Birmingham, Alabama - Is an eight-game schedule format the best decision for the SEC?

College football in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) is set to undergo major changes in 2024, and teams and fans alike will have much to digest.

Not only will the addition of Texas and Oklahoma be one of the biggest adjustments current SEC teams will have to prepare for, but the league will also get rid of divisions and keep an 8-game conference schedule during the 2024 season.

In an announcement on Thursday evening, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey emphasized that the 2024 football schedule format may also shift based on television contracts, previous non-conference commitments, and the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12-teams.

"During this time of change, our fans will continue to enjoy traditional rivalries and begin to see new matchups presented by the addition of two historically successful football programs to the SEC," Sankey said in a statement.

Starting in 2024, the SEC will be the only Power 5 conference that will not require its football programs to play nine conference games. However, the SEC will then require each school in the league to play a non-conference game against another Power 5 opponent.

While some non-traditional power schools in the SEC might be excited about the seemingly easier eight-game conference schedule, others may not be so happy.

For some schools like two-time national champions Georgia, an eight-game conference schedule means a threat to tradition and the possible elimination of longstanding rivalry showdowns.

For example, the Georgia Bulldogs have faced-off against Auburn and Florida every season since 1943. Aside from that single year in the middle of World War II, Georgia and Auburn have played yearly dating all the way back to 1892 - banking 127 meetings in total.

Georgia and Auburn's league rivalry is known as "The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry."

The new changes could put that age-old matchup in jeopardy of not being played.

With the elimination of divisions in 2024, the SEC Championship game will feature the two teams that hold the best conference records. What will the league's future hold?