2023 Southeastern Conference football season
The 2023 Southeastern Conference football season will be the 91st season of Southeastern Conference (SEC) football, taking place during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season will begin on August 26, 2023, and will end with the 2023 SEC Championship Game on December 2, 2023. The SEC is a Power Five conference under the College Football Playoff. The season schedule was released on September 20, 2022.[1]
| 2023 Southeastern Conference football season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision |
| Sport | Football |
| Duration | August 26 – December 2, 2023 |
| Number of games | 8 |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| TV partner(s) | CBS, ESPN Family (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ESPN+) |
| 2024 NFL Draft | |
| Regular season | |
| SEC Championship Game | |
| 2023 Southeastern Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alabama | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: December 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As of May 18, 2023 Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous season
Georgia defeated LSU 50–20 in the 2022 SEC Championship Game.[2]
The Georgia Bulldogs won their second straight CFP Championship by beating the TCU 65–7 in the 2023 CFP Championship Game in Los Angeles.[3]
Preseason
Recruiting classes
Source:[4]
| Team | ESPN | Rivals[5] | 24/7[6] | On3 Recruits[7] | Total signees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1 | 28 | |||
| Arkansas | 22 | 20 | |||
| Auburn | 17 | 21 | |||
| Florida | 14 | 20 | |||
| Georgia | 2 | 26 | |||
| Kentucky | 31 | 19 | |||
| LSU | 6 | 25 | |||
| Mississippi State | 25 | 27 | |||
| Missouri | 33 | 19 | |||
| Ole Miss | 30 | 14 | |||
| South Carolina | 16 | 24 | |||
| Tennessee | 9 | 25 | |||
| Texas A&M | 15 | 19 | |||
| Vanderbilt | 52 | 21 |
Note: ESPN only ranks the top 40 teams.
Head coaches
One head coach was fired during the 2022 season (Auburn's Bryan Harsin) while Mississippi State's Mike Leach died on December 12, 2022.
Rankings
Regular season
The schedule was released on September 20, 2022. The season will begin on August 31, 2023, and will end with the SEC Championship Game on December 2, 2023.
Week Zero
August 26, 2023
Hawaii vs. Vanderbilt
Week One
August 31, 2023
Florida vs. Utah
September 2, 2023
Alabama A&M vs. Vanderbilt
Ball State vs. Kentucky
Mercer vs. Ole Miss
Middle Tennessee State vs. Alabama
New Mexico vs. Texas A&M
North Carolina vs. South Carolina (in Charlotte, North Carolina)
South Dakota vs. Missouri
Southeastern Louisiana vs. Mississippi State
Massachusetts vs. Auburn
Tennessee-Martin vs. Georgia
Virginia vs. Tennessee (in Nashville, Tennessee)
Western Carolina vs. Arkansas
September 3, 2023
LSU vs. Florida State (in Orlando, Florida)
Week Two
September 9, 2023
Arizona vs. Mississippi State
Auburn vs. California
Austin Peay vs. Tennessee
Ball State vs. Georgia
Eastern Kentucky vs. Kentucky
Furman vs. South Carolina
Grambling State vs. LSU
Kent State vs. Arkansas
McNeese State vs. Florida
Middle Tennessee State vs. Missouri
Ole Miss vs. Tulane
Texas vs. Alabama
Texas A&M vs. Miami (FL)
Vanderbilt vs. Wake Forest
Week Three
September 16, 2023
Akron vs. Kentucky
Alabama vs. South Florida
Georgia Tech vs. Ole Miss
Kansas State vs. Missouri
LSU vs. Mississippi State
Samford vs. Auburn
South Carolina vs. Georgia
Tennessee vs. Florida
Louisiana-Monroe vs. Texas A&M
Vanderbilt vs. UNLV
BYU vs. Arkansas
Week Four
September 23, 2023
Arkansas vs. LSU
Auburn vs. Texas A&M
Charlotte vs. Florida
Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt
Memphis vs. Missouri (in. St. Louis, Missouri)
Mississippi State vs. South Carolina
Ole Miss vs. Alabama
UAB vs. Georgia
UTSA vs. Tennessee
Week Five
September 30, 2023
Alabama vs. Mississippi State
Florida vs. Kentucky
Georgia vs. Auburn
LSU vs. Ole Miss
Missouri vs. Vanderbilt
South Carolina vs. Tennessee
Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (in Arlington, Texas)
Week Six
October 7, 2023
Alabama vs. Texas A&M
Arkansas vs. Ole Miss
Kentucky vs. Georgia
LSU vs. Missouri
Vanderbilt vs. Florida
Western Michigan vs. Mississippi State
Week Seven
October 14, 2023
Arkansas vs. Alabama
Auburn vs. LSU
Florida vs. South Carolina
Georgia vs. Vanderbilt
Missouri vs. Kentucky
Texas A&M vs. Tennessee
Week Eight
October 21, 2023
Army vs. LSU
Mississippi State vs. Arkansas
Ole Miss vs. Auburn
South Carolina vs. Missouri
Tennessee vs. Alabama
Week Nine
October 28, 2023
Georgia vs. Florida (in Jacksonville, Florida)
Mississippi State vs. Auburn
South Carolina vs. Texas A&M
Tennessee vs. Kentucky
Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss
Week Ten
November 4, 2023
Arkansas vs. Florida
Auburn vs. Vanderbilt
Jacksonville State vs. South Carolina
Kentucky vs. Mississippi State
LSU vs. Alabama
Missouri vs. Georgia
Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss
Uconn vs. Tennessee
Week Eleven
November 11, 2023
Alabama vs. Kentucky
Auburn vs. Arkansas
Florida vs. LSU
Mississippi State vs. Texas A&M
Ole Miss vs. Georgia
Tennessee vs. Missouri
Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina
Week Twelve
November 18, 2023
Abilene Christian vs. Texas A&M
Chattanooga vs. Alabama
FIU vs. Arkansas
Florida vs. Missouri
Georgia vs. Tennessee
Georgia State vs. LSU
Kentucky vs. South Carolina
New Mexico State vs. Auburn
Southern Mississippi vs. Mississippi State
Louisiana-Monroe vs. Ole Miss
Week Thirteen
November 23, 2023
Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State
November 25, 2023
Alabama vs. Auburn
Clemson vs. South Carolina
Florida State vs. Florida
Georgia vs. Georgia Tech
Kentucky vs. Louisville
Missouri vs. Arkansas
Texas A&M vs. LSU
Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee
Championship Game
Postseason
Bowl games
For the 2020–2025 bowl cycle, The SEC will have annually eight appearances in the following bowls: Cotton Bowl Classic and Peach Bowl (unless they are selected for playoffs filled by a Big 12 and at-large team if champion is in the playoffs), Citrus Bowl, Duke's Mayo Bowl, Gator Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Music City Bowl, Outback Bowl and Texas Bowl. The SEC teams will go to a New Year's Six bowl if a team finishes higher than the champions of Power Five conferences in the final College Football Playoff rankings. The SEC champion are also eligible for the College Football Playoff if they're among the top four teams in the final CFP ranking.
Awards and honors
NFL draft
References
- "2023 SEC football schedule by team: Key games, dates as league releases full slate for next season". CBSSports.com. September 20, 2022.
- "No. 1 Georgia romps into playoff with 50-30 SEC win vs LSU". ESPN. December 3, 2022.
- "Bulldogs barrel their way to 2nd straight CFP title". ESPN.com. January 10, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- "SEC football recruiting rankings: Where Tennessee, Vanderbilt shake out in 2023 class". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- "2023 Class Rankings". Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- "2023 Football Recruiting Team Rankings". Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- "2023 Football Recruiting Team Rankings". Retrieved May 9, 2022.