Georgia fans have been waiting for another major showdown with Oklahoma, but when the SEC revealed its Week 4 kickoff times, the announcement left plenty of Bulldogs supporters wondering why their biggest home game was not given the prime-time treatment.

Georgia and Oklahoma will meet in Athens on September 26, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. While that is hardly an undesirable time for a college football game, the matchup had all the ingredients to become one of the marquee night games of the weekend.

Instead, the SEC selected South Carolina’s trip to Alabama and Texas A&M’s meeting with LSU for its two featured night windows.

The decision has naturally sparked debate among Georgia supporters.

There is no argument that Texas A&M and LSU deserve national attention. Both programs are expected to be among the stronger teams in the conference, making their meeting an obvious candidate for a prime-time slot.

The bigger question surrounds Alabama and South Carolina.

Alabama remains one of college football’s biggest brands and will always attract television interest, but South Carolina enters the matchup without the same national ranking or expectations surrounding Georgia and Oklahoma. That makes the decision particularly frustrating for Georgia fans who were hoping to see the Bulldogs host the Sooners under the lights.

The Georgia-Oklahoma matchup carries a history that makes it different from an ordinary conference game.

The two programs have met only once before, but that meeting produced one of the most unforgettable games of the College Football Playoff era.

Their previous encounter came in the 2018 Rose Bowl, when Georgia and Oklahoma battled in an offensive thriller that went down to the wire. The Bulldogs eventually escaped with a 54-48 victory, advancing after a game that featured momentum swings, explosive plays and plenty of drama.

Now, years later, the Sooners are coming to Athens for another chapter in the rivalry.

Oklahoma may have suffered a defeat against Michigan, but that does not suddenly make the matchup insignificant. The Sooners remain a nationally relevant program, and their visit to Georgia gives college football fans another opportunity to watch two historic teams share the field.

For Georgia, the scheduling decision is also significant because there may not be many better opportunities for a major home night game later in the season.

Missouri is currently the other ranked opponent scheduled to visit Athens, but the matchup does not carry quite the same national intrigue as Georgia-Oklahoma. The Bulldogs will also host Auburn, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech, although none currently projects as the kind of matchup that would obviously command a prime-time slot.

That makes the Oklahoma game particularly important.

A night game between these two programs in Athens would have created an electric atmosphere. Sanford Stadium under the lights is already one of the most intimidating environments in college football, and adding Oklahoma to the equation could have made the occasion even more memorable.

Still, Georgia supporters can take some comfort from the 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

It is considerably more attractive than an early noon start, which could have taken some of the energy away from what should be one of the most anticipated games of Georgia’s home schedule.

The afternoon window also gives the matchup a strong national television platform, meaning fans across the country will still have an opportunity to watch.

And with Georgia and Oklahoma expected to continue meeting regularly in the future, this could be only the beginning of a compelling series between two powerhouse programs.

For now, though, Bulldogs fans will have to settle for an afternoon showdown.

The matchup deserved the spotlight, and many will continue to wonder why the SEC chose a different game for its Saturday night stage.

One thing is certain: when Georgia and Oklahoma finally take the field in Athens, the kickoff time may not matter nearly as much as the football that follows.