The SEC consists of 14 member institutions located within the borders of 11 contiguous states. Listed in alphabetical order, these 11 states within the SEC's geographical footprint are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. The geographic domain of the conference is predominantly within the Southeastern and Southern United States, and stretches from Texas in the west to South Carolina in the east and from Missouri in the north to Florida in the south.

The SEC is divided into East and West Divisions, although the divisional alignment is not strictly geographic, with Missouri in the East Division while being further west than several West Division schools, and Auburn in the West Division despite being located further east than East Division schools Missouri and Vanderbilt.^[4] These divisional groupings are applied only in football and baseball, for both scheduling and standings purposes. In football, the two division winners meet in the SEC Championship Game.

Since July 1, 2012, there are 14 members, with Vanderbilt being the only private institution.