The football season in Ireland may have already started last weekend, but the actual first week of the 2024 college football season is just around the corner.

Two SEC teams play their first game on Thursday, one on Friday, 12 on Saturday and one team finishes the week on Sunday. That makes 16 SEC games in four days for all the conference junkies out there.

Twelve SEC programs will open the season against an unranked opponent, meaning four SEC teams will face a team from the AP Top 25: No. 1 Georgia plays No. 14 Clemson, Florida faces No. 19 Miami, No. 20 Texas A&M hosts No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 13 LSU plays No. 23 Southern California in Las Vegas.

Here’s a look at the SEC Week 1 schedule with four consecutive days of conference football:

SEC Football Schedule Week 1

*All times in Eastern Standard Time*

Thursday

Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Arkansas – 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU (game in Little Rock)

Murray State @ No. 11 Missouri – 8:00 p.m. on SEC Network

Friday

Temple @ No. 16 Oklahoma – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

Virginia Tech @ Vanderbilt – 12:00 p.m. on ESPN

No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia – 12:00 p.m. on ABC (game in Atlanta)

Chattanooga @ No. 15 Tennessee – 12:45 p.m. on SEC Network

Colorado State @ No. 4 Texas – 3:30 p.m. on ESPN

No. 19 Miami (FL) @ Florida – 3:30 p.m. on ABC

Old Dominion @ South Carolina – 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network

Eastern Kentucky @ Mississippi State – 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+

Western Kentucky @ No. 5 Alabama – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN

Furman @ No. 6 Ole Miss – 7 p.m. on ESPN+/SEC Network+

Alabama A&M @ Auburn – 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+/SEC Network+

No. 7 Notre Dame @ No. 20 Texas A&M – 7:30 p.m. on ABC

Southern Miss @ Kentucky – 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network

Sunday

No. 23 Southern Cal vs. No. 13 LSU – 7:30 p.m. on ABC (game in Las Vegas)

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The easiest answer to the SEC’s toughest opponent in Week 1 has to be Texas A&M’s home opponent, No. 7 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are the No. 7 team in the AP rankings and land in the same spot in ESPN’s FPI rankings. Clemson also has the same ranking in the AP poll and the FPI, but Georgia should be able to take care of things in their own backyard (Atlanta).

LSU and USC both have higher FPI rankings than AP poll positions, suggesting Southern California could pose a tougher challenge for the Tigers this weekend than expected. ESPN has USC five spots higher than their poll position, while LSU is just one spot higher. LSU’s cross-country trip to Nevada could also make the game a bit more difficult.

Florida has a tough opponent this weekend in No. 19 Miami, but the Gators are actually ranked three spots higher than the Hurricanes in ESPN’s FPI. The Gators have a good roster but a brutal 2024 schedule, so if you’re looking for a good value, pulling off an upset here might be a good idea.

No. 15 Tennessee will open the season Saturday afternoon against Chattanooga. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for complete Tennessee football coverage this weekend.