The first edition of the nine-game SEC schedule is here. The conference unveiled the full 2026 slate Tuesday night as it enters a new era that brings it in stride with leagues like the Big Ten and Big 12.
As part of this new scheduling philosophy, all 16 teams have a set of three “annual opponents.” Think of it as protected rivalries, but with a small twist: the SEC will reevaluate its assigned annual opponents every four years. That means more changes could be on the way by the time 2030 rolls around.
But, for now, each school knows all nine of its opponents in 2026 and at least three teams it will play on a yearly basis over the next four years. The conference focused on protecting some of its most historic rivalries, like the Iron Bowl between Auburn and Alabama and the Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State, while ushering in feuds like Oklahoma and Texas’ Red River Rivalry under the SEC umbrella.
John Mateer injury: Assessing Oklahoma’s College Football Playoff outlook with star QB sidelined
Brad Crawford
Here’s a look at the three annual opponents each of the 16 SEC teams:
SEC annual opponents
- Alabama: Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee
- Arkansas: LSU, Missouri, Texas
- Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt
- Florida: Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina
- Georgia: Auburn, Florida, South Carolina
- Kentucky: Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee
- LSU: Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M
- Mississippi State: Alabama, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
- Missouri: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
- Oklahoma: Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas
- Ole Miss: LSU, Mississippi State, Oklahoma
- South Carolina: Georgia, Florida, Kentucky
- Tennessee: Alabama, Kentucky, Vanderbilt
- Texas: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
- Texas A&M: LSU, Missouri, Texas
- Vanderbilt: Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee
Outside of the annual opponents, the idea is that each program rotates through six additional conference foes per season, giving each team the opportunity to face every SEC team at least once over a period of two years.
Under the new scheduling format, every team is required to play at least one Power Four opponent (including Notre Dame) per season. Those games were not included in the SEC’s announcement.
Here’s a look at the full conference slate for each team from 2026 through 2029:
2026-29 SEC schedules
Alabama
Arkansas
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
LSU
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Missouri
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Texas A&M
Vanderbilt
Read the full article here