The Southeastern Conference on Thursday officially announced the league’s 2013 football schedule, which led to the Florida Gators to announce the team’s entire slate of games including four non-conference opponents. The SEC schedule features eight conference games for each team in the recently adopted 6-1-1 format (six division games, one permanent cross-division rival, one rotating cross-division opponent).
Despite there being some concern to the contrary, Florida retained LSU as its permanent cross-division rival with the two teams going head-to-head for the 43rd consecutive season (dating back to 1971). UF will also return to opening its SEC slate against Tennessee, which had been an annual occurrence for the two teams from 1996-2011*. The Gators are once again scheduled to face the Volunteers in their third game of the season and during the third Saturday of September, trends that go back to 1993*.
Arkansas was scheduled as Florida’s cross-division opponent for the first time since 2009. UF will have that game at home after playing at Texas A&M in 2012. The Gators will only play six home games in 2013 (due to concluding a non-conference home-and-home) and will also spend four full weeks without playing at Florida Field.
Aug. 31 – vs. Toledo
Sept. 7 – at Miami (FL)
Sept. 14 – BYE
Sept. 21 – vs. Tennessee
Sept 28 – at Kentucky
Oct. 5 – vs. Arkansas
Oct. 12 – at LSU
Oct. 19 – at Missouri
Oct. 26 – BYE
Nov. 2 – vs. Georgia (Jacksonville, FL)
Nov. 9 – vs. Vanderbilt
Nov. 16 – at South Carolina
Nov. 23 – vs. Georgia Southern
Nov. 30 – vs. Florida State
Dec. 7 – SEC Championship (Atlanta, GA)
The SEC had originally planned to make the 2013 schedule the first in a new rotation. Instead, it is yet another stop-gap schedule with the slate for 2014 and beyond set to be decided at future league meetings. The 2013 schedule is also 14 weeks long with each team getting two bye weeks for the first time since 2008.
“As we began working on the 2013 football schedule, it became apparent that the conference would need another year of the ‘bridge’ schedule to make everything work,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive in a press release.
“We will start moving on 2014 and what we hope to come out of there is a long-term 12-year schedule that would show who rotates on and off and in which years,” added Mark Womack, executive associate commissioner of the SEC. “We’ve started to put the dates to some of those schedules, maybe not for 12 years out, but for a four-to-six-year period of trying to establish the dates of those games, not just who would rotate on and off your schedule.”
EXTRA: Team-by-team schedules for the rest of the SEC
* UF-UT was scheduled for the third week of the 2001 season but delayed due to the Sept. 11 attacks.
Tenn on the 4th Saturday???
^^ Looks like it’s still the 3rd Saturday to me.
Super pumped about facing Miami again (finally).
Biggest thing that jumps out to me is no home game from Oct 6th until Nov. 9th. That’s a loooong time.
Not sure what you’re talking about – it’s the fourth Saturday [of the season].
Actually, I’m not sure what you’re talking about Adam. Unless my calendar is incorrect, Sept. 21st 2013 is the 3rd Saturday in September. Also, we played Tennessee on the 4th week of the season as recent as 2008.
I meant of the season, not of the month.
I follow now.
Ah, ok. Got it.
Love the site! Just wanted to let you know we played Tennessee during the 4th week of the 2002 season after games against UAB, Miami (Fl), and Ohio. It was still the 3rd Saturday in September however because the UAB game was on 8/31/02.
Yup, that’s what I meant. All fixed.
Interesting, not playing Georgia until the weekend after Halloween.
You guys notice that threaded comments are working again?
Yes, and it’s awesome!
Sure did! Excellent work.
I had thought something was messed up wit my browser settings since i saw some threads but mine never seemed to thread…good to know it wasn’t my end
Sweet! It made things very confusing otherwise.
When’s the last time we didn’t have 7 home games, wow.
When was the last time we had two Bye weeks???? That seems pretty weird to me.
2008
Do you know what the reasoning was then? Miami?
For two bye weeks? It’s in the story – 14-week NCAA schedules in 2013, 12 games.
I was referring to 2008, what was the reason then?
Same reason, I believe.
Thanks for the replies, Adam. I was trying to check Wikipedia but on my quick scan it made no mention of Bye weeks. At any rate, it seems like a very manageable schedule. Especially if we have a good chunk of our starters returning.
I do realize we start a week earlier…. just saying that is not standard SEC scheduling.
Imo Georgia should have drawn both bama and Lsu after the schedules they’ve played the lay two seasons
I like the non conference games. This is better than three cream puffs and FSU. I hope we continue the trend of scheduling 2 strong non conference games in future schedules.
I’m ridiculously happy we’re playing Miami. Some more pay back for the Brock Berlin era.
I’m so excited to see Miami get crushed. I’m already going to start the trash talking to co-workers/friends. Unfortunately it’s not as sweet since they already know they’re going to lose.
The LSU game has been the first Saturday in October for years…so no more extra travel day from NOLA due to Columbus Day on the following Monday…but maybe it’ll work itself back out starting in 2014…
Also…not having the 7th home game sux for the Hogtown community as a whole…lots of lost dollars for the local economy…
With this many teams, it’s time to go to a 9-game conference slate. We’re gonna get stuck is some rut where the league champion will only have played half the teams in the conference. Conferences are way too big for football.
When will Homecomin be? Against Vandy?