Short-term football schedule format possible for '24

Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek is shown at a football scrimmage Saturday, April 15, 2023, in Fayetteville.

DESTIN, Fla. — Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek was asked Wednesday if he sensed the Southeastern Conference’s scheduling debate would reach a conclusion this week at spring meetings.

“It’s going to be either eight or nine,” he joked.

The two proposed models include an eight-game schedule with one annual opponent for each program and seven rotating opponents. The other model is a nine-game schedule with three permanent opponents and six rotating. 

Both models will eliminate the eastern and western divisions, which Yurachek said is most “favorable” for Arkansas.

He thinks a resolution will be reached during the SEC Spring Meetings this week.

“I would be surprised if we didn’t,” Yurachek said. “I think there are positives for both an eight- and nine-game schedule. From a University of Arkansas standpoint, and if I put my Razorback hat on, I think eight is what is best for us because I think that is how our program is built, to sustain an eight-game schedule. I think eight has worked well in our league when you talk about the [College Football Playoff].

“But I think there is some intrigue with nine because, you know, maybe we get to play Texas every year, which is a big deal to our fans.”

During an appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show” on SEC Network, Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte said he is eager to renew rivalries in the SEC.

“For us, playing Arkansas again is so awesome," Del Conte said, according to On3.com. "Coach [Frank] Broyles and DKR [Darrell K Royal] retired on the same day in 1976. Arkansas games mattered to our fanbase so much in the '60s and '70s. [Texas] A&M, we’ve been playing forever."

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Regardless of the direction scheduling takes, Yurachek said the league is accomplishing a primary goal of every school playing each other home and away during a four-year period. 

The current format includes long lulls between some teams playing at certain sites. For example, Arkansas has not played at Vanderbilt since 2011.

“I think that’s great for our student-athletes and I think that’s great for our fans,” Yurachek said of shortening the years between games on each campus.

Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman said he thinks it could be known this week whether the league will decide on eight or nine games longterm, but he wasn’t certain. Discussion regarding the schedule has been “talked to death” in the last year, he quipped.

“I think they’re getting closer to what they want to do,” Pittman said. “I think a couple of more meetings with whomever and they’ll get it figured out here. Pretty interesting things came out of the meetings, but not anything defined. There’s some proposals, but nothing defined this week, in my opinion.

“There’s a possibility we know definitely within a week, maybe toward the latter part of this week, I would assume.”

Speaking with The Athletic on Wednesday, Yurachek downplayed the need to announce a decision this week. A short-term model — eight games, with one permanent rival and seven rotating opponents — could be adopted for 2024, which is the first season Texas and Oklahoma will be in the league.

“We’re not going to shrivel up and die if we don’t know what the schedule for the next four years is,” Yuracheck said. “If we know what it is for ’23, we can find out what it is in ’24 and ’25. We’re all going to be OK.

“It’s not that big a deal.”

Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne, asked if the league’s ADs have sufficient information to make a long-term decision on an eight- or nine-game schedule, said, “No.” Asked when the conference would have enough info, he said, “I don’t know for sure. It’s kind of in pieces right now.”

Florida athletics director Scott Stricklin, according to the Tampa Bay Times, cited the cost and logistics of buying out non-conference games next year and beyond for potentially punting on nine games yet again. 

For the Razorbacks, that is not as much of a hiccup.

Arkansas has language built into game contracts that would allow it to break non-conference games should the league alter or expand its schedule.

In Arkansas’ game contract with Utah that was signed in 2019, a force majeure paragraph states the game can be called off for multiple reasons, including if “the party becomes obligated, as a condition of athletic conference membership or affiliation (for football), to play a greater number of regular season football games against conference-designated opponents in the regular season of the cancelled game."

“I can’t speak for any other schools [on if they have similar language in game contracts],” Yurachek said. “I don’t know for sure.”

Asked about the potential for a short-term solution, South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner said we will have to wait and see.

“There’s still a lot of dialogue going on at this point,” Tanner told The Athletic, “and certainly the presidents and chancellors with us in the decision-making phase on Friday. But there’s a lot of dialogue on the two formats.”