The SEC released its 2024 football schedule earlier this week with much fanfare and excitement. As many may recall, both Oklahoma and Texas are leaving the Big 12 to join the SEC next year.
Every team in the conference will have to face either Oklahoma or Texas next season, which seemingly surprised a lot of fans in the SEC. However, one fan base, in particular, may be worried about how hard their schedule just became.
The Alabama Crimson Tide may have the hardest schedule of any team in their conference in 2024. They have to go on the road to face Oklahoma, LSU and Tennessee next year while playing host to the back-to-back National Champions in Georgia at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Alabama football has a difficult slate in 2024.
I picked what I think will be the toughest three games on the schedule: https://t.co/gA3ERbRgq7
— Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) June 14, 2023
During SEC Network’s coverage of the conference’s schedule reveal on Wednesday night, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum says Alabama’s 2024 schedule may keep Nick Saban up at night
“I don’t know what Nick Saban’s doing tonight, but I’m sure he is looking around for a drink,” Finebaum said, via Al.com. “His problems just got ratcheted up if you can’t find a quarterback.”
Alabama also has to face Wisconsin next year too. There is no doubt Alabama will have one of the toughest schedules in the country next year, but as some will argue, this is what Saban wanted.
Saban has advocated for years that the SEC play a nine-game conference schedule which many coaches fought against. Although they won’t play a nine-game conference schedule in 2024, it will be looked into for the 2025 season.
Instead of being worried, Saban says he is excited about the challenge.
“I think eventually we’ll probably move to more involvement and more SEC games. But I think this has happened so quickly, it’s really hard to make a lot of changes that fast. Whatever it is, we’re excited about the opportunity and challenges,” he said back on June 2, via Nick Kelly of The Tuscaloosa News.
[Nick Kelly on Twitter, Al.com]