The SEC released its entire 2020 football schedule Monday night, with Alabama and Georgia squaring off on Oct. 17 in Bryant-Denny Stadium, marking the first regular-season matchup between the Crimson Tide and Dawgs in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, since Nick Saban’s first season as Alabama’s coach in 2007.
Other highlights include Alabama and defending national champion LSU meeting on Nov. 14 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Both teams have an open date the week before. LSU hasn’t beaten Alabama in Tiger Stadium since 2010.
Nothing will come easy for Mike Leach in his first season as an SEC head coach. Mississippi State faces a grueling four-week stretch that starts with Alabama on the road on Oct. 31 and ends with a road game against Georgia on Nov. 21.
The week before traveling to Georgia, Mississippi State faces Auburn at home. Kentucky faces one of the tougher back-to-back road stretches with trips to Alabama on Nov. 21 and to Florida on Nov. 28.
The month of October could get testy for Will Muschamp and South Carolina. The Gamecocks play three teams ranked in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll, including road games against No. 8 Florida on Oct. 3 and No. 5 LSU on Oct. 24. They face No. 11 Auburn at home on Oct. 17.
Arkansas, which has lost 19 straight SEC games, faces a daunting close to the season under first-year coach Sam Pittman. The Hogs have six games in six weeks, including road games against Texas A&M on Oct. 31 and Florida on Nov. 14 and home games against LSU on Nov. 21 and Alabama on Dec. 5.
Florida and Tennessee, who have traditionally met in September, won’t play until the final week of the season on Dec. 5 when the Gators travel to Neyland Stadium. The Iron Bowl clash between Alabama and Auburn will remain in its usual Thanksgiving weekend slot on Nov. 28.
Lane Kiffin, in his first season as Ole Miss’ coach, faces off against his old boss Nick Saban when Alabama visits Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Oct. 10 to take on the Rebels.
The SEC announced the opening-week slate earlier Monday and will play a 10-game, league-only schedule this season.
The league announced earlier this month two additional opponents for each team to go along with the existing eight league foes. The two additional opponents were cross-divisional foes and were selected, according to a statement from SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, to “create a schedule that is as competitive as possible and builds on the existing eight conference games that had already been scheduled for 2020.”
Here’s a team-by-team breakdown of the 2020 SEC schedule:
ALABAMA
Sept. 26: at Missouri
Oct. 3: vs. Texas A&M
Oct. 10: at Ole Miss
Oct. 17: vs. Georgia
Oct. 24: at Tennessee
Oct. 31: vs. Mississippi State
Nov. 7: Bye
Nov. 14: at LSU
Nov. 21: vs. Kentucky
Nov. 28: vs. Auburn
Dec. 5: at Arkansas
ARKANSAS
Sept. 26: vs. Georgia
Oct. 3: at Mississippi State
Oct. 10: at Auburn
Oct. 17: vs. Ole Miss
Oct. 24: Bye
Oct. 31: at Texas A&M
Nov. 7: vs. Tennessee
Nov. 14: at Florida
Nov. 21: vs. LSU
Nov. 28: at Missouri
Dec. 5: vs. Alabama
AUBURN
Sept. 26: vs. Kentucky
Oct. 3: at Georgia
Oct. 10: vs. Arkansas
Oct. 17: at South Carolina
Oct. 24: at Ole Miss
Oct. 31: vs. LSU
Nov. 7: Bye
Nov. 14: at Mississippi State
Nov. 21: vs. Tennessee
Nov. 28: at Alabama
Dec. 5: vs. Texas
FLORIDA
Sept. 26: at Ole Miss
Oct. 3: vs. South Carolina
Oct. 10: at Texas A&M
Oct. 17: vs. LSU
Oct. 24: vs. Missouri
Oct. 31: Bye
Nov. 7: vs. Georgia (Jacksonville, Florida)
Nov. 14: vs. Arkansas
Nov. 21: at Vanderbilt
Nov. 28: vs. Kentucky
Dec. 5: at Tennessee
GEORGIA
Sept. 26: at Arkansas
Oct. 3: vs. Auburn
Oct. 10: vs. Tennessee
Oct. 17: at Alabama
Oct. 24: at Kentucky
Oct. 31: Bye
Nov. 7: vs. Florida (Jacksonville)
Nov. 14: at Missouri
Nov. 21: vs. Mississippi State
Nov. 28: at South Carolina
Dec. 5: vs. Vanderbilt
KENTUCKY
Sept. 26: at Auburn
Oct. 3: vs. Ole Miss
Oct. 10: vs. Mississippi State
Oct. 17: at Tennessee
Oct. 24: vs. Kentucky
Oct. 31: at Missouri
Nov. 7: Bye
Nov. 14: vs. Vanderbilt
Nov. 21: at Alabama
Nov. 28: at Florida
Dec. 5: vs. South Carolina
LSU
Sept. 26: vs. Mississippi State
Oct. 3: at Vanderbilt
Oct. 10: vs. Missouri
Oct. 17: at Florida
Oct. 24: vs. South Carolina
Oct. 31: at Auburn
Nov. 7: Bye
Nov. 14: vs. Alabama
Nov. 21: at Arkansas
Nov. 28: at Texas A&M
Dec. 5: vs. Ole Miss
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 26: at LSU
Oct. 3: vs. Arkansas
Oct. 10: at Kentucky
Oct. 17: vs. Texas A&M
Oct. 24: Bye
Oct. 31: at Alabama
Nov. 7: vs. Vanderbilt
Nov. 14: vs. Auburn
Nov. 21: at Georgia
Nov. 28: at Ole Miss
Dec. 5: vs. Missouri
MISSOURI
Sept. 26: vs. Alabama
Oct. 3: at Tennessee
Oct. 10: at LSU
Oct. 17: vs. Vanderbilt
Oct. 24: at Florida
Oct. 31: vs. Kentucky
Nov. 7: Bye
Nov. 14: vs. Georgia
Nov. 21: at South Carolina
Nov. 28: vs. Arkansas
Dec. 5: at Mississippi State
OLE MISS
Sept. 26: vs. Florida
Oct. 3: at Kentucky
Oct. 10: vs. Alabama
Oct. 17: at Arkansas
Oct. 24: vs. Auburn
Oct. 31: at Vanderbilt
Nov. 7: Bye
Nov. 14: vs. South Carolina
Nov. 21: at Texas A&M
Nov. 28: vs. Mississippi State
Dec. 5: at LSU
SOUTH CAROLINA
Sept. 26: vs. Tennessee
Oct. 3: at Florida
Oct. 10: at Vanderbilt
Oct. 17: vs. Auburn
Oct. 24: at LSU
Oct. 31: Bye
Nov. 7: vs. Texas A&M
Nov. 14: at Ole Miss
Nov. 21: vs. Missouri
Nov. 28: vs. Georgia
Dec. 5: at Kentucky
TENNESSEE
Sept. 26: at South Carolina
Oct. 3: vs. Missouri
Oct. 10: at Georgia
Oct. 17: vs. Kentucky
Oct. 24: vs. Alabama
Oct. 31: Bye
Nov. 7: at Arkansas
Nov. 14: vs. Texas A&M
Nov. 21: at Auburn
Nov. 28: at Vanderbilt
Dec. 5: vs. Florida
TEXAS A&M
Sept. 26: vs. Vanderbilt
Oct. 3: at Alabama
Oct. 10: vs. Florida
Oct. 17: at Mississippi State
Oct. 24: Bye
Oct. 31: vs. Arkansas
Nov. 7: at South Carolina
Nov. 14: at Tennessee
Nov. 21: vs. Ole Miss
Nov. 28: vs. LSU
Dec. 5: at Auburn
VANDERBILT
Sept. 26: at Texas A&M
Oct. 3: vs. LSU
Oct. 10: vs. South Carolina
Oct. 17: at Missouri
Oct. 24: Bye
Oct. 31: vs. Ole Miss
Nov. 7: at Mississippi State
Nov. 14: at Kentucky
Nov. 21: vs. Florida
Nov. 28: vs. Tennessee
Dec. 5: at Georgia
