once every two years, and visit every venue in the conference at least once every four years. This was accomplished by keeping one permanent opponent per team and rotating every other opponent.
The big problem here was that many opponents have more than one opponent they would like to permanently keep on their schedule: Texas A&M football has Texas and LSU. The Longhorns have the Aggies and Sooners. Alabama has Tennessee and Auburn. Auburn has Georgia and the Tide. You get the picture.
With the announcement that the SEC is staying at 8 games, some tough decisions are going to be made if the 1-7 model is to be kept. Of course, it is entirely possible that the neatness of the model could be a casualty of this decision, and some teams keep those rivalries anyway.
Let’s, for the current moment, imagine that the 1-7 model is staying. That means that the Aggies will either keep LSU or Texas, and rotate the other 7 opponents. That would bring in Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma—plus whichever of the Tigers or Longhorns the Aggies would retain. That’s a tough slate.
Now, if teams keep more than one protected rivalry, this is out the window. But given the amount of rotation present here, the 2025 slate will be extremely tough for the Aggies in either case.
Making things interesting here is that Texas AD Chris Del Conte assured Longhorn fans recently that the Lone Star Showdown would be played annually. That means that if the 1-7 model is around, either he is wrong or they will not be playing Red River. I can’t imagine that latter scenario coming to pass.
In all, I think the most likely outcome is that the 1-7 model is abandoned. Maybe teams keep two permanent opponents, maybe three—but with the way things stand, I can’t imagine them sticking with this model strictly. But if Talty is right with his report above, we will find out sooner rather than later.