SEC athletic directors adopted a nine-game conference football schedule starting with the 2026-27 season, the league announced Thursday. The move is designed to balance competition and better position SEC teams under new College Football Playoff metrics that further emphasize strength of schedule.
“Some of the work by the CFP (committee) so far this year is progress,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said on The Paul Finebaum Show. “It’s not a destination, but the honoring of schedule strength that’s been communicated is really important for the Southeastern Conference. Being leaders in college football, continuing to play games against non-conference opponents at a high level, in addition to the nine games, I think that’s a representation of fulfilling that leadership responsibility. That’s not something that’s done every place.”
The move also aligns the SEC with other Power Four conferences that already play nine-game conference schedules, giving SEC teams additional opportunities to face high-quality opponents under the new CFP metrics. The ACC is the only power conference left with an eight-game league slate.
SEC expert picks 2025: Most overrated and underrated teams, projected order of finish, bold predictions
Brandon Marcello
Coaches concerned
Under the new format, each SEC team will play three permanent conference opponents and rotate through six others each season. Teams will face every other SEC program at least once every two years, and every opponent at home and away every four years. Additionally, each team is required to schedule at least one Power Four non-conference opponent — or Notre Dame — each season.
The added games increase the physical demands on teams, a point likely to concern coaches.
“Not everyone agrees,” Sankey acknowledged. “I’m certain that our coaches are concerned about the competitive aspect. We’ve got to continue to improve the selection process for the postseason.”
The rotation and permanent opponent structure is designed not only to improve overall schedule balance but also to preserve historic rivalries. Sankey noted that playing more games helps level competitive disparities across the league and gives fans more opportunities to see every team in person.
“We’re uniquely positioned to honor those historic rivalries,” Sankey said. “So those become annual opponents on a schedule, not everyone has three, but that’s the basis.”
Positioning for the College Football Playoff
The SEC’s move comes as the CFP introduces its enhanced “record strength” metric in 2025, emphasizing victories over quality opponents while reducing penalties for losses to strong teams. Sankey noted that the league considered the impact of these metrics when adopting the new schedule.
“The full clarity on how strength of schedule will be honored in the selection process would be important to us,” Sankey said. “We’re at an eight-game schedule this year; we’ll have a second opportunity to see how selection decisions are made. You know, the opening few weeks of the college football season and non-conference games are important. That can’t be understated.”
By expanding conference play and maintaining a focus on quality nonconference games, the SEC gives its teams additional chances to compete against top-tier opponents.
“What I think we have to acknowledge is the CFP process has said, ‘Don’t lose,'” Sankey said. “I don’t think that’s healthy for college football. And the ability to take this step to say it’s more than just, ‘don’t lose’. It’s about playing high quality opponents, that being honored, yes, you have to win games. That’s some of the work that needs to progress.”
SEC’s stance on playoff expansion
The SEC has made clear that its preferred path for CFP expansion is a 16-team format, which could feature five automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large bids. When asked about the Big Ten’s more radical proposals, including 24- or 28-team playoff models, Sankey emphasized the SEC has not taken a position.
When discussing larger expansion proposals, Sankey noted the SEC is still evaluating potential impacts. He highlighted concerns around player health and safety, the total number of games teams would play, the logistics of stadium capacities, television considerations and the overall economics of conference and championship games — an event Sankey said he remains “bullish” on. Given these complexities, the league has not yet taken a formal position on formats beyond its preferred 16-team model.
“That’s why our view is, we go back to what we said [at SEC Spring Meetings], that 16 is an appropriate model for expansion,” Sankey said. “If there are other ideas, there’s a lot of due diligence that needs to be done before we move in that direction.”
Read the full article here
