On Monday, the SEC announced the rotation for the non-divisional conference schedules through 2025.
Future SEC Football Schedule Announced
Below is Tennessee’s future divisional schedule.
The Vols will play Texas A&M in 2016 for the first time as an SEC opponent (Tennessee has played the Aggies twice, winning in both the 1957 Gator Bowl and in the 2005 Cotton Bowl).
One other notable observation is that Auburn, who visited Knoxville in 2013, won’t return to Rocky Top until 2025.
The SEC also announced that teams will not play non-divisional opponents in back-to-back years as has been the case from time to time. Below is the explanation.
"Schools will not play their non-divisional rotating opponents in back-to-back seasons to allow for schools to play all conference members on a more frequent basis. Also, the rotation of teams in the first six years of the 12-year cycle is not identical to the rotation in the second six years in order to maintain four home games and four road games per season for each school."
This is probably the right move, as far as fairness goes. It’s unfortunate for fans of rivalries like Auburn-Florida, but it levels the playing field on a conference-wide basis.