The Southeastern Conference this morning announced its 14-team conference schedule for the 2012 season.
Head-to-head games between SEC teams have been scheduled for every week of the season, beginning Thursday, Aug. 30, when South Carolina visits Vanderbilt. The two newest members, Missouri and Texas A&M, will kick off their conference schedules Sept. 8, when the Tigers host Georgia and the Aggies host Florida.
The 2012 schedule, which contains a team playing the six members within its division, one permanent member from the opposite division and one other member from the opposite division, is not based on any previous or future scheduling formats. SEC athletic directors will convene at the spring meetings to begin formulating scheduling principles for the 2013 season and beyond.
"The SEC transition team and our athletic directors did a great job with significant logistical challenges in a short time frame in developing the 2012 football conference schedule," league commissioner Mike Slive said in a release. "The ability to come together for the conference is what makes the SEC so strong and that was evident yet again in this process."
One talking point sure to emerge involves the schedules of Georgia and South Carolina, which finished first and second in this season's SEC East race. Georgia's random opponent from the West next season is Ole Miss, which went 2-10 this year, while South Carolina's is LSU, which is 13-0 and playing Alabama for the BCS championship.
Georgia played at Ole Miss last season and was scheduled to play at Alabama next year. South Carolina's two West foes next year will be Arkansas and LSU.
For more information, read Thursday's Times Free Press
2012 SEC Team-by-Team Schedule
(Conference Games Only)
ALABAMA
Sept. 15 at Arkansas
Sept. 29 OLE MISS
Oct. 13 at Missouri
Oct. 20 at Tennessee
Oct. 27 MISSISSIPPI STATE
Nov. 3 at LSU
Nov. 10 TEXAS A&M
Nov. 24 AUBURN
ARKANSAS
Sept. 15 ALABAMA
Sept. 29 vs. Texas A&M
Oct. 6 at Auburn
Oct. 13 KENTUCKY
Oct. 27 OLE MISS
Nov. 10 at South Carolina
Nov. 17 at Mississippi State
Nov. 24 LSU
AUBURN
Sept. 8 at Mississippi State
Sept. 22 LSU
Oct. 6 ARKANSAS
Oct. 13 at Ole Miss
Oct. 20 at Vanderbilt
Oct. 27 TEXAS A&M
Nov. 10 GEORGIA
Nov. 24 at Alabama
FLORIDA
Sept. 8 at Texas A&M
Sept. 15 at Tennessee
Sept. 22 KENTUCKY
Oct. 6 LSU
Oct. 13 at Vanderbilt
Oct. 20 SOUTH CAROLINA
Oct. 27 vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)
Nov. 3 MISSOURI
GEORGIA
Sept. 8 at Missouri
Sept. 22 VANDERBILT
Sept. 29 TENNESSEE
Oct. 6 at South Carolina
Oct. 20 at Kentucky
Oct. 27 vs. Florida (Jacksonville)
Nov. 3 OLE MISS
Nov. 10 at Auburn
KENTUCKY
Sept. 22 at Florida
Sept. 29 SOUTH CAROLINA
Oct. 6 MISSISSIPPI STATE
Oct. 13 at Arkansas
Oct. 20 GEORGIA
Oct. 27 at Missouri
Nov. 3 VANDERBILT
Nov. 24 at Tennessee
LSU
Sept. 22 at Auburn
Oct. 6 at Florida
Oct. 13 SOUTH CAROLINA
Oct. 20 at Texas A&M
Nov. 3 ALABAMA
Nov. 10 MISSISSIPPI STATE
Nov. 17 OLE MISS
Nov. 24 at Arkansas
OLE MISS
Sept. 29 at Alabama
Oct. 6 TEXAS A&M
Oct. 13 AUBURN
Oct. 27 at Arkansas
Nov. 3 at Georgia
Nov. 10 VANDERBILT
Nov. 17 at LSU
Nov. 24 MISSISSIPPI STATE
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 8 AUBURN
Oct. 6 at Kentucky
Oct. 13 TENNESSEE
Oct. 27 at Alabama
Nov. 3 TEXAS A&M
Nov. 10 at LSU
Nov. 17 ARKANSAS
Nov. 24 at Ole Miss
MISSOURI
Sept. 8 GEORGIA
Sept. 22 at South Carolina
Oct. 6 VANDERBILT
Oct. 13 ALABAMA
Oct. 27 KENTUCKY
Nov. 3 at Florida
Nov. 10 at Tennessee
Nov. 24 at Texas A&M
SOUTH CAROLINA
Aug. 30 at Vanderbilt
Sept. 22 MISSOURI
Sept. 29 at Kentucky
Oct. 6 GEORGIA
Oct. 13 at LSU
Oct. 20 at Florida
Oct. 27 TENNESSEE
Nov. 10 ARKANSAS
TENNESSEE
Sept. 15 FLORIDA
Sept. 29 at Georgia
Oct. 13 at Mississippi State
Oct. 20 ALABAMA
Oct. 27 at South Carolina
Nov. 10 MISSOURI
Nov. 17 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 24 KENTUCKY
TEXAS A&M
Sept. 8 FLORIDA
Sept. 29 vs. Arkansas
Oct. 6 at Ole Miss
Oct. 20 LSU
Oct. 27 at Auburn
Nov. 3 at Mississippi State
Nov. 10 at Alabama
Nov. 24 MISSOURI
VANDERBILT
Aug. 30 SOUTH CAROLINA
Sept. 22 at Georgia
Oct. 6 at Missouri
Oct. 13 FLORIDA
Oct. 20 AUBURN
Nov. 3 at Kentucky
Nov. 10 at Ole Miss
Nov. 17 TENNESSEE