Eight first-time challenge matchups highlight the announcement of the schedule for the 2017 SEC/Big 12 Challenge Presented By Sonic.

 

For the second straight year, all games in the Challenge will be played in one day - Saturday, January 28.  ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to televise every contest of the fourth annual event matching every Big 12 squad with 10 members from the Southeastern Conference.  Each league will host five games.  In addition, ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm will originate from a to be determined site of one of the day’s games.  

 

The Big 12 is 20-10 (.667) in the Challenge, having won the series in each of its first three seasons.   The Big 12 has posted a 48-30 (.615) record in the last two conference challenge series it has played (vs. Pac-10, SEC) dating back to 2007.

 

The Challenge has six teams ranked in the super-early ESPN.com top 25, including four Big 12 teams - No. 3 Kentucky, No. 4 Kansas, No. 15 West Virginia, No. 18 Oklahoma, No. 19 Texas A&M and No. 22 Iowa State. Two games will pit ranked squads against each other - Kansas at Kentucky and Texas A&M at West Virginia.

 

2017 SEC/Big 12 Challenge - Saturday, January 28

 

Baylor at Mississippi

     First matchup between the schools since 1970

 

Iowa State at Vanderbilt

     ISU holds 4-3 series edge, with wins in last two meetings

 

Kansas at Kentucky

     Jayhawks have won four of last seven meetings

 

Kansas State at Tennessee

     Teams will play for second time in the past three years

 

Florida at Oklahoma

     Only meeting was in 1995, when Lon Kruger was UF coach

 

Arkansas at Oklahoma State

     Cowboys have won nine of the last 10 matchups

 

Auburn at TCU

     TCU won last matchup, played in 1996

 

Texas at Georgia

     First meeting since playing in New York City in 2002

 

LSU at Texas Tech

     Teams have split six all-time meetings

 

Texas A&M at West Virginia

     WVU won only series meeting with Aggies (2009-10)