On Tuesday, the SEC officially announced the matchups and pairings for each member with the newly updated nine-game conference schedule through the 2029 season, including who will be each program’s three protected annual rivalry games.

The SEC announced in August that it was moving to a nine-game conference schedule starting next season, a decision that put them in line with the Big Ten and Big 12 and later had the ACC follow suit. Each SEC program will have three permanent rivals and six rotating opponents for the next four years, after which the SEC will revisit the schedule pairings and make potential changes to the three annual rivalry games.

Here’s what to know about the SEC’s schedule release through the 2028 college football season:

SEC football annual opponents

The SEC officially announced Tuesday the pairings of the three teams that each SEC team will face annually through 2029. The annual opponents for each team were determined with the following factors, according to the SEC: traditional rivalries, competitive fairness, geography and alignment with non-Conference home and away commitments.

Here’s the pairings for each SEC team:

• Alabama: Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee
• Arkansas: LSU, Missouri, Texas
• Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt
• Florida: Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina
• Georgia: Auburn, Florida, South Carolina
• Kentucky: Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee
• LSU: Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M
• Mississippi: LSU, Mississippi State, Oklahoma
• Mississippi State: Alabama, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
• Missouri: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
• Oklahoma: Ole Miss, Missouri, Texas
• South Carolina: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky
• Tennessee: Alabama, Kentucky, Vanderbilt
• Texas: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
• Texas A&M: LSU, Missouri, Texas
• Vanderbilt: Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee

SEC football 9-game schedules from 2026-29

Alabama

Arkansas

Auburn

Florida

Georgia

Kentucky

LSU

Mississippi State

Missouri

Oklahoma

Ole Miss

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Here is Texas A&M’s SEC schedule through the 2029 season:

Texas

Vanderbilt

Here is Vanderbilt’s SEC schedule through the 2029 season:

SEC 9-game schedule format

On top of the three annual opponents that each SEC will play, the remaining six conference games each season will be comprised of a rotating schedule among the remaining conference schools. In other words, each team will face the remaining 12 teams in the conference once in a two-year span. Over a four-year span, every team will host and visit every SEC stadium (except in the case of neutral-site rivalries).

Additionally, another key component in the SEC’s nine-game schedule is that each SEC team must annually schedule at least one additional high-quality non-conference game from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference or Notre Dame.

Weeks of successes by the Cleveland Guardians coupled with struggles by the Detroit Tigers have come down to this final week of the season, with the division rivals clashing with the American League Central division at stake.

And now the race is dead even.

The Guardians wiped away a two-run deficit and turned the tables on the Tigers and their ace Tarik Skubal with an action-packed three-run sixth inning en route to a 5-2 win.

Cleveland starter Gavin Williams arguably matched Skubal’s dominance, throwing six innings, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while tying a career-high with 12 strikeouts. Skubal was the hard-luck loser, going six innings with one earned run on four hits, three walks and eight strikeouts.

The Guardians and Tigers are now tied at 85-72, but Cleveland’s win gives them the season series and tiebreaker.

Here’s how it all went down:

Final: Guardians 5, Tigers 2

Cleveland wins the series opener, which allows the Guardians to seize the season series against their AL Central rival. And that’s especially important considering the Guards and Tigers are tied in the standings.

Tigers ninth inning

Cade Smith on to pitch for Guardians.

• Riley Greene struck out swinging. 1 out.
• Dillon Dingler struck out looking. 2 outs.
• Zach McKinstry lined out to third base. 3 outs.

Guardians eighth inning

Cleveland got a two-out single from speedy Petey Halpin but left him stranded. That brings the Tigers up with one last chance at romance, and it will come against closer Cade Smith. Score: Guardians 5, Tigers 2.

Tigers eighth inning

Hunter Gaddis struck out the first two batters he saw before allowing a two-out single to Kerry Carpenter. But Gaddis struck out Spencer Torkelson after that to give Guardians pitchers 17 strikeouts on the night. Score: Guardians 5, Tigers 2.

Guardians add on in seventh

Cleveland has opened up a 5-2 lead after scoring twice more in the seventh. And the whole rally came with two outs.

With Skubal out of the game, reliever Tommy Kahnle struck out the first two batters he faced before walking Austin Hedges. Kahnle was then relieved by Kyle Finnegan, who promptly allowed an opposite-field double to Steve Kwan before pinch-hitter Daniel Schneemann roped a two-run single to left. Finnegan retired Jose Ramirez on a well-struck fly ball to left center. Score: Guardians 5, Tigers 2.

Tigers seventh inning

On for Gavin Williams, Erik Sabrowski nearly had an immaculate inning, striking out Zach McKinstry and Wenceel Perez on six pitches. Pinch-hitter Andy Ibanez ended the inning with a flyout to left. Score: Guardians 3, Tigers 2.

David Fry hit in face

During the sixth inning, with runners at first and second and no one out, Guardians designated hitter David Fry squared to bunt on a 2-2 pitch from Tigers starter Tarik Skubal. The ball missed Fry’s bat entirely and struck him in the face. Fry immediately held his face and went to the ground.

A deafening silence fell over the crowd. Fry was eventually able to stand on his own, but he was carted off the field to a rousing ovaction from the Cleveland crowd.

Guards Ball strikes again

The Guardians aren’t only on the scoreboard, but now they have a 3-2 lead. And they did so without ever hitting the ball out of the infield.

Steven Kwan started the sixth with a perfect bunt single off the plate. Angel Martinez followed with a bunt of his own, pushed down the first-base line. Rather than field the ball and eat it, Tarik Skubal tried to toss the ball to first through his legs, granny style. The ball sailed over Spencer Torkelson’s head and allowed Kwan to go to third and Martinez to second. Jose Ramirez followed with a tapper to third baseman Zach McKinstry, who could do nothing but pocket it. The infield single scored Kwan and got Martinez to third.

After a lengthy delay following a horrific injury to Guardians DH David Fry, Skubal uncorked a wild pitch that scored Martinez and put Ramirez at second. After Fry’s replacement, George Valera, struck out, Skubal balked Ramirez to third base before Gabriel Arias got him home with a groundout.

Just an amazing turn of events. Score: Guardians 3, Tigers 2.

Tigers sixth inning

Gavin Williams struck out the side in the sixth, but Riley Greene’s homer was wedged in there to give Detroit a 2-0 lead. Williams has 12 strikeouts in six innings. Score: Tigers 2, Guardians 0.

Riley Greene home run

The Tigers have increased their lead to 2-0 in the sixth inning after Riley Greene ripped his 35th homer of the season. Score: Tigers 2, Guardians 0.

Guardians fifth inning

Cleveland threatened in the fifth, breaking Tarik Skubal’s string of setting down nine consecutive batters when Kyle Manzardo hit a one-out double. Jhonkensy Noel followed with a walk, but Skubal settled in and struck out Brayan Rocchio on four pitches before getting Austin Hedges to ground into an inning-ended fielder’s choice. Score: Tigers 1, Guardians 0.

Tigers fifth inning

Gavin Williams had a much-needed bounceback inning, setting down the Tigers in order on eight pitches.

Trey Sweeney grounded out to first base on the first pitch he saw and Parker Meadows followed with a groundout to short. Then Williams made Gleyber Torres his ninth strikeout victim. Score: Tigers 1, Guardians 0.

Guardians fourth inning

It seems safe to say that Tarik Skubal has found his rhythm.

Skubal made quick work of the Guardians in the fourth, setting down Angel Martinez, Jose Ramirez and David Fry in order. Since allowing a walk to start the second inning, Skubal has retired eight in a row. Score: Tigers 1, Guardians 0.

Tigers fourth inning

The Tigers were threatening to break this one open in the fourth, but Gavin Williams worked out of it.

After striking out Kerry Carpenter to lead off the inning, Williams loaded the bases by walking Spencer Torkelson on five pitches, allowing an infield single to Riley Greene and then walking Dillon Dingler. That brought up Zach McKinstry, who doubled and scored in the second inning. McKinstry worked the count full before striking out swinging, then Wenceel Perez struck out swinging on a curveball in the dirt.

Williams has eight strikeouts, but Detroit drove his pitch count up to 69.

Guardians third inning

Tarik Skubal had his first clean inning in the third, retiring Brayan Rocchio on a groundout, Austin Hedges on a broken-bat flyout and he struck out Steven Kwan on three consecutive pitches. Score: Tigers 1, Guardians 0.

Tigers third inning

Detroit could only muster one run despite opening the inning with back-to-back doubles. Gavin Williams bounced back to strike out Trey Sweeney, get Parker Meadows to fly out to deep center and Gleyber Torres to fly out to right. Score: Tigers 1, Guardians 0.

Tigers score first

After retiring the first six batters in order, Gavin Williams allowed back-to-back doubles to Zach McKinstry and Wenceel Perez to get Detroit on the scoreboard first. Tigers are up 1-0 with a runner at second and no one out.

Guardians second inning

Gabriel Arias led off the bottom of the second with a seven-pitch walk, but he was then promptly picked off first base by catcher Dillon Dingler. Tarik Skubal then struck out Kyle Manzardo and Jhonkensy Noel (aka Big Christmas) to finish the second inning. Score: Guardians 0, Tigers 0.

Tigers second inning

Gavin Williams had another 1-2-3 inning, getting Spencer Torkelson on strikes, Riley Greene on a ground out to second, and Dillon Dingler to strikeout for his fourth K of the game. Score: Tigers 0, Guardians 0.

Guardians first inning

After a leadoff fly out by Steve Kwan, Angel Martinez reached on a bloop infield single to short and Jose Ramirez walked on four pitches to put Cleveland runners on first and second. But then Tarik Skubal got DH David Fry to roll into a 5-4-3 double play to end the threat. Score: Guardians 0, Tigers 0.

Tigers first inning

Gavin Williams had a 1-2-3 top of the first for the Guardians, getting Parker Meadows to open with a fly out to left field, and then striking out Gleyber Torres and Kerry Carpenter. Score: Tigers 0, Guardians coming to bat.

How to watch Tigers vs Guardians

• Date: Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025
• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where: Progressive Field in Cleveland
• TV: FOX Sports Detroit, CLEGuardians.TV
• Stream: Fubo

Stream Tigers vs. Guardians with Fubo

Cleveland weather

The game time temperature is 72 degrees with clear skies at Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland.

Tigers vs Guardians season series

Fresh off its three-game sweep last week in Comerica Park, Cleveland owns a 6-4 record against Detroit in 2025. That means one more victory will ensure the Guardians win the season series, and thus the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Gavin Williams stats

In his first full season in the Guardians’ rotation, Gavin Williams has emerged as the team’s ace with an 11-5 record and 3.06 ERA in 161⅔ innings pitched. He does, however, lead the league with 81 walks.

Williams has only allowed more than two earned runs once in six starts dating back to Aug. 14. He’s faced the Tigers twice this season and has not yielded a run in 11 innings with 17 strikeouts.

Tigers’ Javier Baez scratched

Flashy shortstop Javier Baez was originally in Detroit’s starting lineup, playing shortstop and batting ninth. But the team announced Baez has been scratched with neck stiffness, and Trey Sweeney will take his place.

Baez, 32, has enjoyed a bounceback season that included an appearance at the All-Star Game in Atlanta. He’s hitting .252 with 11 homers and 52 RBI, and his .670 OPS is his best since 2022, his first season in Motown.

Tarik Skubal stats

The Tigers’ ace and reigning American League Cy Young Award winner is having another steller season, posting a 13-5 record with a 2.23 ERA and 0.88 WHIP, both AL bests.

In three starts this season against the Guardians, Skubal has gone 1-0 with a 0.41 ERA and 32 strikeouts with only two walks in 22 innings pitched.

September has been the worst month of his season, as Skubal has posted a 2.76 ERA in three starts.

Tigers vs Guardians starting pitchers

• Detroit — LHP, Tarik Skubal: 13-5, 2.23 ERA in 30 starts (189⅓ innings pitched)
• Cleveland — RHP, Gavin Williams: 11-5, 3.06 ERA in 30 starts (161⅔ innings pitched)

Tigers vs Guardians starting lineups

Detroit Tigers starting lineup

• Parker Meadows, CF
• Gleyber Torres, 2B
• Kerry Carpenter, DH
• Spencer Torkelson, 1B
• Riley Greene, LF
• Dillon Dingler, C
• Wenceel Perez, RF
• Zach McKinstry, 3B
• Javier Baez, SS

Cleveland Guardians starting lineup

• Steven Kwan, LF
• Angel Martinez, CF
• Jose Ramirez, 3B
• David Fry, DH
• Gabriel Arias, SS
• Kyle Manzardo, 1B
• Jhonkensy Noel, RF
• Brayan Rocchio, 2B
• Austin Hedges, C

Tigers, Guardians remaining schedules

Detroit Tigers

• Sep. 23: @ Cleveland, 6:40 p.m. ET
• Sep. 24: @ Cleveland, 6:40 p.m. ET
• Sep. 25: @ Cleveland, 6:40 p.m. ET
• Sep. 26: @ Boston, 7:10 p.m. ET
• Sep. 27: @ Boston, 4:10 p.m. ET
• Sep. 28: @ Boston, 3:05 p.m. ET

Cleveland Guardians

• Sep. 23: vs. Detroit, 6:40 p.m. ET
• Sep. 24: vs. Detroit, 6:40 p.m. ET
• Sep. 25: vs. Detroit, 6:40 p.m. ET
• Sep. 26: vs. Texas, 7:10 p.m. ET
• Sep. 27: vs. Texas, 7:15 p.m. ET
• Sep. 28: vs. Texas, 3:10 p.m. ET

MLB playoff picture

If the season ended today, this would be the playoff seeding (* – clinched playoff berth):

American League

1. *Toronto Blue Jays (90-66)
2. Seattle Mariners (87-69)
3. Detroit Tigers (85-71)
4. New York Yankees (88-68)
5. Boston Red Sox (84-72)
6. Cleveland Guardians (84-72) – tiebreaker over Houston Astros

National League

1. *Milwaukee Brewers (95-62)
2. *Philadelphia Phillies (92-64)
3. *Los Angeles Dodgers (88-68)
4. *Chicago Cubs (88-68)
5. *San Diego Padres (86-71)
6. Cincinnati Reds (90-76) – tiebreaker over New York Mets

Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw said he skipped a key late-season game to attend a memorial service for conservative influencer Charlie Kirk after Kirk’s widow Erika invited him.

Shaw told reporters in Chicago that he sought the counsel of Cubs veterans as well as manager Craig Counsell and club president Jed Hoyer before opting to attend the Sept. 21 event near Phoenix.

The Cubs played at the Cincinnati Reds that day and opted to play a man down rather than place Shaw on the restricted list. He was ineligible for placement on Major League Baseball’s bereavement list because Kirk was not a family member.

‘I made sure everybody I talked to I had their support, that they knew why I was going, that I wasn’t leaving just to leave, that it was something that was really important to my faith,” Shaw said, per the Chicago Tribune.

Shaw typically plays against left-handed starters and the Reds started a lefty, Andrew Abbott, that day. While the Cubs’ playoff spot was assured at that time, they were still faintly alive for the NL Central title, and seeding ramifications remain for both the NL playoffs and, potentially, a World Series appearance.

The outcome had greater significance for the Reds and New York Mets, who are now in a virtual tie for the final wild card berth.

Minus Shaw, the Cubs started 40-year-old DH Justin Turner at third and lost to the Reds, 1-0, bringing pulling Cincinnati even for the last playoff spot.

Shaw told reporters that he and Kirk met in the offseason living at the same Arizona apartment complex, bonded over “faith” and that Kirk, a suburban Chicago native, frequently texted him after games

Shaw and Cubs infielder Michael Busch posed for a photograph with Kirk on the Wrigley Field turf after a game in August.

AI-assisted summary
• The U.S. team staged a major comeback in 1999, winning 8.5 of the 12 possible points on the final day.
• In 2017, the U.S. team achieved a record-setting 19-9 victory, the most points scored since the format changed in 1979.
• Europe secured a dramatic win in 2012 after overcoming a 10-6 deficit on the final day of singles matches.

Ranking Ryder Cups is like wishing you walked into a candy store with more money. You want to include a little bit of everything by the time you walk out, but it’s not possible. Especially when the task at hand is a top-five list within the past 40 years. But lines have to be drawn somewhere, and the Ryder Cup has existed since 1927.

Plus, there’s an argument that 1985 is the start of the modern Ryder Cup era (a point to be explained later).

In no particular order, the top five Ryder Cups since 1985:

1999, The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts (U.S. 14.5-13.5)

With 12 points up for grabs on Sunday, the U.S. grabbed 8.5 in the singles matches and won the first six matches of the final day. Hal Sutton finished with a team-best 3.5 points, and a 23-year-old Tiger Woods went 2-3 on the weekend.

2021, Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin (U.S. 19-9)

An absolute rout by the home country. The Americans won the first three sessions 3-1 and also took down eight of the 12 singles matches on the final day. No team had ever reached 19 points since the format of the tournament changed in 1979.

1991, Kiawah Island, South Carolina (U.S. 14.5-13.5)

A duel from start to finish that included some on-course trash talking from both sides. The U.S. hadn’t won since 1983. Seve Ballesteros and José María Olazábal, the Spanish super-pair, won three matches and halved another in the four they played together. It was also the first Ryder Cup televised live.

2012, Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois (Europe 14.5-13.5)

The European team honored the recently deceased Ballesteros with images of him on their sleeves and his silhouette embroidered on their bags. Olazábal was the captain who saw his team surge on Sunday and overcome a 10-6 deficit. Francesco Molinari tied Woods in the final match for the halve, tipping the difference in favor of Europe.

1985 and (bonus) 1989, Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, England (Europe 16.5-11.5, 1985; Halved 14-14, 1989)

Taking the liberty to group these two together since both tournaments took place at the Belfry. The 1985 European victory was that side’s first in 28 years. The trans-Atlantic rivalry finally had some juice to it, and the trophy has passed hands back and forth for the past four decades. Craig Stadler’s missed two-footer that Saturday on the 18th hole in 1985 proved demoralizing, and Ballesteros led Europe with 3.5 points.

In 1989, the second tie in Ryder Cup history occurred. Europe’s Christy O’Connor Jr. upset Fred Couples, 1 up.  

Retirement looks good on Jason Kelce.

The Super Bowl champion and former All-Pro center for the Philadelphia Eagles hung up the cleats after the 2023 season, opting to shift into a new career doing whatever he wants. Kelce is a cohost of the ‘New Heights’ podcast with his brother, Travis, and a cohost on ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Countdown.’

He shows up everywhere and anywhere, continuing to be involved in the football world.

On Monday night in Baltimore, he opted to add something else to his repertoire – saxophone player in a marching band. Take a look:

Kelce joined the Baltimore Ravens’ marching band to play the ESPN ‘Monday Night Football’ theme and the team’s fight song.

It’s not necessarily a new venture for the former Eagle, who has famously donned the elaborate attire that is typically worn in the annual Philadelphia ‘Mummers Parade’ on New Year’s Day. The look remains synonymous with his speech at the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory parade in 2018, but that’s not all.

He was also seen playing saxophone during his cameo with the Mummers.

It’s clear that Kelce is more than just a football player. If he sticks around in media long enough, who knows how many more talents of his we’ll discover.