Georgia football 2024 title hopes benefit with Texas, Oklahoma early-Big 12 exit talks stalling

MOBILE, Ala. — The SEC won’t expand with Texas and Oklahoma until 2025, per an ESPN report, which would leave Georgia’s schedule intact.

The Bulldogs’ current 2024 slate is already challenging, and adding the Longhorns and Sooners likely would have made it tougher, albeit, more interesting.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported the complex negotiations that had been underway for Texas and Oklahoma to join the SEC in 2024 — a year before their contract with the Big 12 expires — have broke down.

Georgia already has four non-conference games scheduled for the 2024 season:

• Clemson (Aug. 31, in Atlanta)

• Tennessee Tech (Sept. 7, in Athens)

• UMass (Nov. 23, in Athens)

• Georgia Tech (Nov. 30, in Athens)

It’s likely UGA would have had to buy out the UMass or Tennessee Tech game had an additional SEC game been added.

In addition to what’s expected to be a challenge non-conference neutral site opener with Clemson in 2024, Georgia’s rotating SEC West crossover opponent that season is at Texas A&M.

The Aggies have been a part of the SEC since 2012. Georgia fans, however, have not had the opportunity to see the Bulldogs play at 102,733-seat Kyle Field.

The pending additions of Oklahoma and Texas have already had an affect on future Georgia football scheduling.

The Bulldogs were scheduled to play in Norman, Okla., in the first game of a home-and-home series that was set up before the Big 12 powerhouses negotiated a move to the SEC.

It’s believed Georgia was forced to cancel its trip to Oklahoma because of the upcoming merger, however, and replacing the Sooners with Mid-American Conference school Ball State.

The 2023 Georgia schedule is definitely one of the more conducive to a championship run in recent school history.

The Bulldogs have one of the weakest non-conference schedules in recent history next season:

• UT-Martin (Sept. 2, in Athens)

• Ball State (Sept. 9, in Athens)

• UAB (Sept. 23, in Athens)

• Georgia Tech (Nov. 25, in Atlanta)

Georgia’s SEC West crossover opponents are rebuilding programs Auburn (road, Sept. 30) and Ole Miss (home, Nov. 11).