THE DAILY BRIEFING

An update on the status of QB CARSON WENTZ from Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

When last we heard about free-agent quarterback Carson Wentz, ESPN reported that Wentz has “received interest” and “might wait longer into the offseason to see what develops and is “open to starter or backup roles.”

 

Now, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Wentz “has been spending time in Tampa, throwing and studying film with former NFL head coach Jon Gruden.”

 

Schefter adds that “Wentz wants and intends to play this season, and is awaiting the right situation.”

 

It’s unclear whether and to what extent working with Gruden will make that happen. Despite his recent short-term stint with the Saints, where former Gruden pupil Derek Carr is trying to get conformable, Gruden remains persona non grata in most NFL circles.

 

In three months since he was released, there has been no report of tangible interest in Wentz. No report of offers. No report of negotiations.

 

The second overall pick in 2016, Wentz was dumped in consecutive years by the Eagles, the Colts, and the Commanders. If anyone was interested in Wentz as a starter, he’d already be signed.

 

He’s good enough to be a backup, but is he ready to accept that status? Is he willing to concede that he’s no longer QB1, and to act accordingly as QB2?

 

In the end, it might take an injury or two, or more, to create an opportunity for Wentz. Working with Gruden — and trumpeting that to the world via leaks to ESPN — won’t change that reality.

NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

Would the Bears really build a stadium almost at the Wisconsin line, nearly halfway to Milwaukee?  Mitchell Armentrout of the Chicago Sun-Times:

Add Waukegan to the list of suburbs looking to intercept the Chicago Bears on their drive for a new stadium.

 

Ten days after the team announced the $197.2 million parcel it bought in Arlington Heights was no longer its “singular focus” for a multibillion dollar new home, Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor on Monday pitched Bears president Kevin Warren on her lakeside city’s “opportunities, advantages and history with the Bears organization.”

 

“Our City’s staff and I invite you and your leadership team to come to Waukegan to learn about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity our City can offer the Bears,” Taylor told team brass in a letter released by city officials Tuesday.

 

“We believe that the Monsters of the Midway deserve the opportunity to continue the tradition of playing along the shores of Lake Michigan, with the market opportunity of having a year-round facility capable of hosting other major events, including the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and other events of an international scale.”

 

It would be a coup for the industrial city 50 miles north of Soldier Field, which has been floated as a potential destination during past rumination about relocating the team over the last few decades.

 

A Bears spokesman declined to comment on Taylor’s letter, but reiterated the team’s position that it has a “responsibility to listen to other municipalities in Chicagoland about potential locations that can deliver on this transformational opportunity for our fans, our club and the state of Illinois.”

 

Waukegan’s pitch follows that of Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli, who threw a west suburban hat in the ring this month when the Bears announced a high property tax assessment on the former Arlington International Racecourse property had put its northwest suburban vision “at risk.”

 

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has also opened discussions to keep the namesake team, though alternate sites within the city seem like a long shot. The team has made clear that it wants out of Soldier Field, the NFL’s smallest stadium, where it’s under lease through 2033, and into a multibillion dollar stadium complex the team owns.

 

Arlington Heights remains the only destination where a concrete proposal has been floated — and the only place where the team has spent any money. The team released lofty renderings last year of the massive, multiuse development it envisioned for the 326 acres it now owns, with a stadium surrounded by commercial districts and residential units.

 

While the team is facing pushback from Arlington Heights school districts and other nearby suburbs that don’t want the Bears tax assessment lowered, Waukegan could be seen as a more inviting destination — and just as eager for the economic jolt. The city of roughly 89,000 has seen thousands of manufacturing jobs disappear in the last few decades.

 

Taylor pointed out Waukegan’s easy access to Interstate 94, U.S. Route 41 and Metra’s UP-North Line, plus its own airport. And it’s about a 20-minute drive from the team’s training center in Lake Forest.

 

The mayor said Waukegan “has multiple large parcels … that could be developed into both the state-of-the-art stadium and [the] entertainment district the team has publicly expressed interest in building.”

 

“Our working class and diverse community is as tough as the 1985 Super Bowl-winning Bears, and our leadership team at Waukegan City Hall is as aggressive as Justin Fields running the ball downfield when it comes to creating economic opportunities for our City, our residents, and the region at large,” Taylor wrote.

 

Waukegan served as the team’s winter training facility in the early 1990s. Many players have lived across Lake County, while “some members of the Bears organization currently live in my neighborhood in Waukegan,” Taylor said.

I-94, as it goes by Waukegan, which is presumably where the parcels lie is 33 miles from O’Hare Airport, 38 miles from Wrigley Field, 49 miles from Soldier Field, 49 miles from Guaranteed Rate Field where the White Sox play and 58 miles from the west suburb of Naperville (a typical home for many Bears fans in the West suburbs).

That said, Jerry Jones Stadium in Arlington (we know, AT&T Stadium) is nearly 40 miles from the team’s headquarters in Frisco and other North Dallas suburbs like Plano and Richardson.

 

MINNESOTA

QB KIRK COUSINS seems comfortable with playing out his contract in 2023.  Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com:

Even as they tabled contract discussions this spring with quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Minnesota Vikings left open the possibility that talks could resume at any time. Cousins, however, said Wednesday that a resumption is not likely until after this season.

 

“I think we’ll probably talk about the contract next March,” Cousins said on the final day of the Vikings’ mandatory minicamp. “Until then, [we’ll] just focus on this season and the job to do right now.”

 

That answer solidified the widely-held assumption that Cousins will play out the final year of his contract this season, during which he will earn $30 million. The deal will remain set to expire in March 2024. Neither side has indicated any acrimony in the discussions, but ultimately they decided to do a simple restructure of his deal this spring rather than extend it.

 

The Vikings did not acquire a potential long-term replacement for Cousins this offseason, although they did draft BYU’s Jaren Hall in the fifth round of the April draft. Speaking after that pick, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said: “Sometimes you come to a place where you decide, ‘Hey, let’s talk later. This is a solution for now.’ That’s all that’s happened.”

 

Cousins, who will turn 35 during training camp, reiterated in May that he wants to finish his career in Minnesota, calling it “kind of a no-brainer.” But he said he felt he needed to earn that opportunity.

 

“In this league, there should never be entitlement,” Cousins said. “You’ve always got to go play, and teams can do whatever they want to do. That’s their prerogative. You just go to work. You do the best you can. I’m encouraged and excited because I do feel like I’ve got a lot of good football ahead of me.”

 

Meanwhile, Cousins paid tribute to longtime Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, whom the team released last week. While it appears the team has moved on to former backup Alexander Mattison as its top tailback, Cousins suggested it was possible that Cook could wind up back with the Vikings.

 

“I’m excited to see where he goes,” Cousins said. “I’ll always be pulling for him and I’m kind of optimistically hoping maybe we get him back. Who knows. Maybe there is an outside chance. We’ll see.”

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com on the end game – which does not include a reasonable franchise tag possibility:

With quarterback Kirk Cousins saying he doesn’t intend to resume contract talks with the Vikings until March 2024, a thought came to mind.

 

What about the franchise tag?

 

Cousins’s current contract doesn’t include a clause preventing the Vikings from tagging him. It doesn’t have to. Per a source with knowledge of the deal, the contract voids after the deadline for applying the franchise tag.

 

In other words, Cousins won’t be on track to be a free agent when the Vikings have the ability to tag him. Only after the window for using the tag closes will Cousins’s contract expire.

 

Even without that clause, it would still be different for the Vikings to tag him. Although his current cap number is $20.25 million, it’s believed that the 44-percent  increase for his third career tag would be based on his pre-restructuring cap number of $36.25 million. That would result in a franchise tender of $52.2 million.

 

Again, it doesn’t matter. They can’t tag him. So either they’ll re-sign him before the start of free agency, or Cousins will become a free agent — six years after he became a free agent in Washington and signed with the Vikings.

NFC EAST

 

WASHINGTON

WR JAHAN DOTSON fully expects to catch passes from QB SAM HOWELL this season.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said the team will continue to run a quarterback competition into training camp, but a member of the team’s receiving corps thinks the battle is already over.

 

During an appearance on The Jim Rome Show, wide receiver Jahan Dotson was asked where things stand between Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett after the team’s offseason program. Howell has been working as the No. 1 quarterback and Dotson said that he thinks the 2022 fifth-round pick has secured the job.

 

“I think we got our quarterback situation settled,” Dotson said when asked about Washington’s recent revolving door at the position. “I think Sam Howell’s gonna be our guy. I have complete faith in him. He makes throws look super effortless on the field. He’s been a great leader. He’s learning how to lead an NFL offense. . . . So I’m super excited for him. I can’t wait to make plays for him.”

 

Given how much we already know about Brissett, it would be a surprise to see the Commanders turn away from the chance to see if Howell has what it takes to be a long-term starter in the league but any official word is going to have to wait for a couple of months.

NFC SOUTH

 

NEW ORLEANS

DE CAM JORDAN is excused from mini-camp for being old.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Saints defensive end Cam Jordan was not with the team today at mandatory minicamp, but head coach Dennis Allen indicated that there are no concerns.

 

Asked if Jordan’s absence was injury related, Allen implied that he gave the 33-year-old Jordan an excused absence to let him rest.

 

“I call it old age related, but Cam’s fine. He’ll be fine,” Allen said with a smile.

 

Jordan has been in New Orleans since he was a first-round draft pick in 2011, and he has played in 192 games for the Saints, the fourth-most in franchise history. This season he’s set to move ahead of Rickey Jackson (195) and Morten Anderson (196) for the second-most games as a Saint, behind only Drew Brees (228). He’s earned some time off.

 

TAMPA BAY

It looks like LB DEVIN WHITE is starting to warm back up to the idea of being with the Buccaneers in 2023.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Linebacker Devin White took part in a Buccaneers photo shoot and reported to the team’s mandatory minicamp this week to provide a pair of signs that he’s backed off the trade request he made earlier in the offseason.

 

White has not confirmed that, but one of his fellow linebackers suggested as much on Wednesday. Lavonte David has played with White for the last four seasons and said his teammate is “a very passionate person” whose emotions ran a little too hot with contract talks — White is in the final year of his deal — failing to go the way he wanted them to go.

 

“His emotions got the best of him,” David said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “I know Devin wants to be here, he wants to play here. Emotions got the best of him. He’s here. He’s here ready to work. He’s not ready to go right now, but he’ll be getting himself ready for training camp. Me, I talked to him throughout the whole process, whenever that stuff was going on with him. You know, I know the kind of person he is, and I know he’s ready go get back out there and play football and help us win.”

 

When it comes to contracts, David said he told White that he “can only control what you can control, and that’s to go out there and put the best tape on the field and everything will take care of itself.” It remains to be seen how things will play out on that front for White, but it does look like he’ll be making his case alongside David.

AFC SOUTH

 

HOUSTON

The Texans have extended DT MALIK COLLINS.  DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com:

The Houston Texans will sign defensive tackle Maliek Collins to a two-year, $23 million extension that includes $20 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

 

Collins had one year remaining on his two-year, $17 million contract that he signed in March 2022.

 

In two seasons with the Texans, Collins has 66 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 5 fumble recoveries in 30 games.

Even though the Texans allowed 2,894 rushing yards (sixth most in NFL history) last season, Collins adds value to the team’s run defense.

 

In 2022, the Texans’ defense success rate against the run was 57.3% when he was on the field versus 53.8% when he wasn’t, according to ESPN metrics.

 

INDIANAPOLIS

The rookie season of S DANIEL SCOTT, a 5^th-round pick, is done before it started.

The Colts placed rookie safety Daniel Scott on injured reserve Wednesday, the team announced.

 

The fifth-round draft pick tore an anterior cruciate ligament that will keep him out for the season, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.

 

The Colts used 158th overall pick of the 2023 draft on Scott.

 

He competed in 49 games with 28 starts at the University of California. Scott totaled 207 tackles, seven tackles for loss, a sack, 14 passes defensed, seven interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

 

He led the team in interceptions in back-to-back seasons.

 

As a team captain in 2022, Scott started all 12 games he saw action in and tallied a single-season career-high 85 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, seven passes defensed, a team-high three interceptions and two forced fumbles. Scott earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 accolades.

AFC EAST

 

BUFFALO

Whatever issues were going on with WR STEFON DIGGS have calmed enough for him to return to practice.  Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com:

According to multiple reporters on the scene, Diggs is back at the facility and is practicing with Buffalo on Wednesday.

 

Head coach Sean McDermott said he was “very concerned” on Tuesday after Diggs left the team before minicamp practice began. Buffalo later confirmed that Diggs had been with the club on Monday and on Tuesday morning, but departed before the session began.

 

Quarterback Josh Allen and edge rusher Von Miller were also vague about whatever issue may have arisen between Diggs and the team when speaking after practice, though Allen mentioned it was a non-football issue.

 

It’s unclear whether Diggs will address the media to discuss whatever came up on Tuesday. But at least Diggs is back.

 

And he appears to be in good spirits, as ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg tweeted a video of the receiver dancing during a pre-practice stretch.

 

Warren Sharp has more on some inconsistencies in McDermott’s reaction:

Warren Sharp

@SharpFootball

McDermott literally said yesterday he was<checks notes> “VERY CONCERNED” that Diggs wasn’t at minicamp

now he says this lol

 

Heather Prusak

@haprusak

Sean McDermott on Stefon Diggs: “There are a lot of things out there that aren’t accurate. He was here on Monday for his physical, reported for meetings, had a good conversation, got to a point yesterday where we felt we all needed a break. Gave him permission, he was excused.”

 

NEW YORK JETS

Uh oh – all may not be well with the recovery of RB BREECE HALL.  Zach Rosenblatt of The Athletic on why the Jets may be in on RB DALVIN COOK.

5. The Dalvin Cook conundrum

Saleh said the Jets would “turn over the stones” on the possibility of signing Dalvin Cook but that he’s “not sure how the money works on that.” The Jets currently have $24.64 million in cap space, per the NFLPA, so Saleh likely meant he wasn’t sure if they’d want to pay Cook what he might be seeking.

 

The Vikings (understandably) didn’t want to pay Cook $11 million. The Jets have been resolute in their belief that Breece Hall will return to form this season coming off an ACL injury. I’m a bit more skeptical that it’ll be a seamless return, but I also don’t know that paying Cook a bunch of money would be a great allocation of resources, unless the Hall confidence is a facade and they need a running back.

 

If Cook — who has rushed for 1,000 yards in four straight seasons — is willing to join a potential Super Bowl contender at a discount, it’s worth exploring. How much of a discount?

 

Well, Austin Ekeler makes the 10th-most per year among running backs (discounting the franchise-tagged Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs) at $6.125 million. David Montgomery is just below him at $6 million. If Joe Douglas can get creative with the contract — load it up with incentives, add void years, etc. — then maybe it’s worth it. But Cook might be able to get more elsewhere.

 

THIS AND THAT

 

COACHING CAROUSEL HOT SEATS

Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com has eight coaches he thinks are on the proverbial hot seats as 2023 gets ready to start.

here’s a look at head coaches standing on shakier ground entering 2023:

 

Brandon Staley, Chargers

Year: 3rd | Record: 19-15 | Playoffs: 0-1

Staley, 40, has kept Los Angeles competitive. But even with a lineup flush with all-stars, his teams have folded at the worst times, in dramatic fashion. His first year ended with quizzical time management in a Week 18 play-in defeat, and last year ended with a blown 27-0 playoff lead, the worst in team history. Without steady results from a talented defense, Staley’s now betting on Kellen Moore, his third offensive coordinator in as many years, to take star quarterback Justin Herbert over the hump.

 

Kevin Stefanski, Browns

Year: 4th | Record: 26-24 | Playoffs: 1-1

One year in, the longtime Vikings assistant looked like the belle of the ball, steadying Baker Mayfield to guide an 11-5 debut that nearly included a playoff upset of the Chiefs. His teams have gotten progressively worse since, dropping to 8-9 in 2021 and then 7-10 last season. Now, whether he likes it or not, all his eggs are in the Deshaun Watson basket; after the embattled former Texans star flopped post-suspension in 2022, it’s on Stefanski to quickly rejuvenate the QB in a tough AFC North.

 

Ron Rivera, Commanders

Year: 4th | Record: 22-27-1 | Playoffs: 0-1

You can’t question Rivera’s leadership, the way he’s willingly embraced a polarizing franchise and at least kept Washington in the wild-card mix. His trademark defensive flourishes have also produced a perpetually stingy D-line. But like previous regimes, he’s cycled through mid-tier QB rentals; it’s the chief reason he’s gone 51-58, with zero playoff wins, since his peak with the Panthers in 2015. Now, in a loaded division, he’s asking 2022 fifth-rounder Sam Howell, or journeyman Jacoby Brissett, to carry the load.

 

Josh McDaniels, Raiders

Year: 2nd | Record: 6-11 | Playoffs: N/A

On one hand, McDaniels has the benefit of working under a familiar power structure, with general manager Dave Ziegler also hailing from the Patriots. He’s clearly gotten the green light to remake the New England setup, importing Jimmy Garoppolo, Jakobi Meyers and others while exiling regulars like Derek Carr. Still, it feels as if their roster-building has them treading water, and he’s now gone 17-28 as a head man in two places. The X-factor: Old partner Tom Brady is now part of Raiders ownership.

 

Mike McCarthy, Cowboys

Year: 4th | Record: 30-20 | Playoffs: 1-2

Team owner Jerry Jones apparently told McCarthy he wants him running the Cowboys as long as Tom Landry did, and there’s no doubting his resume; he’s now led 10 different double-digit winning seasons dating back to his days in Green Bay. He’s also found just one playoff victory in Dallas, upending elite offensive weaponry with curious late-game calls in consecutive season-ending losses. With OC Kellen Moore discarded, it’s all on him as a play-caller to secure the Cowboys’ first title bid since the 1990s.

 

Todd Bowles, Buccaneers

Year: 2nd | Record: 8-9 | Playoffs: 0-1

He’s earned his stripes as a defensive mind, but not even Tom Brady could salvage a predictable and conservative approach as the Bucs’ head man. With Brady gone, he’ll now face even more pressure to guide an elite “D.” But will management want him in charge of the inevitable QB reset in 2024, especially since he’s now 34-50 in his career as a head coach?

 

Dennis Allen, Saints

Year: 2nd | Record: 7-10 | Playoffs: N/A

Like Bowles, the guy knows how to run a real defense. And he’ll always be respected in New Orleans, where Sean Payton endorsed him as his own successor. But if you’re a defensive head coach in 2023, you’d better have an answer at QB, and while newcomer Derek Carr is solid, he’s not exactly joining an all-star cast. Now 15-38 in his career as a head coach, Allen’s also up against an improved NFC South, where the Falcons and Panthers should be more formidable.

 

Arthur Smith, Falcons

Year: 3rd | Record: 14-20 | Playoffs: N/A

Unlike the rest, Smith isn’t widely regarded as a hot-seat candidate, considering how much Atlanta seemed to better its roster during a busy offseason. He also flirted with wild-card contention despite an abrupt exit from Matt Ryan in 2022. And yet, entering Year 3, with zero playoff appearances under his belt, he’s asking unproven second-year QB Desmond Ridder to shepherd a young team to a multiple-win improvement. What if, for whatever reason, that doesn’t happen?

 

We would add Bill Belichick of the Patriots, Pete Carroll of the Seahawks and Andy Reid of the Chiefs as three coaches who could retire or be retired at the end of the year.

 

SEC SCHEDULE

Yesterday, we had some reports on the 2024 Big Ten schedule.

Now the SEC has announced their 2024 schedule – with only eight conference games among 16 teams.  This from ESPN:

Every team’s 2024 SEC opponents

Alabama Crimson Tide

Away: LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Home: Auburn, Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee

Arkansas Razorbacks

Away: Auburn, Mississippi State, Missouri, Texas A&M

Home: LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas

Auburn Tigers

Away: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri

Home: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

Florida Gators

Away: Alabama, Georgia (Jacksonville), Kentucky, Missouri

Home: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

Georgia Bulldogs

Away: Alabama, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Texas

Home: Auburn, Florida (Jacksonville), Mississippi State, Tennessee

Kentucky Wildcats

Away: Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas

Home: Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt

LSU Tigers

Away: Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, Texas A&M

Home: Alabama, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt

 

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Away: Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas

Home: Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, Texas A&M

Missouri Tigers

Away: Alabama, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M

Home: Arkansas, Auburn, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt

Oklahoma Sooners

Away: Auburn, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss

Home: Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas (at Dallas)

Ole Miss Rebels

Away: Arkansas, Florida, LSU, South Carolina

Home: Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Oklahoma

South Carolina Gamecocks

Away: Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt

Home: LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri, Texas A&M

Tennessee Volunteers

Away: Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt

Home: Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State

Texas Longhorns

Away: Arkansas, Oklahoma (Dallas), Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

Home: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State

Texas A&M Aggies

Away: Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina

Home: Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, Texas

Vanderbilt Commodores

Away: Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri

Home: Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas

The conference already made news by sticking with an eight-game schedule when a nine-game slate was on the table earlier this spring. The news now shifts to the gridiron where the conference’s biggest matchups are officially set.

 

So, who are the biggest winners and losers of the schedule release and what games should we be excited for? More importantly, what games are we going to miss as Oklahoma and Texas crash the party?

 

Our writers take you through the biggest questions coming out of the SEC schedule release.

 

Game you’re most excited for

Georgia vs. Alabama: This will be only the fifth time in the past 20 years that we’ve seen this game in the regular season, and if we’re lucky, we’ll see both of these teams still at or near the top of their powers when this game rolls around in 2024. Alabama has been the standard of college football since 2009, with Georgia coming on in the last handful of years as not just a challenger for that throne, but as a successor the last two seasons. Assuming Nick Saban is still around, I don’t think any of us would complain about not having to wait until the SEC championship or national championship to watch these two programs get after it. It’s college football at its peak. — Harry Lyles Jr.

 

Texas at Texas A&M: They’ve met 118 times, but not since 2011, when Justin Tucker broke the Aggies’ hearts with a walk-off field goal to send A&M off to the SEC with a 27-25 loss. But that hasn’t prevented the non-stop will-they-or-won’t-they discussion from popping up every few years, all while fans of the two schools continued to chirp and compare everything between the two programs. Finally, the Lone Star Showdown is back, and bragging rights won’t be decided by arguments about recruiting rankings, brands or revenue or who needs the game the most, but instead by lining up and actually playing football against each other. What a concept. — Dave Wilson

 

Tennessee at Oklahoma: In just two years, Josh Heupel has Tennessee’s program nationally relevant again. The Vols’ trip to Norman has a few different storylines. Brent Venables will be in his third season as Oklahoma’s head coach, and the Sooners’ fans will be expecting a breakthrough by then similar to what Tennessee accomplished in Heupel’s second season. Moreover, Heupel will be returning to his alma mater, where he was a Heisman Trophy finalist. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Heupel has warm and fuzzy feelings about his alma mater after being fired as offensive coordinator by former coach Bob Stoops following the 2015 season. — Chris Low

 

Oklahoma at Mizzou(!): Hey, sue me, I grew up in Oklahoma, I live in Columbia, and I miss this game a lot. Okay, fine, the real answer is Aggies-Horns, but either way, one of the unique things about OU and Texas moving to the SEC is that it actually reignites a few matchups that either had a long history (A&M-Texas, but also Arkansas-Texas and Mizzou-Oklahoma) or a short but interesting history (OU-A&M, a.k.a. the 77-0 Bowl; Mizzou-Texas, a.k.a. the “Our bad years are better than their good years” Bowl). That is small consolation for the Big 12 schools that lost their most big-name rivals, but in realignment we take what we can get. — Bill Connelly

 

Biggest game we’re missing?

Georgia at Texas A&M: I’m starting to wonder if we’ll ever see Georgia and Texas A&M play an SEC game at Kyle Field. Yes, I know it will happen at some point. But the Aggies have been a member of the league since 2012, and the Bulldogs have yet to visit College Station. Part of the excitement of the new-look SEC is seeing an established power like Georgia go from its own football-obsessed state into another football-obsessed state like Texas. And now that Bobby Petrino is back in the league as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator, seeing his offense go up against Kirby Smart’s defense would make for high drama. — Low

 

Georgia at South Carolina: Maybe it doesn’t qualify as a top-tier rivalry game — the Bulldogs may not even count the Gamecocks as a rival at all — but it’s a shame the two soon-to-be-former SEC East members won’t continue a series that dates back to 1992. There have been some great moments in the series. I’m thinking of 2019, in particular. And I’m bullish on what Shane Beamer and his staff are building in Columbia. It would have been fun to see the upstart try to take down the reigning champ. — Alex Scarborough

 

Texas vs. LSU: Honestly, I was hoping for Longhorns vs. Tigers. They brewed some bad blood after fighting over Tom Herman in 2016 (remember that?), and that’s a rivalry that has plenty of potential. But I’m just going to calmly continue to assume that eventually right minds will prevail, the league will move to a nine-game conference schedule, and everyone will play everyone every couple of years. That will create enough rivalry opportunities in itself. — Connelly

 

Biggest winner

The fans: For the most part, the SEC did a great job keeping its most important games intact. Even less prestigious rivalries like Arkansas-LSU and Alabama-Tennessee will continue. Each school will play one of the two conference newcomers in Oklahoma and Texas. And there are no repeat trips from the 2023 season. The only thing that would be better for the fans is if the SEC came out on Wednesday and said they will be playing a nine-game schedule in 2025 and beyond. Because a long-term eight-game conference schedule won’t satisfy this many people. So enjoy it while you can. — Scarborough

 

Rivalries: Kudos to the SEC for doing everything it could to match up schools that have some type of history and not forgetting about tradition. Some of the games were obvious (Alabama-Auburn, Florida-Georgia, Mississippi State-Ole Miss, Oklahoma-Texas, Texas-Texas A&M and Alabama-Tennessee), but it’s nice to see other matchups such as Alabama-LSU, Arkansas-Texas, Florida-Tennessee, Florida-LSU, Georgia-Tennessee and LSU-Ole Miss preserved. — Low

 

Arkansas: They kept LSU, they kept Ole Miss (one of the most underrated games on the college football slate), they kept Missouri (for whatever that’s worth), they kept A&M and they added Texas. That’s almost perfect for the Hogs. — Connelly

 

Texas A&M: The Aggies made the most noise about Texas entering the SEC, and athletic director Ross Bjork even made it clear he expected the league to schedule the first A&M-Texas game in College Station, “just because of everything that’s transpired,” he told The Athletic. Not only did Bjork get his wish, but the Aggies also get LSU at home, miss Alabama and Georgia completely and have a road slate that includes trips to Auburn, Mississippi State, Florida and South Carolina. In this lineup, that’s a very friendly schedule. — Wilson

 

Biggest loser

Alabama: Good luck finding any easy schedules in 2024, but Alabama’s road slate is brutal. Not only do the Crimson Tide have to play at LSU, Oklahoma and Tennessee within the conference, but they also visit Wisconsin the second week of the season in a nonconference game. The “good” news is that they get two-time defending national champion Georgia at home. — Low

 

Georgia: Bye-bye Vanderbilt. So long Missouri. There will be no more running roughshod over a down SEC East for Georgia. The Bulldogs will face a gauntlet as the conference goes division-less with Florida in Jacksonville, Auburn and Tennessee at home, and road trips to Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss and Kentucky. — Scarborough

 

Oklahoma: It’s hard to say either the Sooners or the Longhorns can be “losers” coming into the SEC. And while I agree with Alex, I think fans in Norman might understandably feel some type of way about only having three true home games in 2024 (Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee) because of their designation as the home team against Texas at the Cotton Bowl. The positive in this: Two of their three toughest games are going to be at home against the Crimson Tide and Volunteers, while they get a trip to Death Valley against LSU. — Lyles Jr.

 

Savings accounts: If you are a Texas fan, can you miss a road trip to an old rival against Arkansas? Another one to Texas A&M? You can’t miss Oklahoma. Then there are home games against Georgia and Florida. Oklahoma fans get a road trip to LSU, and home games against Alabama and/or Tennessee. It’s all great for fans, but rough on the ol’ pocketbook. — Wilson

Here is David Ubben of The Athletic on what’s happening in 2024 in the SEC and beyond:

I had to tell the voice in my head to shut up. I didn’t want to hear it.

 

Texas and Texas A&M can finally host their long-awaited, tense, angry family reunion? Oklahoma gets to welcome Tennessee? Florida making a trip from The Swamp to Sixth Street? Oklahoma in Death Valley? The Longhorns back inside of what will again be a powder keg on The Hill in Fayetteville? Alabama and Georgia in the regular season?

 

College football is my favorite sport, and the SEC’s silly, made-for-TV reveal of games that won’t be played for 15 months was very dumb (and also must-see TV) as the show dripped out every matchup over 30 minutes and spent another 30 breaking down those matchups. It was the embodiment of “this entire meeting could have been an email.”

 

Realignment, especially the latest few rounds fueled by skyrocketing television money over the last two decades, has been awful for the sport. It’s killed rivalries.

 

But people like me are the problem. I am dying to see these games. I was dying to see which games we’d get right away.

 

People like me are why ESPN is willing to pay the kind of money that makes Texas A&M and Texas take 13 years off from one of the best, nastiest rivalries in sports. The kind of money that makes Oklahoma break away from Oklahoma State for the first time in almost a century and convinces Nebraska that its rivalry with Oklahoma should be secondary to becoming bedfellows with Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois and Purdue.

 

Texas-Texas A&M is officially back in ’24, and how sweet it will be

 

The kind of money from CBS, Fox and NBC that convinces USC and UCLA that having their nearest conference opponent’s campus be two time zones and 1,500 miles east of them is a good idea.

 

Conferences with 16 teams don’t make sense. Bigger isn’t better. College football carries the meaning that it does because it’s inherently regional. Teams played the handful of schools closest to them every year and grew rivalries over time because of the melting pot of alumni in the cities within the conference footprint. The Southwest Conference was built around Dallas. The Big 8 was built around Kansas City. SEC fans of all flavors are in Atlanta, among other places in the South.

 

Smaller leagues made sense. Rivalries grew out of them and made the sport into the must-see TV event it has become. It made the sport something people cared enough about to pile into a barbecue joint just south of Oklahoma’s campus to watch a made-up special like we saw on Wednesday night.

 

At this point, the oversized Big Ten and SEC are loose associations that make little sense in the football world and even less in any other sport or academics.

 

I know these things. I believe these things.

 

And yet, I still got goosebumps looking forward to all the games we’re going to get to see as part of this.

 

Realignment has cost college football fans a lot of great games lately. The Backyard Brawl should be played annually. Kansas is the only school Missouri fans truly care about beating. They haven’t played in over a decade.

 

But now we’re getting all these new games — and it’s awesome. But it’s also terrible.

 

Lots of people feel the same excitement I do. It’s all new, and excitement is natural. Matchups like those revealed on Wednesday are why the networks are willing to pay so much money. I can’t wait to watch these games, but college football was also not meant to provide them with the frequency we’re getting them. And I can’t help but be nervous about the possibility of unforeseen consequences as a result. Schools get all the money to play these games, but none of that money has any impact on fans, other than better Wi-Fi and comfier chairs or nicer clubs in the stadium. The stuff fans really care about, like seeing and beating the teams they hate the most, gets shortchanged.

 

Georgia going head to head with Texas will draw in tons of casual fans and drive up television ratings. So will the first time Ohio State and USC face off for a trip to the Big Ten title game.

 

They’ll be great contests, and will pack plenty of novelty in the early years.  I’ll be watching. But it also runs the risk of continuing to turn college football into something more and more unrecognizable from the game we fell in love with as kids.

 

And as it happens, I’ll be here watching every second of it, driving up the price for networks and making more and more college football programs willing to sell out history for millions of dollars.

 

I am a walking contradiction with no resolution in sight. I suspect I am not alone.

We note that South Carolina does not play Florida, Georgia or Tennessee – three big-name teams that have been on the schedule for the Gamecocks ever since they entered the SEC.