University of Tennessee Athletics
SEC Presidents Approve Football Schedule Changes for 2002
June 03, 2000 | Football
The Southeastern Conference presidents approved the proposed change in league football schedules that will reduce the permanent foes in the other division from two to one.
Beginning in 2002, SEC teams will play each of its five divisional opponents and one team from the other division every year with two schools from the other division rotating.
Since the SEC was spilt into two divisions in 1992, league members operated under a 5-2-1 rotating schedule with schools playing its five divisional opponents and two permanent foes from the other division and one rotating foe from the other division.
With the change, Tennessee's permanent opponent from the SEC's Western Division will be Alabama. The UT-Arkansas series, formerly the Vols' second permanent game from the SEC West, will become a rotating game every two years along with LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State and Auburn.
The league's other permanent matchups will be Vanderbilt-Mississippi, Auburn-Georgia, Florida-LSU, Kentucky-Mississippi State and Arkansas-South Carolina.
The new format insures that a different team from the other division will rotate onto the schedule every year.
"This gives us some flexibility we haven't had in the past," SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer said. "We tried to keep the traditional games, but everybody had to give up a little something to make it work."
In another change affecting Tennessee, the UT-Vanderbilt game will be moved a week earlier, changing places with Kentucky on the Vols schedule. Beginning in 2002, the Vols and Commodores will meet the weekend before Thanksgiving, while the UT-UK game will be played the weekend following Thanksgiving.
A rundown of the Southeastern Conference football schedule changes slated to begin in 2002:
EASTERN DIVISION
Tennessee -- Drops Arkansas as permanent opponent, keeps Alabama
Florida -- Drops Auburn, keeps LSU
Georgia -- Drops Mississippi, keeps Auburn
Kentucky -- Drops LSU, keeps Mississippi State
South Carolina -- Drops Mississippi State, keeps Arkansas
Vanderbilt -- Drops Alabama, keeps Mississippi
WESTERN DIVISION
Alabama -- Drops Vanderbilt, keeps Tennessee
Arkansas -- Drops Tennessee, keeps South Carolina
Auburn -- Drops Florida, keeps Georgia
LSU -- Drops Kentucky, keeps Florida
Mississippi -- Drops Georgia, keeps Vanderbilt
Mississippi State -- Drops South Carolina, keeps Kentucky
Other News from the SEC Meetings in Destin, Fla...
Minimum Credit Hour Criteria Established for Postseason Play
SEC Presidents passed a new rule encompassing only football, baseball, outdoor track, golf, tennis and softball, requiring an athlete pass a minimum of six credit hours in the semester prior to postseason competition to be eligible.
Record Revenue Distribution to SEC Members
Commissoner Roy Kramer announced the league distributed a record $73.2 million to member institutions. Kramer said the figure is up over $56 million since 1990 when the SEC split $16.3 million among its members.
2000 SEC Football Championship Sold Out
Kramer said the 2000 SEC Football Championship Game is already a sellout, the earliest since its inception in 1992. He also said the renewal rate for tickets was 97 percent.
Atlanta Lands SEC Basketball Tournament in 2004 and 2005
The league awarded the 2004 and 2005 men's basketball tournaments to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The tournament will be played in Nashville in 2001, Atlanta in 2002 and New Orleans in 2003. Atlanta's Georgia Dome has played host to the last three SEC Basketball Tournaments (1998-2000).
