Future of the SEC football schedule is still up in the air

The SEC is going through changes, and that's to put it lightly.

The conference will be moving on from its long-time television partner, CBS, in 2024 while adding two juggernaut programs in Texas and Oklahoma. SEC football was already must-see TV but it's going to even harder to turn it off in 2024 and beyond.

The one teeny little issue for the conference? With new schools comes the necessity for a new schedule, and especially with a 12-team College Football Playoff on the horizon, getting the in-conference schedule right is extremely important for the SEC.

Existing rivalries, bowl eligibility and CFP eligibility are all talking points.

The conference's members are currently debating between an eight-game league schedule featuring one permanent opponent year to year or a nine-game league schedule featuring three permanent opponents. A decision may or may not be imminent, but either way, they're going to have to take a vote sooner rather than later.

"I would prefer to not continue to circle the airport with the airplane," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said at the SEC spring meetings on Monday, per ESPN.

"This is a league at the forefront of college athletics," he continued. "Now, whether change happens immediately is part of a careful consideration and a deep consideration.

Part of that consideration is how Texas and Oklahoma will fit into the existing SEC landscape and rivalries in 2024 and beyond.  The two schools do have representatives at the SEC spring meetings, but they won't be eligible to vote for anything until they become full members on July 1, 2024.

"I think it's an important element for us as we think about our future," Sankey said of the Longhorns and Sooners. "2024 is an enormous year with the move away from CBS, expansion to 16 [teams], the College Football Playoff [expanding to 12 teams]. Not to mention all that happens around us. So, I think it's an important relationship-building opportunity, important information sharing."

When the scheduling matter is officially put to a vote, it will be determined by a simple majority.