SEC announces early schedule start times plus Thanksgiving and championship games
By GRAHAM DUNN
The Alabama Crimson Tide will open the 2026 football season with its first three games featured on ABC television, the network and the Southeastern Conference announced on Wednesday.
Alabama will open with East Carolina on Sept. 5 at 11 a.m. CT and will follow with a road game and first conference contest at Kentucky the following week at 2:30 p.m. On Sept. 19, the Crimson Tide will welcome Florida State to Bryant-Denny Stadium for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff.
Auburn’s first game will be in Atlanta with the Baylor Bears for a 2:30 p.m. CT start on Sept. 5, opening the Alex Golesh era. The second game will be the home opener against Southern Miss at either 6:30 or 6:45 p.m. on either ESPNU or the SEC Network. Game 3 of the season will be the Tigers’ first conference game against Florida that will kick off at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
Labor Day weekend will feature a Thursday night game with Missouri playing host to Arkansas-Pine Bluff and a game on Sunday with Louisville facing Ole Miss in Nashville on ABC
Week 3 features a tripleheader of “SEC on ABC,” beginning with Georgia at Arkansas at 11 a.m., followed by the matchup between Florida State and Alabama. The night closes out with one of the most anticipated games of the ‘26 season with Ole Miss Rebels welcoming their former coach Lane Kiffin to Oxford with LSU . The matchup kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.
The networks also announced games for Thanksgiving weekend and the date for the SEC Championship.
SEC MATCHUPS Week 1-3 and Thanksgiving
Games for the first three weeks of SEC football. as well as games for the week of Nov. 27 and SEC Championship Game. Date and times are subject to change. (Times CDT)
Thursday., Sept. 3
7 p.m. Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Missouri (SEC Network)
Saturday, Sept. 5
11 a.m. East Carolina at Alabama (ABC)
11:45 a.m. Kent State at South Carolina (SEC Network)
12 p.m. Youngstown State at Kentucky (SEC Network+)
2 p.m. Tennessee State at Georgia (SEC Network+)
2:30 p.m. Aflac Kickoff Game: Baylor vs. Auburn, Atlanta (ABC)
2:30 p.m. Texas State at Texas (ESPN)
2:30 p.m. Furman at Tennessee (SEC Network+)
3:15 p.m. North Alabama at Arkansas (SEC Network)
6 p.m. Missouri State at No. 10 Texas A&M (ESPN)
6 p.m. Austin Peay at Vanderbilt (SEC Network+)
6:30 p.m. Clemson at No. 11 LSU (ABC)
6:30 p.m. UL Monroe at Mississippi State (ESPNU)
6:45 p.m. Florida Atlantic at Florida (SEC Network)
TBD UTEP at No. 13 Oklahoma (SEC Network+)
Sunday, Sept. 6
6:30 p.m. Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff: Louisville vs. Ole Miss, Nashville (ABC)
Saturday, Sept. 12
11 a.m. Arizona State at Texas A&M (ABC)
11:45 a.m. Western Kentucky at Georgia (SEC Network+)
2:30 p.m. Alabama at Kentucky (ABC)
3:15 p.m. Delaware at Vanderbilt (SEC Network)
4:30 p.m. Campbell at Florida (SEC Network+)
6 p.m. Tennessee at Georgia Tech (ESPN)
6 p.m. Towson at South Carolina (SEC Network+)
6:30 p.m. Ohio State at No. 5 Texas (ABC)
6:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech at LSU (SEC Network+)
6:30/6:45 p.m. Southern Miss at Auburn (ESPNU/SEC Network)
6:45 p.m. Charlotte at Ole Miss (ESPN2 or SEC Network)
9:15 p.m. Arkansas at Utah (ESPN)
Saturday, Sept 19
11:45 a.m. NC State at Vanderbilt (SEC Network +)
11:45 a.m. Troy at Missouri (SEC Network +)
2:30 p.m. Florida State atAlabama (ABC)
2:30 p.m. Kentucky at Texas A&M (ESPN or ESPN2)
3:15 p.m. Mississippi State at South Carolina (SEC Network)
6 p.m. Florida at Auburn (ESPN)
6:30 p.m. LSU at Ole Miss (ABC)
6:30 p.m. New Mexico at Oklahoma (ESPN2)
6:45 p.m. Kennesaw State at No. 25 Tennessee (SEC Network)
7 p.m. UTSA at Texas (SEC Network +)
Frdayi, Nov. 27
11 a.m. Mississippi State at Ole Miss (ABC)
2:30 p.m. Florida at Florida State (ABC)
6:30 p.m. Texas at Texas A&M (ABC)
Saturday, Dec. 5
3 p.m. SEC Championship Game, Atlanta (ABC)