HK3: The SEC

As part of the comprehensive HK3 proposal for college football, below is a sample four-year scheduling application of the HK3 scheduling protocol, for the realigned SEC per the HK3 conference realignment structure.

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) would reflect conference membership for the 20-year period 1991–2011. Ten of the conference’s 13 founding institutions remain unchanged since its 1932 inception (with the exceptions of Sewanee, Georgia Tech and Tulane — each of which were out by 1966).

1991 witnessed the fitting additions of Arkansas and South Carolina. This is the point at which the proposed SEC is paused, meaning the 2011 additions of Missouri and Texas A&M are returned to the Big 12.

SEC Scheduling Protocol

Alongside the rest of the FBS, the SEC regular season would start 82 days before Thanksgiving, barring any Week 0 showcase game involvement, on a weekend typically coinciding with Labor Day Weekend.

The SEC regular season schedule is as follows:

• Weeks 1–12 — Regular Season
• Week 13 — Regular Season Rivalry Week
• Week 14 — Regular Season Championship Week
• Weeks 16–18 — Postseason Bowl Championship Series (BCS)
• Weeks 20–22 — Postseason College Football Playoff (CFP)

For each SEC team, the scheduling criteria is as follows:

• 14 weeks
• 12 games (2 byes each)
• I. 8 (+1) conference games (9 total games)
• II. ACC crossover games (1)
• III. P6 rotational crossover games (1)
• IV. Sun Belt (G6) crossover games (1)

The SEC Week 13 Rivalry Week games are accounted for in either the I. conference games (8/12), or the II. ACC crossover games (4/12). 10 designated rivalry games are in-state (excluding Arkansas vs. LSU), while eight are in-conference (3 vs. ACC, 1 vs. BEAST). The W13 rivalries are:

• I. Alabama — Auburn (Iron Bowl)
• I. Arkansas — LSU (Battle for the Golden Boot)
• I. Tennessee — Vanderbilt
• I. Ole Miss — Mississippi State (Egg Bowl)
• II. Florida — Florida State (Sunshine Showdown)
• II. Georgia — Georgia Tech (Clean, Old Fashioned Hate)
• II. Kentucky — Louisville (Governor’s Cup)
• II. South Carolina — Clemson (Palmetto Bowl)

Based on the pre-determined start date for college football, Week 13 rivalry games would always fall on the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

I. Conference Games

All SEC teams would play 8 (+1) conference games, for a total of 9 each (54 total SEC conference games). Five conference games are annual, mimicking the feel of divisional play without the actual existence of divisions.

Each team would play 3/6 of their remaining conference opponents each year on an A-B-C rotational basis, whereas each team has 2As, 2Bs, 2Cs. Each team would:

A: Play both As in even years (alternating one home/one away)

B: Play both Bs in odd years (alternating one home/one away)

C: Play one C in back-to-back years (home/away); play the other C in back-to-back years (home/away)

Over a four year period, each team would play their two As, two Bs, and two Cs both home and away, once each. Therefore, over a standard four year college period, each school is guaranteed to host and visit every conference opponent at least once.

Weeks 1–12: 44 SEC conference games would take place within Weeks 1–12, with four SEC teams (Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina) playing all eight of its non-championship week conference games within the span.

Week 13: Rivalry Week comprises four additional SEC conference games, as well as four in-state games between SEC and non-SEC teams.

A summary of the SEC annual conference games, the SEC A-B-Cs, and all SEC conference games contained in Weeks 1–13 for the four-year scheduling application is below:

Week 14: Week 14 comprises the final conference games (ninth for each team, 54th for the conference), which includes the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, GA. Those games are determined and scheduled via the standings after eight conference games, as followed:

• 1 vs. 2 (SEC Championship Game) — Atlanta, GA
• 3 vs. 4
• 5 vs. 6
• 7 vs. 8
• 9 vs. 10
• 11 vs. 12

Scheduling Note — The locations of Week 14 games (except the Atlanta-based SEC Championship Game), are determined as follows:

• 1 — If there is an at least two game disparity in total number of home games (e.g. 5/6 vs 7/4), the team with lesser home games played would host (used 5x in this SEC four-year scheduling sample below).
• 2 — If no such disparity, if the Week 14 game is a rematch, the away team from the earlier matchup would host (11x).
• 3 — If not a rematch, if there is a one-game disparity in the number of home games, the team with one less home game played would host (2x).
• 4 — If no such disparity, the higher (better) seed, as ranked by the SEC’s tiebreaking criteria, would host (2x).

The results of these Week 14 matchups determine the final conference standings, which consequentially determines one non-conference game (III) as well as its location, as detailed in III below.

Important to note, teams cannot be ranked outside of the corresponding rankings to the Week 14 game it played. For example, the winner of the 5–6 game is the 5th ranked team in the final standings; the loser is 6th. As a result, it would not be uncommon for a 7th ranked team to have a better final record, yet lower ranking, than the 6th ranked team.

II. ACC Crossover Games

The SEC would play 10 games against the ACC, three of which are fixed on an annual basis:

• Florida vs. Florida State
• Georgia vs. Georgia Tech
• South Carolina vs. Clemson

The SEC (Kentucky vs. Louisville) and ACC (Navy vs. Maryland) each play one game against the Big East which usurps the ACC crossover game spot, for lack of fit elsewhere.

Finally, Notre Dame, which forgoes all crossover games to maintain existing rivalries (as part of its special privilege associated with joining a conference), plays USC in the II spot.

As a result of this imbalance (two SEC non-participants: three ACC), an SEC team would play a Pac-12 team in an annual SEC-P12 displacement game. Proposed for this annual matchup are two incipient rivalries:

• Vanderbilt vs. Stanford
• Tennessee vs. UCLA

Both of these matchups would be played in back-to-back years. In the sample schedules below, Vanderbilt plays Stanford in 2022 & 23, followed by Tennessee vs. UCLA in 2024 & 25.

When not playing in the displacement game, Vanderbilt and Tennessee are slated to play Duke per the protocol.

Remaining are six teams from both the SEC (Auburn [1], Alabama [2], Mississippi State [3], Ole Miss [4], LSU [5], Arkansas[6]) and ACC (Miami [1], Wake Forest [2], Virginia Tech [3], Virginia [4], North Carolina [5], NC State[6]).

SEC teams 1–5 would play the ACC teams on a rotational basis in the following 12-digit repetitive sequence (while 6 [Arkansas] would play teams consecutively]): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 2, 1, 4, 3, 6, 5… starting with:

• 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 2, 1, 4, 3, 6, 5…
• 2: 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 2, 1, 4, 3, 6…
• 3: 6, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 2, 1, 4, 3…
• 4: 3, 6, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 2, 1, 4…
• 5: 4, 3, 6, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 2, 1…
• 6: 2, 4, 4, 6, 6, 1, 1, 3, 3, 5, 5, 2…

However, instead of Tennessee and Vanderbilt solely playing Duke as part of the ACC crossover, twice every four years, substitutions are proposed to replace half the Tennessee/Vanderbilt matchups with Duke, to give both teams (and Duke) additional matchups. In a repeating eight year sequence (which alternates home/away), these matchups would occur in the following years:

• Tennessee vs. North Carolina: 2, 5…
• Vanderbilt vs. Virginia: 3, 8…

As a result, Tennessee (Vanderbilt) would play Duke and North Carolina (Duke and Virginia) both twice, every eight years. When these substitution matchups occur, Duke would play whomever North Carolina/Virginia would have played (these instances are bolded above) per the sequence.

This substitution is made possible as both Tennessee (H-A-A-H) and Vanderbilt (A-H-H-A) configure as G-Even for its non-displacement years.

Regarding the sample schedule, below are Tennessee and Vanderbilt’s ACC crossover games:

• 2022: Vanderbilt @ Stanford, Duke @ Tennessee
• 2023: Stanford @ Vanderbilt, Tennessee @ North Carolina
• 2024: Tennessee @ UCLA, Virginia @ Vanderbilt
• 2025: UCLA @ Tennessee, Vanderbilt @ Duke

In the subsequent years, 2026–2029, the displacement games would remain the same, while the games on the right would alternative up/down and home/away.

Note — Once every four years (2025), Vanderbilt would play Duke, while Northwestern plays Stanford in an all-academia pair of matchups.

III. P6 Rotational Crossover Games

The SEC would rotate between the other P6 conferences, excluding the ACC which it plays every year, for an all-conference top-down series of games.

The P6 rotational crossover runs counter to II. As opposed to rotating matchups against the same conference, these matchups are determined by the prior season’s order of conference finish (1s play the 2s, 3s play the 4s…) against a rotation of four conferences.

For all matchups, the higher (better) seed is the home team, thus introducing a unique incentive. Not only do Week 14 matchups determine the P6 rotational crossovers for the following season, they are competed for an additional home game.

The SEC P6 rotational crossover game series, in a repeating pattern, are:

• 2022 — SEC vs. Big East
• 2023 — SEC vs. Big Ten
• 2024 — SEC vs. Big 12
• 2025 — SEC vs. Pac-12

The only exception to the P6 Rotational Crossover is Notre Dame (ACC) versus Navy (BEAST), which creates an annual Notre Dame-Navy Adjustment Game.

As the SEC only plays the BEAST in III, the conference would take part in one Notre Dame-Navy Adjustment Game every four years.

An example (2022) of the SEC’s P6 rotational crossover games, including the SEC’s one quadrennial Notre Dame-Navy Adjustment Game, is below (assumes Navy finished 2nd in BEAST in 2021):

• #2 SEC @ #1 BEAST; would-be-opponent of Notre Dame (tbd) #1 SEC
• #4 SEC @ #3 BEAST; #4 BEAST @ #3 SEC
• #6 SEC @ #5 BEAST; #6 BEAST @ #5 SEC
• #8 SEC @ #7 BEAST; #8 BEAST @ #7 SEC
• #10 SEC @ #9 BEAST; #10 BEAST @ #9 SEC
• #12 SEC @ #11 BEAST; #12 BEAST @ #11 SEC

In the sample schedule below, Alabama (#1 SEC) would have hosted Navy (#2 BEAST), but instead hosts (by nature of coin toss) Ohio State (#1 B1G), which would have hosted Notre Dame (#2 ACC).

Note — Conference rotational matchups cannot duplicate displacement games. In other words, Vanderbilt (Tennessee) cannot play Stanford (UCLA) in both the displacement and SEC-P12 games. If it were set to be so scheduled, rotational replacement games take place in which the teams (evens or odds) within 1–4, 5–8, or 9–12 are switched.

In the example below (2025), Tennessee would have faced UCLA in both the displacement game and SEC-P12 matchups. As a result, Tennessee (#5 SEC) switches placement with Florida (#7 SEC) in the SEC-P12 rotational, thus switching P12 matchups with Arizona State and UCLA.

IV. Sun Belt (G6) Crossover Games

As part of the FBS conference framework, the SEC is paired with the Sun Belt Conference (SBT) as its affiliate conference. Below is a summary of the SEC and SBT’s IV games:

• SEC: 10 SBT, 1 SWC, 0.5 B12, 0.5 ACC
• SBT: 10 SEC, 1 ACC, 0.5 B12 0.5 FCS

IV also represents an allowance for customization within the schedule. An SEC team can forego an SBT/SWC crossover game to schedule an alternate game, thereby forging a vacancy for the SBT/SWC team to schedule elsewhere.

As referenced in II above, the SEC and ACC would play a minimum of 10 games annually as part of the protocol’s crossover series; however, the alternate game latitude would enable the conferences to maintain important rivalries such as Florida vs. Miami (to uphold the three-way Florida Cup rivalry between Florida, Florida State and Miami), or to resurrect historic rivalries such as Auburn vs. Georgia Tech, or Georgia vs. Clemson.

SEC-Sun Belt: There are eight SEC teams defaulted against the SBT on an annual basis: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

For the purposes of preservation and renewal of historic rivalries, Arkansas, Florida, Ole Miss and LSU are all proposed to play SBT teams every other year.

In even years, Florida would play Miami, and LSU would play Tulane. In odd years, Ole Miss would play Memphis, while Arkansas would alternate between Texas and Texas A&M.

These biannual recurring matchups would alternate locations. Thus when combining with the two default SBT matchups, each of these four teams would play 3/4 of their IV games at home.

Altogether, these four teams proposed recurring matchups represent 2 annual games to the SBT, one to the SWC, and one half to both the ACC and B12.

Furthermore, in addition to the above recurring matchups, there are four additional proposed alternate games in 2022–25:

• 2022: South Carolina @ North Carolina; Tennessee @ Georgia Tech
• 2023: Georgia Tech @ Auburn
• 2024: -
• 2025: Clemson @ Georgia

These games would most commonly be scheduled as a two-part series (one home/one away).

In these four years, the SEC and ACC play 13, 11, 11 and 11 games. An odd number of games is preferable as it would ensure a victor in a proposed, to-be-named SEC-ACC conference trophy.

Sample SEC Schedules:

Below is the SEC scheduling protocol, as well as sample four-year schedules for each team. All displacement, rotational replacement, alternate (recurring or one-off) and Notre Dame-Navy adjustment games (19) are italicized. Week 14 games are identified in bold/parenthesis.

In addition to incorporating important conference rivalries, the protocol institutes a customization mechanism to renew former rivalries. Notably re-instituted are:

• Arkansas vs. Texas/Texas A&M
• Florida vs. Miami (Florida Cup)
• LSU vs Tulane (Battle for the Rag)
• Ole Miss vs Memphis (Mid-South Rivalry)
• Georgia vs. Clemson
• Auburn vs. Georgia Tech

Alabama Crimson Tide

2022

Home: Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, North Carolina, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Alabama

Away: Auburn, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Tennessee

Neutral: Georgia (SEC Championship)

2023

Home: Alabama-Birmingham, Auburn, Mississippi State, Penn State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Away: Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Ole Miss

Neutral: Georgia (SEC Championship)

2024

Home: Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Troy, Wake Forest, (Georgia)

Away: Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Texas A&M

2025

Home: Auburn, BYU, Florida, Mississippi State, Southern Mississippi, Tennessee, (LSU)

Away: LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech

Auburn Tigers

2022

Home: Alabama, Florida, Miami, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Troy

Away: Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, (Tennessee)

2023

Home: Georgia, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee

Away: Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Wake Forest, (Tennessee)

2024

Home: Alabama, Alabama-Birmingham, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech

Away: Baylor, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss

Neutral: LSU (SEC Championship)

2025

Home: Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, South Alabama

Away: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, (Ole Miss)

Arkansas Razorbacks

2022

Home: Alabama, Louisiana-Monroe, LSU, Mississippi State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Wake Forest

Away: Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Carolina, (Vanderbilt)

2023

Home: Auburn, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, (Vanderbilt)

Away: Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia

2024

Home: Arkansas State, Duke, Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt

Away: Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, (Mississippi State)

2025

Home: California, Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M

Away: Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, NC State, Vanderbilt, (South Carolina)

Florida Gators

2022

Home: Arkansas, Miami, Mississippi State, South Carolina, (LSU)

Away: Auburn, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee, West Virginia

Neutral: Georgia (H)

2023

Home: Alabama, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee

Away: Georgia State, Michigan, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, (LSU)

Neutral: Georgia (A)

2024

Home: Auburn, Nebraska, Ole Miss, South Carolina, (Kentucky)

Away: Arkansas, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Tennessee

Neutral: Georgia (H)

2025

Home: Alabama-Birmingham, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Away: Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina, UCLA

Neutral: Georgia (A), Tennessee (SEC Championship)

Georgia Bulldogs

2022

Home: Auburn, Georgia State, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee

Away: Alabama, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Vanderbilt

Neutral: Florida (A), Alabama (SEC Championship)

2023

Home: Arkansas, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Vanderbilt

Away: Auburn, LSU, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Tennessee

Neutral: Florida (H), Alabama (SEC Championship)

2024

Home: Alabama, Auburn, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Tennessee

Away: Georgia Tech, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, (Alabama)

Neutral: Florida (A)

2025

Home: Clemson, Georgia Tech, LSU, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, (Mississippi State)

Away: Auburn, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Tennessee, USC

Neutral: Florida (H)

Kentucky Wildcats

2022

Home: Arkansas, Boston College, Florida, Georgia Southern, LSU, South Carolina

Away: Alabama, Georgia, Louisville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, (Mississippi State)

2023

Home: Alabama, Louisville, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky

Away: Arkansas, Florida, Ole Miss, South Carolina, (Mississippi State)

2024

Home: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, South Alabama, South Carolina

Away: Auburn, Louisville, LSU, TCU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, (Florida)

2025

Home: Auburn, Louisville, Middle Tennessee State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Away: Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Washington, (Vanderbilt)

LSU Tigers

2022

Home: Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State, Temple, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Virginia

Away: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, (Florida)

2023

Home: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, (Florida)

Away: Auburn, Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech

2024

Home: Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, NC State, Tennessee

Away: Alabama, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas, Tulane

Neutral: Auburn (SEC Championship)

2025

Home: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Carolina

Away: Auburn, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, (Alabama)

Ole Miss Rebels

2022

Home: Auburn, Arkansas, LSU, Louisiana Tech, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech

Away: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State, South Carolina, (South Carolina)

2023

Home: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Purdue, (South Carolina)

Away: Auburn, Arkansas, LSU, Memphis, NC State, Tennessee

2024

Home: Auburn, Arkansas, LSU, North Carolina, South Carolina, Southern Mississippi, (Tennessee)

Away: Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt

2025

Home: Alabama, Florida, Memphis, Mississippi State, Tennessee, (Auburn)

Away: Auburn, Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Stanford

Mississippi State Bulldogs

2022

Home: Alabama, NC State, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, (Kentucky)

Away: Army, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, LSU

2023

Home: Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana Tech, South Carolina, (Kentucky)

Away: Alabama, Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt

2024

Home: Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, LSU, Miami, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, (Arkansas)

Away: Auburn, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee

2025

Home: Auburn, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Georgia, Kentucky

Away: Alabama, Ole Miss, Oregon State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, (Georgia)

South Carolina Gamecocks

2022

Home: Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, (Ole Miss)

Away: Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Tennessee

2023

Home: Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Southern Mississippi

Away: Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, (Ole Miss)

2024

Home: Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana Monroe, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt

Away: Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, (Vanderbilt)

2025

Home: Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia State, Kentucky, Mississippi State, (Arkansas)

Away: Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, LSU, Vanderbilt

Tennessee Volunteers

2022

Home: Alabama, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, (Auburn)

Away: Arkansas, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, UCF, Vanderbilt

2023

Home: Arkansas, Georgia, Middle Tennessee State, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, (Auburn)

Away: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina

2024

Home: Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State

Away: Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, UCLA, Vanderbilt, (Ole Miss)

2025

Home: Arizona State, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Troy, UCLA, Vanderbilt

Away: Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss

Neutral: Florida (SEC Championship)

Vanderbilt Commodores

2022

Home: Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Middle Tennessee State, Tennessee, (Arkansas)

Away: LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, South Florida, Stanford

2023

Home: Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, South Alabama, South Carolina, Stanford

Away: Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, (Arkansas)

2024

Home: Georgia, Kansas State, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Virginia, Western Kentucky, (South Carolina)

Away: Auburn, Arkansas, Mississippi State, South Carolina

2025

Home: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana Monroe, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Washington State, (Kentucky)

Away: Duke, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee

Scheduling Note — Florida-Georgia game, aka the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” (WLOCP), which as a name, should be re-recognized, is played in Jacksonville, FL. A home team/away team needs to still be designated.

Personally, I would advocate for the game to be on a three-year rotation between Athens, Jacksonville, and Gainesville, with Jacksonville alternating as a designated home game between the two schools.

Alphabetical Note — It wasn’t until too late that I realized that Arkansas precedes Auburn in the alphabet.