Southeastern Conference facts for kids
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| Association | NCAA |
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| Founded | 1932 |
| Commissioner | Greg Sankey (since 2015) |
| Sports fielded |
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| Division | Division I |
| Subdivision | FBS |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Headquarters | Roy F. Kramer Building 2201 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. Birmingham, Alabama United States |
| Region | |
| Locations | |
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The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a group of 16 universities that compete against each other in college sports. Most of these schools are in the South Central and Southeastern parts of the United States. The group is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.
The SEC is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, which is the highest level of college sports. For college football, it is in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
The conference was started in 1932 by 13 schools that left the Southern Conference. Over the years, some schools left and others joined. In 2024, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas joined, bringing the total number of members to 16.
In 1992, the SEC became the first conference to have a special championship game for football. The conference is known for being very successful and earns a lot of money, which it shares with its member schools.
Contents
Member Universities
The SEC has 16 member universities from 11 different states. For many years, the conference was split into an East and a West Division for sports like football and baseball. The winners of each division would play each other for the championship.
When Oklahoma and Texas joined in 2024, the SEC stopped using divisions for football and baseball.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment (fall 2023) |
Endowment (billions – FY24) |
Nickname | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | 1831 | 1932 | Public | 39,622 | $2.379 (system-wide) |
Crimson Tide | |
| University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, Arkansas | 1871 | 1992 | Public | 32,140 | $1.666 | Razorbacks | |
| Auburn University | Auburn, Alabama | 1856 | 1932 | Public | 33,015 | $1.187 | Tigers | |
| University of Florida | Gainesville, Florida | 1853 | 1932 | Public | 54,814 | $2.454 | Gators | |
| University of Georgia | Athens, Georgia | 1785 | 1932 | Public | 41,615 | $2.056 | Bulldogs | |
| University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky | 1865 | 1932 | Public | 32,703 | $1.979 | Wildcats | |
| Louisiana State University | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | 1860 | 1932 | Public | 41,768 | $1.138 (system-wide) |
Tigers | |
| University of Mississippi | University, Mississippi | 1848 | 1932 | Public | 24,043 | $0.925 | Rebels | |
| Mississippi State University | Mississippi State, Mississippi | 1878 | 1932 | Public | 22,657 | $0.895 | Bulldogs | |
| University of Missouri | Columbia, Missouri | 1839 | 2012 | Public | 31,013 | $2.411 (system-wide) |
Tigers | |
| University of Oklahoma | Norman, Oklahoma | 1890 | 2024 | Public | 29,145 | $1.808 | Sooners | |
| University of South Carolina | Columbia, South Carolina | 1801 | 1992 | Public | 36,579 | $1.044 | Gamecocks | |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1794 | 1932 | Public | 36,304 | $1.766 (system-wide) |
Volunteers | |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, Texas | 1883 | 2024 | Public | 53,082 | $47.465 (system-wide) |
Longhorns | |
| Texas A&M University | College Station, Texas | 1876 | 2012 | Public | 76,633 | $20.381 (system-wide) |
Aggies | |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Tennessee | 1873 | 1932 | Private | 13,456 | $10.248 | Commodores |
Map of Member Schools
Former Members
Three of the original schools that helped start the SEC have left the conference.
- Sewanee left in 1940. It was a small private school and found it hard to compete against the large public universities.
- Georgia Tech left in 1964 after disagreements about rules for recruiting players. It later joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.
- Tulane left in 1966. Like Sewanee, it was a private school that struggled to keep up with bigger schools, especially in football. It is now in the American Athletic Conference.
| Institution | Location | Establishment | Joined SEC | Left SEC | Type | Nickname | Colors | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sewanee: The University of the South | Sewanee, Tennessee | 1857 | 1932 | 1940 | Private (Episcopal) |
Tigers | SAA | |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta, Georgia | 1885 | 1932 | 1964 | Public | Yellow Jackets | ACC | |
| Tulane University | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1834 | 1932 | 1966 | Private | Green Wave | The American |
History of the SEC
How the SEC Started
The SEC was created on December 8 and 9, 1932. Thirteen schools from the Southern Conference decided to break away and form their own group. Ten of those original schools are still in the SEC today.
For its first eight years, the SEC didn't have a main office. In 1940, the conference set up its headquarters in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1948, the office moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where it is still located.
A Time of Change: Racial Integration
For a long time, Black athletes were not allowed to play in the SEC. This began to change in the 1950s and 1960s. A major event was the 1956 Sugar Bowl, a big football game. The University of Pittsburgh team had a Black player named Bobby Grier. Some people, including the governor of Georgia, did not want the Georgia Tech team to play against an integrated team. However, the president of Georgia Tech refused to back down, and the game was played.
It wasn't until 1966 that the first Black athlete, Stephen Martin, played in an SEC competition for the Tulane baseball team. Soon after, other schools like Kentucky and Vanderbilt began giving scholarships to Black athletes. This was a very important step in making the conference fair for everyone.
Growing the Conference
In 1990, the SEC added two new schools: the University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina. This brought the total number of members to twelve. With more teams, the SEC split into two divisions for football, the East and the West.
In 2012, the conference grew again. Texas A&M University and the University of Missouri joined, making it a 14-team conference.
The most recent expansion happened in 2024, when the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas at Austin officially joined. This brought the SEC to its current size of 16 teams.
Membership Timeline
Full members Full members (non-football) Other Conference Other Conference
Sports in the SEC
The SEC holds championships in nine men's sports and thirteen women's sports. Because football teams have so many male players, the conference requires schools to have more sports teams for women to make things fair.
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 16 | – |
| Basketball | 16 | 16 |
| Cross country | 14 | 16 |
| Equestrian | – | 4 |
| Football | 16 | – |
| Golf | 16 | 16 |
| Gymnastics | – | 9 |
| Rowing | – | 4 |
| Soccer | – | 16 |
| Softball | – | 15 |
| Swimming & diving | 11 | 13 |
| Tennis | 15 | 16 |
| Indoor track & field | 15 | 16 |
| Outdoor track & field | 15 | 16 |
| Volleyball | – | 16 |
SEC Football
For the upcoming season, see 2025 Southeastern Conference football season.
Football is the most popular sport in the SEC. The conference is known for having some of the best teams in the country.
The Championship Game
From 1992 to 2023, the winners of the East and West divisions played in the SEC Championship Game. Starting in 2024, the two teams with the best records in the whole conference will play for the championship. The game has been held in Atlanta, Georgia, since 1994.
All-Time Football Records
This table shows the win-loss records for all SEC football teams through the 2023 season.
| # | Team | Won | Loss | Tied | Win % | SEC Championships |
Claimed National Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 965 | 337 | 43 | .733 | 30 | 18 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 944 | 341 | 53 | .725 | 0 | 7 |
| 3 | Texas | 948 | 392 | 33 | .702 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Tennessee | 865 | 414 | 53 | .669 | 13 | 6 |
| 5 | Georgia | 881 | 429 | 54 | .666 | 14 | 4 |
| 6 | LSU | 806 | 434 | 47 | .645 | 12 | 4 |
| 7 | Florida | 758 | 445 | 40 | .626 | 8 | 3 |
| 8 | Auburn | 799 | 471 | 47 | .625 | 8 | 2 |
| 9 | Texas A&M | 778 | 504 | 48 | .603 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Arkansas | 740 | 539 | 40 | .576 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Ole Miss | 675 | 547 | 35 | .551 | 6 | 3 |
| 12 | Missouri | 711 | 590 | 52 | .545 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | South Carolina | 635 | 612 | 44 | .509 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 643 | 647 | 44 | .499 | 2 | 1 |
| 15 | Mississippi State | 586 | 609 | 39 | .491 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Vanderbilt | 618 | 665 | 50 | .482 | 0 | 0 |
Note: Records reflect official NCAA results, which may include vacated wins.
Men's Basketball
For the most recent season, see 2024–25 Southeastern Conference men's basketball season.
The SEC is also a powerhouse in men's basketball. The Kentucky Wildcats have a famous program with eight national championships. The Florida Gators have also won three national titles.
Each year, the teams compete in the SEC men's basketball tournament. The winner of the tournament gets an automatic spot in the famous NCAA Tournament, often called "March Madness."
Women's Basketball
Women's basketball is also very competitive in the SEC. For a long time, the Tennessee Lady Volunteers were the top team, winning eight national championships.
More recently, the South Carolina Gamecocks have become a dominant force. They have won three national titles, including in 2022 and 2024. Like the men, the women's teams have their own SEC women's basketball tournament to decide who gets to go to the NCAA Tournament.
Baseball
The SEC has become the best conference in college baseball. Since 1990, SEC teams have won many national championships at the College World Series (MCWS).
LSU has won eight titles, while South Carolina and Vanderbilt have each won two. Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Tennessee have each won one. The newest members, Texas and Oklahoma, also have a history of success, with six and two titles respectively before joining the SEC.
The conference tournament for baseball is held each year in Hoover, Alabama. The winner gets a spot in the NCAA baseball tournament.
National Championships
The schools currently in the SEC have won hundreds of national team championships across all sports. This includes titles in football, basketball, baseball, softball, gymnastics, swimming, track and field, and more.
The success in so many different sports shows why the SEC is considered one of the strongest athletic conferences in the country.
Broadcasting
You can watch SEC sports on TV on channels owned by ESPN, such as ABC, ESPN, and the SEC Network. The SEC Network is a special channel that shows only SEC sports and content, 24 hours a day.
In 2020, the SEC made a big deal with ESPN to be the only broadcaster of its games. This deal, which started in 2024, means that even more SEC games are shown on national television, especially on ABC. The SEC Championship Game for football is also broadcast on ABC.
Images for kids
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Key personnel.jpg
Key personnel
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Facilities.jpg
Facilities
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Men's sponsored sports by school.jpg
Men's sponsored sports by school
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Women's sponsored sports by school.jpg
Women's sponsored sports by school
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Current champions.jpg
Current champions
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Bowl games.jpg
Bowl games
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Head coach compensation.jpg
Head coach compensation
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50th anniversary All-Time SEC Team.jpg
50th anniversary All-Time SEC Team
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Intra-conference football rivalries.jpg
Intra-conference football rivalries
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Interconference football rivalries.jpg
Interconference football rivalries
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National championships, Final Fours, and NCAA tournament appearances.jpg
National championships, Final Fours, and NCAA tournament appearances
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NCAA tournament champions, runners-up and locations.jpg
NCAA tournament champions, runners-up and locations
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Awards.jpg
Awards
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National championships, Men's College World Series, and NCAA tournament appearances.jpg
National championships, Men's College World Series, and NCAA tournament appearances
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Men's College World Series champions, runners-up, and scores.jpg
Men's College World Series champions, runners-up, and scores
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Rivalries.jpg
Rivalries
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National championships, Final Fours, and NCAA tournament appearances 2.jpg
National championships, Final Fours, and NCAA tournament appearances
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NCAA tournament champions, runners-up and locations 2.jpg
NCAA tournament champions, runners-up and locations
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Rivalries 2.jpg
Rivalries
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National championships, Women's College World Series, and NCAA tournament appearances.jpg
National championships, Women's College World Series, and NCAA tournament appearances
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Women's College World Series champions, runners-up, and scores.jpg
Women's College World Series champions, runners-up, and scores
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Other sports.jpg
Other sports
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National team championships.jpg
National team championships
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NACDA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup rankings.jpg
NACDA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup rankings
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2023–24 Capital One Cup standings.jpg
2023–24 Capital One Cup standings
See also
In Spanish: Southeastern Conference para niños
