Schedule complete for '24, but changes still possible for SEC schedule

All the talk this morning in much of the country will be the 2024 SEC football schedule which was announced last night on the SEC Network. It is a one-year only schedule and will have eight conference games for each opponent, but there is still a lot of lobbying for a nine-game conference schedule in the future. More from WholeHogSports: Hogs get Texas, Texas A&M, but not Alabama in '24 A nine-game conference schedule would be great for ABC and ESPN, but for schools trying to get to six wins and a bowl game it is not such a great deal. It is especially challenging for teams in the SEC West and it is going to get even more difficult now that Texas A&M has hired Bobby Petrino as an offensive coordinator. If head coach Jimbo Fisher truly gives Petrino the freedom to call plays, the Aggies will immediately be at least 25% better on offense. Plus, Hugh Freeze, Auburn’s new coach, is an excellent coach and recruiter so expect the Tigers to be stabilized and improved in the near future. As for the Razorbacks schedule this season it could be a wild one as they are on the road for four consecutive weeks with games at Baton Rouge, Arlington, Texas, Oxford and Ole Miss. That stretch starts three games into the season, and off a home game against BYU. After those four road trips they are home for Mississippi State and then have to travel to Florida. They finish the season with three home games. When the team starts practicing in August we’ll know more, but right now the biggest question mark seems to be depth across the board. They are loaded at running back, but that’s about it and there are definitely questions about who is going to step up and being the starting receiving corps. Today, though, is talk about the next football season, even though it is just a one-year deal. ••• On a personal note, whether it was an Uber in Amsterdam, a plane to Prague or a castle there, a bus in Munich, at the world largest cuckoo clock north of Heidelsberg, a sidewalk cafe in Paris or numerous train rides, not once while on vacation did I miss our statewide daily newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Every place had internet and every day the paper was downloaded to my iPad. Subscribers can travel anywhere in the world and still keep up with sports, local and national news thanks to the iPad. It is an innovation that may end up being the greatest thing to happen to newspapers since the printing press. In Europe where there are just a few English speaking television stations, and most of them very biased, it was a blessing to be able to touch home every day. ••• Tonight is the biggest night in Arkansas slow pitch softball of the year and almost 300 are expected to assemble at Dickey-Stephens Field for the 24th induction class into the Arkansas Softball Hall of Fame. Inductees include coaches, players and sponsors from men and women’s teams. Admission is $35 and includes dinner (ball park fare of course) and a ticket to tonight’s Arkansas Travelers baseball game against Wichita. The Travs are currently tied for first in the Northern Division of the Texas League. Gates for the Softball Hall of Fame banquet open at 5:30. The latest class is Gary Hill, Robert Woods, Gary White, Steve Gray, Eddie Seidle, Doris Adams, Mike Adams, David Sachar, Becky Steward, Robin Hossman Joyner, Janeice Cox, Sherry Wood Roberts, Mary Jack Blaylock, Jamie Blaylock Goodwin, Jayme Jones and Karen Jones Painter. There will be a special meritorious service for Joey Daily one of the sports greatest fans.