SEC adopts nine-game conference slate starting in 2026 as CFP metrics shift emphasis on schedule strength

SEC athletic directors adopted a nine-game conference football schedule starting with the 2026-27 season, the league announced Thursday. The development comes as the CFP is set to implement new metrics in 2025 that place greater emphasis on strength of schedule, a change that could benefit SEC teams.

The expansion marks a major shift for the SEC, which has traditionally played eight conference games per season. The league has debated the idea for more than four years, but renewed television revenue and potential advantages in playoff positioning reinvigorated discussions.

“Adding a ninth SEC game underscores our universities’ commitment to delivering the most competitive football schedule in the nation,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement released by the school. “This format protects rivalries, increases competitive balance, and paired with our requirement to play an additional Power opponent, ensures SEC teams are well prepared to compete and succeed in the College Football Playoff.”

Under the nine-game format, each SEC team will play three permanent conference opponents and rotate through six others each season. 

New SEC schedule format

• Starts in 2026 
• Each team will play nine games, with three perminant opponents 
• Each team’s other six opponents will rotate among the league’s 10 remaining schools 

• Each team will face every other SEC program at least once every two years. And every opponent home and away every four years.   
• Each team is required to play at least one Power Four opponent (or Notre Dame) every year. 

Ripple effects 

Now that the SEC has approved a nine-game conference schedule, the ACC is expected to follow suit, potentially bringing all Power Four conferences to uniform nine-game slates, according to Yahoo Sports.

Such alignment could simplify College Football Playoff evaluations, making it easier for the selection committee to compare teams across conferences. On Wednesday, the CFP introduced a new “record strength” metric for 2025, which gives extra credit for victories over quality opponents while lessening penalties for losses to strong teams. CFP executive director Rich Clark said the changes are intended to help the committee “construct a postseason bracket that recognizes the best performances and teams on the field during the regular season.”

A nine-game SEC schedule gives teams more opportunities to face high-level opponents, which could help the league maximize its representation in the playoff under the new metrics. The ACC may feel pressure to match the format to remain competitive, creating ripple effects across college football that directly connect to how the CFP could be structured in the future.

How the Power Four schedules

Scheduling decisions like these are intertwined with proposals to expand the CFP. Under an earlier “4-4-2-2-1” model, the Big Ten and SEC would each receive four guaranteed spots, the ACC and Big 12 would get two apiece, the Group of Six would have one guaranteed representative and three at-large spots would remain. While coaches initially rejected the plan, the SEC’s nine-game schedule aligns with the league’s broader goal of strengthening team schedules and positioning its programs favorably under both current and forthcoming playoff metrics.