BIRMINGHAM, AL (AP) — After years of discussion, the Southeastern league is switching to a nine-game league schedule starting in 2026, which could pave the way for future College Football Playoff expansion.
On Thursday, chancellors and conference presidents approved the change. League athletic directors had already suggested it.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey stated that the addition of a ninth SEC game demonstrates our universities’ dedication to providing the most competitive football schedule in the country. When combined with our need to play an additional Power opponent, this model preserves rivalries, boosts competitive balance, and guarantees that SEC schools are ready to fight and win in the College Football Playoffs.
Since 1992, when Arkansas and South Carolina joined the conference to make it twelve members, the SEC has played eight conference games every season. There are still eight conference games in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Both the Big Ten and the Big 12 already use nine-point scoring.(Photo by the SEC)
Even while the SEC has long maintained that its eight-game schedule is more difficult than other leagues’ nine games, reaching nine should strengthen the conference’s schedule arguments going ahead. The modification was made a day after the CFP selection committee announced that it would give schedule strength greater weight when choosing which teams would advance to the 12-team field.
According to the committee, the schedule strength criteria has been changed to give games against formidable opponents more weight. In order to evaluate a team’s performance in relation to its schedule, a new metric called record strength has been established.
In the new format of the SEC:
The league’s single-standings, non-divisional system will remain in place;
Every year, each institution will face three opponents with the goal of preserving numerous historical rivalries;
The remaining six games for each team will alternate between the other league institutions; and
Every team will play every opponent both at home and away throughout the course of four years, as well as every other SEC program at least once every two years.
At least one more non-conference game against a club from the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12 conferences, or Notre Dame must be scheduled by SEC teams.
According to Sankey, the SEC has become the industry leader in providing the most exciting football schedule in collegiate athletics. Supporters will witness a level of competition that is unrivaled in the country, new matchups occurring more frequently, and the preservation of traditional rivalries.
